COLOURFUL LIFE

When i saw this rainbow in Niagara ,my reaction was WOW!!!!Amazing!....Isn't that what we all feel when we see these beautiful colours?When we were kids we all loved to colour right? even now everyone are fascinated to see colourful things... food,dress,flowers.. we all want our life to be colourful.They bring happiness to us.

Colour Therapy has long recognised the strong health connection between the colours of food and their nutritional value, but it is only in the last few years that the scientific establishment has come to support this theory.Analysis of pigments reveals that colourful fruit and vegetables are not just visually appetising, but positively good for us because each colour is related to a different phyto-chemical that has particular health benefits. It is the colour pigments that are the real super nutrients and these are as important to our health as vitamins and minerals. Many of the pigments in vegetables, for example lycopene in tomatoes, beta carotene in carrots, and lutein in spinach, can act as antioxidants. Antioxidants have the ability to block or reduce damage from harmful free radicals produced in the body. Recent research from the World cancer Fund and Better Health Foundation has divided natural food into colour groups .Each color group has a unique combination of nutrients and phyto-chemicals that appear to be associated with specific health benefits, such as heart health, a healthy immune system, vision health, and risk reduction for some cancers. The Five Colour Food Groups are:

WHITE :Helps maintain heart health,cholesterol levels that are already healthy, lower risk of some cancers.

White, tan, and brown fruits and vegetables contain health-promoting allicin.

Foods like potatoes, cauliflower, white beans, chicken, white fish, tofu (white bean curd), parsnips, organic brown rice, onions, cottage cheese,garlic, ginger, mushrooms, white corn,turnips, white peaches should be included in our diet.

RED :Helps maintain a healthy heart,memory function,urinary tract health.

Red Fruits and veggis contain health-promoting lycopene and anthocyanins.

Include foods like Cherries, cranberries, watermelon, tomatoes, beets, radishes, red peppers, red onions, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, strawberries, salmon in daily diet.

GREEN :Helps lower risk of some cancers,helps vision health,strong bones and teeth

Green fruits and vegetables contain antioxidant, health promoting lutein and indoles.

Include a lot of green salad leaves, cucumber, spring onions, spinach, chinese leaves, green peppers, beans, peas, green lentils, kiwi fruit.Avocados, green apples, honeydew, artichokes, arugula, broccoli, celery, okra.

ORANGE/YELLOW :Helps maintain healthy heart,healthy vision , healthy immune system, lower risk of some cancers

Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of antioxidants such as vitamin C as well as carotenoids and bioflavonoids.

Include items like Apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, peaches, pineapples, carrots, yellow peppers,pumpkin, sweet corn, lemon. cheese, melons, orange peppers, oranges, yams, bananas, nuts, corn, split peas. BLUE/VIOLET/PURPLE:Helps lower risk of some cancers,maintain urinary tract health, Memory function an healthy Aging.

Blue/purple fruits and vegetables contain antioxidant , anti-aging and health-promoting phytos called antocyanins and phenolics

So...never forget to include foods like blackberries, blueberries, passion fruit, dates, purple grapes, raisins, plums, purple asparagus, eggplant, purple figs, purple cabbage.

As long as the food is fresh and organic it is better for us to have more colourful food .Introducing a range of colours into our main meal each day is a reliable way of making sure we have a balanced diet. For all the mothers who complain about their kids bad appetite......Try this ........Children love colour ,by looking for the different colours on their plate,encourage them to eat a greater variety of foods ,stimulate their appetite ,make eating more enjoyable.Remember...............no single substance or food will ward off illness.