When you’re stuck in a rut, one of the first things you can do is to look at what you’re eating.
Having a variety in your snacks and meals is a super important factor in how you feel every day. Studies show that increasing variety of fresh, whole foods helps to round out nutrition and ensure that you get a variety of important vitamins and minerals.
You may have already heard ‘fill your plate like a rainbow’ or ‘eat the rainbow’, meaning enjoy one food from each colour of the rainbow in your meals or snacks.
Here are some example of foods from the rainbow:
Red – apples, berries, red peppers, tomatoes
Orange – sweet potatoes, carrots, oranges
Yellow – squash, celery, lemon, bananas
Green – cucumbers, kale, spinach, bok choy, avocado
Blue – blueberries
Purple – berries, eggplant, plums
Antioxidants
By enjoying a rainbow of colours in your diet, you are accomplishing something very important: You are eating an antioxidant rich diet.
Antioxidants are natural substances that exist as vitamins, minerals and other compounds in foods. They are believed to prevent disease and aging by fighting free radicals in the body.
Well, what are free radicals anyway? They form when the body undergoes stress, and when I say stress, I mean stress from unhealthy foods, toxins in the environment like cigarette smoke, and even just from ageing, changes in hormones and breathing.
Focusing on antioxidants is a great way to stay healthy without jumping on the bandwagon of another fad diet or counting calories until you’re blue in the face. By eating a colourful diet, you will be supplying your body with more power to fight off free radical damage, keeping it younger and healthier for longer.
Even essential oils can be used as food supplements and to support hormonal balance – I add a drop of lemon or orange vitality essential oils to my water in the morning as a refreshing way to start the day!
Fun Fact: Cold-pressed from lemon rinds, Lemon essential oil contains 68 percent d-limonene, a powerful antioxidant. Aside from using lemon to enhance the flavor of foods and water, it also may be beneficial for the skin.
If you’re finding it hard to get started or to change your eating habits, you’re not alone – I struggled with this for a long time.
You know I love a good challenge, so for the next 10 days, pick one or two colours that are usually missing from your diet and focus on eating foods of that colour(s). Write down in your journal how you feel before the challenge and how you feel after – I’d love to hear how this goes for you so feel free to email me at info@dreamitthinkitliveit.com.
