Eat the rainbow. Three little words that have now been ‘hashtagged’ almost 2 million times on Instagram. #eattherainbow is another one of those phrases that’s becoming synonymous with a healthy diet.
Putting the exact number of fruit and vegetables aside, eating the rainbow means incorporating a diverse range of fruits and vegetables into your diet. Different colours, shapes, flavours and sizes.
Eating at all ends of the colour spectrum is especially important as different colours bring varying nutrients. Consider the following groups of colours. How many have you ticked off in the last couple of days?
- Red
Tomatoes, raspberries, capsicum
- Orange
Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin
- Yellow (or yellow/green)
Bananas, avocados, squash
- Green
Broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach
- Purple
Promoting Good Gut Health
And there’s more – eating the rainbow doesn’t just make sense in terms of nutrients – it also promotes good gut health. A wide variety of plant foods in our diets promote a diverse microbiota – or in other words a diverse community of good bacteria in our guts. They safeguard our mind and body today and keep ill health and disease at bay. Healthier guts with flourishing good bacteria have also been linked to reducing depression and cardiovascular disease, improved immunity, and lower body weight. Sound good? Get started by keeping a rainbow diary….
Keeping a Rainbow Diary
Are you intrigued to understand whether your fruit and vegetable intake is diverse enough? Are you meeting the 30 a week that is recommended? To find out, keep a diary for a week….
Just be sure to choose a ‘typical’ week and don’t over engineer your diet to deliberately build the list – instead follow your normal patterns and choices.
If your total tally at the end of the week is 20 or more then give yourself a pat on the back. If it’s not, start action planning right away – what can you do to add more vibrancy into your daily diet.
Some ideas from our Digestion and Nutrition experts include:
- Visit a farmers market weekly and stock up on seasonal, fresh produce. Remember the more colours of the rainbow the better.
- Write a meal schedule – nothing too rigid, but there needs to be some structure to help you shop for what you need and then execute the meals that you plan. Do this before you go shopping so that you don’t miss ingredients or get tempted by the the ‘convenience’ of processed/packaged foods.
- Snack on fruit and veggies to get your diversity up. I remember when I first met my partner, we were in his car and he opened an esky and offered me a red capsium while he munched into a head of raw broccoli. Not exactly conventional snacks but they were fresh, delicious and as nutrient dense as a snack comes!
“Resetting” the Digestive System
Whether your diet is in great shape (or not) there are other ways to look after your digestive system. Colonic Hydrotherapy is one of them. We recommend using a series of Colonics to ‘reset’ the digestive system – providing a great foundation on which to introduce a rainbow filled diet.
A Colonic is a great way to gently clear out and reset the gut, providing a great foundation for us to work from and build off. Especially if there has been a long history of poor diet and lifestyle. It’s like getting rid of all the old furniture in a house first, before you start renovating and adding new things. It makes the job much easier when you can start fresh with a clean state.
How about; increase energy naturally, balance hormones, detox, fertility, better sleep, improve skin health, gut health?
We at pH Clinic offer a range of health therapies to support you on your health journey. Our dedicated practitioners are knowledgable and nurturing, allowing you to get the care you deserve in an environment that promotes health.
Make an appointment to start your progressive health journey!
