Teens: Fill Your Plate with Color

Your body benefits from the same naturally occurring compounds that protect plants from pollution, predators, diseases and other threats. Scientists call these compounds phytonutrients. They number in the thousands and give the plant foods you eat their color, aroma and flavor.

But here’s the rub: The phytonutrient profile of a lemon, orange or other citrus fruit is different than that of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables. Likewise, a red tomato has a different phytonutrient profile than an orange carrot or a purple plum. What’s more, each phytonutrient profile exerts different health benefits.

For this reason, you’ll want to be sure to do one thing: Eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits in all the color groups. In this way, you can get the most out of the phytonutrients in plant foods. In other words, variety matters, but so does color, especially if you want to level up the protective power of the plant foods you eat. 

3 ways to get more phytonutrients 

You can take the drama out of fueling your body with as many protective phytonutrients as possible when you follow these three basic guidelines:

1. Add variety to your menu. The next time you’re at the grocery store, check out the produce section. Sure, you’ll find vegetables and fruits that you recognize. But, look a little closer and you’ll likely find new ones just waiting for you to try. 
2. Expand your color palette. Vegetables and fruits fall into five general color groups: red, yellow/orange, green, purple/blue and white/tan. Make it a game and see how many different colors you can eat at each meal.
3. Look for inspiration. For fun facts and ideas to inspire you to boost your intake, check out www.fruitsandveggies.org.

How many different colors of veggies and fruits are you getting each day? Remember, you’ll up your intake when you aim to eat a variety of vegetables and fruits in a rainbow of colors.

You’ve Got This!

Lorna & Kathleen (The EatingFor Team)