Acid Alkaline Balance -- Rainbow Nutrients

To keep your acid alkaline balance healthy and get all the nutrients your body needs, I’ve heard it recommended that you eat a rainbow of colors every day. I remember my mom teaching that to me and my sisters when we were younger, and it’s something that’s stuck with me. If you think about it, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is mostly white and brown, lacking any real color—french fries, burgers, pasta, bagels, cereals, breads, etc.

But, consider the wide variety of bright colors that are present in fruits and vegetables—red strawberries, orange carrots, yellow corn, purple grapes, blue blueberries, and green broccoli, to name just a few. Those colors are there for lots more than just to look pretty. The colors themselves indicate the presence of what is known as phytonutrients in the food. For instance, green vegetables often are full of chlorophyll, beta-carotene gives yellow-orange foods their trademark color, such as squash, pumpkin, and carrots. Lycopene, another essential nutrient, gives foods a red color, such as tomatoes, watermelon, and ruby red grapefruit. Even white vegetables, such as onion and garlic, contain a powerful nutrient known as Allicin, which has been shown to boost the immune system, and help prevent heart disease and cancer.

These pigments in the skin of fruits and vegetables also signify the presence of phytonutrients that protect the food from the damaging effects of the elements—the hot, withering sun, and the drying winds—that are daily part of the plant’s environment and which could do real damage to the plant's DNA were they not protected. DNA damage can occur when oxygen, exposed to heat and light, becomes an oxygen radical. You’ve probably heard the term “free radicals” before, especially with regards to the damage they are reported to do in the human body. Think of it this way—our blood is full of iron, which is carried around by the hemoglobin in our red blood cells. Iron plus oxygen equals rust, which is a good word picture for what happens to us inside when there are too many free radicals released in our bodies.

Another example is this—think of what happens to an apple within a few minutes after slicing it open. The white flesh begins to turn brown, as a result of its coming in contact with the oxygen in the air. As long as the apple is protected by the skin, the flesh inside stays moist and white. But as soon as that protection is removed, the damaging effects of the oxygen are quickly evident.

So, the lesson to learn is this. The bright colors are present in fruits and vegetables for much more than to make them look pretty. They actually protect the integrity of the growing fruit. And when you eat an apple with its bright red skin, the phytonutrients in the skin provide you with the same protective effects on the DNA in your own body. The same is true of the white pith around citrus fruits such as oranges and tangerines. Just as the pith keeps the fruit moist and healthy as it grows, so it has the same beneficial effect on you. I used to carefully peel away the pith and white strings from the tangerines we grow in our backyard, but my mom has convinced me that it’s an equally important part of the fruit and now I’m glad to eat them.

Finally, what does it mean to eat a Rainbow of Colors every day?? It simply means to eat one of each color group in the fruits/vegetables spectrum, and that is the very best assurance that you will get all the necessary nutrients from your food, as well as wonderful protection against free radical damage in your body. There are generally considered to be five broad categories of colors, including Red, Orange/Yellow, Green, Blue/Purple, and White. For a complete listing of the foods included in each category, check out this link from NDSU: The Rainbow of Colors

You’ll not only be doing your body a huge favor by including a variety of these foods in your diet each day, but you’ll also love how appealing and appetizing your dinner plate looks with all the bright colors. Try it—you’ll love the results!