MOMS WITH A MISSION: Eat a Rainbow of Foods

A general rule when it comes to food is the brighter the better because the color pigments of foods are where all the vitamins and phytonutrients are found. Potatoes and jicama are some of the few natural white foods. Most often, if a food is white, it has been processed in some way, i.e. white bread & sugar. White is not a color of the rainbow, so eating a rainbow of foods will help you increase fruits and vegetables in your diet and reduce the processed foods in you diet. What foods make up the rainbow?

• Red: tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, beets, red peppers, radishes, pomegranate
• Orange: oranges, persimmons, yams, butternut squash, carrots, apricots
• Yellow: onions, yellow peppers, Yukon potatoes, spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, bananas
• Green: kale, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, lettuce, green peppers, herbs, peas, green beans, kiwi
• Blue: blueberries, blackberries, blue potatoes, acai berry
• Purple: eggplant, grapes, figs, plums

Challenge your kids to find the rainbow on their plate!

Fitness Tip: Take the family dog out for a walk together, or if your child is old enough, give him this daily task (or more than once a day – even better for both child and dog!). If you don’t have a dog, help your child arrange to walk a neighbor’s dog.