THE
POT OF GOLDEN GLOW
AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW DIET
By
Mark Jeantheau, GrinningPlanet.com
The
Rainbow Diet
RAINBOW DIET
- COLOR IN FOOD, NUTRIENT
CONTENT, MICRONUTRIENTS
AND HEALTHY DIET
Eating a Variety
of Colors Improves Health, and Here's a Little Secret About
It. A recent issue of Consumer Reports pointed out the health
benefits of eating a "rainbow of produce." Even
on the face of it, this seems more sensible than a monochrome,
all-mauve dietary approach, even if it is the latest thing
in Hollywood.
Indeed, the body
does benefit from eating a variety of hues. In this article,
we'll talk about why that is, and we'll tell you about a
small but very important detail that the magazine article
forgot to mention.
YOUR
DIET — MICRONUTRIENTS, FOOD COLOR, AND HEALTH
We all know about
protein, fat, and carbohydrates—they're the most rudimentary
classifications of food. Beyond that, we know about important
vitamins like A, C, E, D, and B complex, as well as essential
minerals like zinc, chromium, calcium, and magnesium. But
there are also hundreds of "micronutrients"—nutrients
that are required in lower quantities but are nonetheless
essential to keeping your body's intricate systems functioning
properly.
Eating the full
rainbow assortment of fresh raw fruits and vegetables on
a regular basis—in addition to eating whole grains,
nuts, seeds, and legumes while moderating intake of animal
fat, refined flour, sugar, and stimulants—is the key
to giving your body the nutrients it needs to build cells
right and strengthening your immune and detoxification systems
so they can do a better job of fighting off disease and
aging.
Many nutrients
are associated with various colors. Take the carotenes,
for instance, which are important antioxidants that range
in color from deep yellow to deep red. (Note: There are
many carotenes other than top-dog "beta carotene.")
Anthocyanins are another class of essential "phytochemicals"
and can be found in foods colored anywhere from black, blue
and purple to reddish. Flavinoids come in a similarly varied
assortment of colored foods. Even white vegetables can be
helpful; for instance, those from the onion family supply
allicin, which is thought to boost the immune system, fight
heart disease, and reduce the risk of cancer.
Perhaps the most
important color in the "rainbow diet" is green.
Dark-green leafy vegetables—such as kale, collars,
chard, spinach, tat soy, and bok choy—are packed with
important nutrients. These include omega 3 essential fatty
acids, which are critical for building good quality cells
in the body and may be important in regulating inflammation.
Most people eating a Western diet are deficient in omega
3's. Other great green veggies include broccoli, cabbage,
and the green portions of scallions, chives and leeks.
WHAT
CONSUMER REPORTS FORGOT TO SAY ABOUT THE RAINBOW DIET
In the farm field,
all foods are not created equal. The nutrient quality of
the food you eat will largely depend on the nutrient quality
of the soil the food was grown in. In industrial agriculture—the
type of farming that supplies the vast majority of fruits
and vegetables in the supermarket—farmers usually
apply a only a nitrogen-potassium-phosphorus (NPK) fertilizer
to the farm fields. While the NPK fertilizer does supply
the primary ingredients needed to make plants grow fast
and tall, it does little to supply the nutrients needed
to allow plants to grow RICH—that is, rich in macro-
and micronutrients alike.
On an organic
farm, soil quality is maintained through the use of organic
matter like manure and field waste, which is digested and
turned into useable nutrients by worms, nematodes, bacteria,
mycorhizal fungi, and other organisms found in healthy soil.
Additionally, cover crops are often grown to improve soil
quality and prevent loss of precious top soil.
All this care
and nurturing of the "dirt" ends up creating soil
that is richer in nutrients than soil found on industrial
farms. When the plants suck up sustenance from the organic
soil, the nutrient mix results in a fruit or vegetable that
is more densely packed with a wider variety of nutrients.
Not only do soils on conventional farms not get the broad-spectrum
replenishment they need, the toxicity of the chemical pesticides
and fertilizers used kill a large percentage of the beneficial
organisms that are essential for good soil health.
There's one other
reason why the rainbow diet will benefit you more if it
comes from organic or "sustainably grown" food.
Many of the beneficial micronutrients in the food fall into
the class of "phenolics." It turns out that plants
make these compounds to ward off pests. But with industrial
farming, chemical pesticides keep insects off the plant
almost completely. The plant has no need to defend itself,
and therefore produces fewer phenolics, resulting in less-nutritious
food for us. This was confirmed for several plant species
in recent studies published in the Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry.
The last thing
to think about here is the variety of toxic pesticides applied
to conventionally grown crops. One of the goals of the rainbow
diet is to enhance your detoxification processes. When you
ingest pesticides, that just places more burden on the detox
system you're trying to help. So, organic food not only
gives you more of the good stuff, it gives you a lot less
of the bad stuff.
WRAP
UP: THE RAINBOW DIET—EAT IT!
Finally, we advise
that you eat your rainbow of fruits and vegetables fresh
and raw. Cooking destroys enzymes and some other compounds
and can lower the nutritional value of the food.
We were pleased
to see Consumer Reports reminding people that good nutrition
can be a pretty easy concept to grasp, and now we're happy
to have given you the full story. The rainbow diet concept
is a good mnemonic device, and we encourage you to make
sure your daily intake of food comprises as many colors
as possible. Except pink, maybe. Stay away from the Manhattans
and Pepto-Bismol.
©
Mark Jeantheau/Grinning Planet. More great articles at www.grinningplanet.com
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