Eat Right Focus on Color

This nutrition education and information campaign is created by the American Dietetic Association and brought to you each year during March. This years theme is "Eat Right With Color". This campaign sets about strengthening the value of making room for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy products upon the American plate daily. The grocery store has a wealth of foods that will help you in adding color to your diet.

Marianne Smith Edge, MS, RD, FADA, and Senior Vice President of Nutrition and Safety, International Food Information Council Foundation reminds people that frozen and even canned foods do have the ability to provide equal nutrition in comparison to fresh, and other packed foods offer a nutrition too such as cereals, yogurt and juice which all are part of a healthy diet.

Adding splashes of color to your plate not only brings that festive feeling to the air but creates an array of nutrients with each containing its own wealth of health benefits.

Just counting calories alone does not mean your eating healthy. Essential nutrients are vital to health especially in children to aide in their normal growth and development.

So take the plunge into color and in the nutrients your body needs for a healthy diet.

Green colored produce offers antioxidant possibilities that can aide in promoting healthy vision and reduced risk for certain cancers. Try avocado, kiwi, lime, apples, broccoli, green beans and green leafy veggies.

Orange and yellow colored fruits and vegetables will help advocate healthy vision, build immunity even aide in the decreased risk of certain cancers. Try cantaloupe, mango, papaya, carrots and sweat potatoes.

Purple and blue colored have been associated to antioxidants and can hold anti-aging benefits, aide in memory, urinary tract infections and also decrease the risk of certain cancers. Think berries, blueberries, blackberries, even plumbs and purple cabbage and those flesh toned purple potatoes.

Red colors think heart health. Cherries, beets, tomatoes are all good choices.

Plan meals like vegetable soup or vegetable kabobs.

Hungry for a snack grab a piece of fruit not only is it healthy it is great, easy and simple for those of us on the go.

Three easy ways to eat more healthy this month and every month:

Think plants. Consume more plants such as avocado and tomatoes.

Consume your calories instead of drinking them. Instead of reaching for that afternoon Latte grab a yogurt which provides much more protein.

Snack out the fat. Instead of grabbing that bag of chips try so veggie sticks with low fat dip. Keep a container of veggie sticks or wedges in the frig. If you do not have time to cut your own there are bags available in the produce section of the grocery store.

If you really want to get into color visit your local farmers markets. They have a tremendous selection among organic produce as well.

The USDA has a table provided online for estimated dietary intakes at Dietary Intakes Reference.

The American Dietetic Association online has available nutrition for women, men and children. You can check it out at Nutrition for Life.

Sources:

Medical News Today

Eat Right

Resolutions Nutrition Month