The Rainbow Diet Can Help You Drop Pounds And Improve Your Health
chandrama deshmukh 
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Speak to any fitness expert and they’ll tell you that while exercising is important, the most important thing is diet. And no, we are not talking about fad diets or crash diets here. We are talking about diets that actually work.
One thing that we all agree on is that fad diets don’t work for one simple reason – they are not sustainable. While they might help in dropping those pounds rapidly, they almost always do not have all the food groups in proportion to what is needed by the body. And later on, they do tend to become impossible to stick to. And even if you do, they tend to have long-lasting bad effects on your health.
But is there no diet that is actually sustainable? Well, allow us to introduce to you the rainbow diet – an effective way to portion your food! This is not technically a diet in the real sense of the word, but a change in the way you consume food. It is, really, a change in lifestyle. If we have managed to get you hooked on this idea, please read on!
Like the title of the article already says, this diet is known as the rainbow diet and is exactly what it sounds like – it is about eating foods that belong to different color groups. And it’s also very simple – all you have to do is eat five cups of fruits and vegetables that belong to these five colors: blue or purple, red, white, yellow or orange, and green.
1. Blue Or Purple
These fruits and vegetables contain what are known as anthocyanins (1). They are good for the heart and also help in building robust blood vessels. They fight against food poisoning and also contribute to keeping your hair healthy. And here’s the best part – they also lower the risk of cancer and keep your urinary tract in tip-top condition!
Fruits and vegetables that are blue or purple include eggplant, purple cabbage, purple grapes, plums, blueberries, blackcurrant, etc.
2. Red
These fruits and vegetables contain lycopene and betacyanin (2). These are known to help fight against Alzheimer’s, prostate cancer, and heart disease. They also keep the blood vessels and skin healthy.
Red fruits and veggies include tomato, red onions, radish, beetroot, watermelons, strawberries, raspberries, pink grapefruit, etc.
Additionally, the red fruits and vegetables have a lot of powerful antioxidants and also bioflavonoids. Red grapes, in particular, contain resveratrol, which is known for being anti-inflammatory. In simple English, it helps keep cancer and heart diseases at bay.
3. White
White fruits and vegetables contain xanthone and allicin. They are low in cholesterol, which automatically makes them good for the heart, and they also protect the stomach and gut, ensuring your digestion is in place. They also bolster your immune system. Xanthone has anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties (3). Allicin, on the other hand, lowers blood sugar and helps keep cardiovascular problems at bay (4).
White foods include garlic, onions, daikon radish, cauliflower, etc. And it is no secret, especially in India, that onion and garlic have healing properties. They are anti-bacterial as well as anti-inflammatory. Garlic also happens to contain allicin, the benefits of which have been discussed above.
4. Yellow Or Orange
The fruits and vegetables that belong to this category are rich in lutein and beta-carotene. They are known to help prevent cancer, bolster the immune system, and contribute towards healthy joints and eyes. They are also low in cholesterol and are good for the heart as well. What is also great about these fruits and vegetables is that they contain a lot of vitamin C, which is extremely good for your skin. Apart from the benefits mentioned above, beta-carotene is also known to prevent blood vessel damage, arthritis, and cataract formation, among others. Lutein is known to be really good for the eyes and helps in keeping the brain functioning smoothly.
Yellow or orange fruits include carrots, yellow peppers, yellow apples, apricots, pineapples, peaches, corn, pumpkin, lemons, etc.
5. Green
By now everyone must instinctively know that green foods are a healthy option. In this portion, we’ll tell you exactly how it is so! All green fruits and vegetables contain chlorophyll. This is a cancer-preventive ingredient that also helps in keeping bones, eyes, and the digestive system healthy. Chlorophyll is also a very effective liver detox and helps in keeping your weight in check. Another bonus is that they also keep your skin looking young and healthy!
These green foods are also rich in potassium, sulphur, and thylakoids, which basically means that they help fight against cancer, detox your body, prevent muscular degeneration, and increase weight loss while taking your interest off of unhealthy foods.
These green fruits and vegetables include spinach, cucumbers, limes, green leaf and romaine lettuce, avocado, green apples, kiwi, peas, broccoli, etc.
Will you be trying out the rainbow diet soon? Let us know in the comments below!
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