Eat a Rainbow!

Hello again, are you familiar with this term: ‘eat a rainbow’? You may have seen or heard it before, but then again maybe you haven’t. Perhaps you’ve heard this sentence- ‘eat your 5-a day’? That one might be more familiar. Well today we will be looking at 5 ways to include more fruit and vegetables in your diet.

Before I share those tips, I just want to lay a foundation into the function and purpose of fruit and veg. Like is it really that serious to ensure that you’re maximising the amount of fruit and vegetables you have daily?

Well yes! Fruits and vegetables are essential sources of vitamins and minerals and also packed full of fibre. Vitamins and minerals have various functions in the body from aiding our immune system in fighting off viruses (so important right now!), taking part in important chemical reactions in our body and being a part of important structures within our body such as bones and teeth. The number of vitamins and minerals are immense and you’d be reading for a verry long time if I was to mention them all along with their functions. Vitamins and minerals are called micro-nutrients in our diet as they are needed in much smaller quantities compared to macronutrients (i.e. carbohydrates, fats and protein). Deficiencies in these micro-nutrients can have large effects on the body. For example, did you know that a calcium deficiency can lead to brittle bones (osteoporosis)? Don’t underestimate the power of these small powerhouses which we find in our fruit and veg!

Another major benefit of fruit and vegetables are that they are high in fibre and low in fat! This means that they can help you feel fuller for longer, great for preventing constipation and increased fruit and vegetable intake is an excellent addition to any weight loss plan!

So, I hope I’ve helped to give a brief insight into the benefits of fruit and vegetables. Here are the 5 ways you can increase the fruit and vegetable content of your diet:

1. Increase the portions of fruit and vegetables at your mealtimes.

This may seem simple, but whenever you’re planning your meals/doing your shopping, think, ‘how can I add another portion (a portion is 80g/roughly a handful) into this dish?’.

For example, if you’re cooking a meat or veggie bolognese, why not add an extra carrot or a can of chopped tomatoes?

Trying new recipes on a regular basis can help with this, especially if you go for the plant-based option. Check out my Instagram and Facebook pages and this blog for more inspiration on this 😉

2. Eat a rainbow. The more variety of colours you have, it’s an indication you’ll be getting a variety of nutrients.

For example, dark purple foods are high in antioxidants, orange foods (and green too) are high in vitamin and the green leafy vegetables are high in iron.

3. Have fruit as a snack

Why not swap that chocolate bar with that cup of tea for a handful of grapes? Or a banana as a mid-afternoon snack to get you powered up throughout the day?

4. Buy fruit that is in season

Fruit in season tends to be cheaper and also supports our local farmers. Click here to find out more about when fruit and veg are in season in the UK!

5. Make use of frozen, canned or dried fruit.

Some people feel that they should only have fresh fruit and vegetables for it to count towards their 5-a day but it’s not true!

Check out this 5- a day article to find out what counts. The more fruit and vegetables you can get into your diet counts. Just try to limit how much of these you eat with a lot of additional oil/fat or sugar.

Oh, and before I go, why did I call this blog post ‘Eat a rainbow’? As listed in my 2nd tip, the more natural colours of fruit and vegetables in your diet, the greater the variety of vitamins and minerals! A lot of the vitamins are represented by a characteristic colour. So, I challenge you to make use of one, two or all five of these tips to boost you fruit and vegetable intake.

Feel free to drop me a comment under this post or tag @chazdelightsnutrition on Facebook and Instagram and show us how you’ve implemented these tips!

Chaz xx