Rainbow – The Paleo Pact

You may have heard the term “Eat The Rainbow” recently. It’s picking up steam in a big way throughout the health industry. It’s meaning is pretty simple, you’re supposed to eat as many colored foods as possible during each meal.

Here’s an example of what “Eating The Rainbow” might look like:

Red- Tomatoes
Orange- Sweet Potato
Yellow- Yellow Squash
Green- Spinach
Blue- Blueberries
Indigo/Violet- Eggplant

Don’t get worried! I know that looks like a ton of food. The point isn’t to overeat, or to eat too much in the attempt to consume all the colors of the rainbow. The point is that you try to incorporate as many colors as possible into your meals. You also want to change up the types of foods that are a specific color. For example, you wouldn’t always want to eat sweet potatoes to get your “orange” in, you could try carrots or an actual orange.

The reason “Eating The Rainbow” has become popular is because nutrient (i.e. minerals and vitamins) composition and levels can lead to foods being a particular color. Foods that are a strong color are said to have more of particular nutrients. So the theory behind “Eating The Rainbow” is that if you eat various colored foods, you’ll gain a more diverse group of nutrients in your diet.

Here’s to “Eating The Rainbow”!

Melissa Van Dover

@mvandover | melissavandover.com