The Rainbow Diet: What It Is And How It Benefits You

Unlike most diets that focus on restricting your food intake and promoting rapid, often unsustainable weight loss, the rainbow diet offers a different approach. Instead of eliminating entire food groups, this health-oriented diet encourages you to add more colour to your meals. The principle is simple: “Eat the rainbow” by incorporating a variety of colourful plant-based foods into your diet. Instead of cutting out carbs, gluten, fats, or meats, you focus on including a diverse range of vibrant fruits and vegetables.

To learn more about the rainbow diet and its benefits, we spoke with Megan Hilbert, a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist with Top Nutrition Coaching, who explained what the rainbow diet entails and its nutritional and health benefits.

What Is Rainbow Diet?

The rainbow diet promotes eating a diverse array of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes in a spectrum of colours to enhance your intake of micronutrients and phytonutrients. According to Megan Hilbert, the various colours in foods often indicate different nutrient profiles, making it easier to ensure you’re getting a comprehensive range of essential vitamins and minerals. By focusing on a colourful plate, you can better meet your nutritional needs and support overall health.

What Are The Benefits Of Rainbow Diet?

Megan shared that a diet rich in colourful fruits and vegetables offers numerous health benefits, including:

• Enhanced immune function
• Improved gut and digestive health through better bowel habits and a healthier microbiome
• Potential anti-cancer effects
• Reduced risk of obesity and excess body fat
• Lower risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes
• Better blood sugar control and a decreased risk of diabetes

How Does The Rainbow Diet Contribute To Overall Health?

Megan explained that different colours in fruits and vegetables are indicative of various phytonutrients and micronutrients, each offering unique health benefits:

Red Foods: Items like tomatoes, grapefruit, and watermelon are rich in lycopene, a phytonutrient with antioxidant properties. Lycopene has been linked to improved heart, eye, skin, and bone health. However, it’s worth noting that relying solely on red foods might mean missing out on other beneficial nutrients found in foods of different colours.

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Orange/Yellow Foods: Foods such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots are high in carotenoids, which are part of the vitamin A family. These nutrients offer anti-inflammatory benefits and support eye, heart, and skin health. On the downside, focusing too much on these colours might lead to an imbalance if other colours and their nutrients are neglected.

Green Foods: Broccoli, spinach, and kale are packed with a range of phytonutrients like carotenoids, chlorophyll, and, in cruciferous vegetables, isothiocyanates and glucosinolates. These have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-cancer properties. However, overemphasising green foods might limit the intake of other vital nutrients not present in green vegetables.

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Blue/Purple Foods: Blueberries, purple cabbage, and plums contain anthocyanins, some of the most potent phytonutrients with benefits for inflammation, heart health, brain function, and blood sugar regulation. Yet, it’s important to ensure a diverse diet to avoid missing out on the benefits of other coloured foods.

Guidelines For Adopting The Rainbow Diet

Megan emphasised the importance of variety in the diet. She suggested that incorporating a diverse range of plant-based foods aiming for around 30 different types, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, and legumes can greatly benefit overall health. This approach ensures you’re getting a broad spectrum of fibre, micronutrients, and phytonutrients, all of which support gut health and overall well-being.

If you’re not accustomed to consuming such a wide variety of plant foods, it’s best to introduce them gradually. Sudden increases in fibre intake can sometimes cause digestive discomfort if your body isn’t used to it. Starting slowly allows your digestive system to adjust and helps you reap the benefits without the discomfort.

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