The easiest way to eat the rainbow daily is to recognize simple opportunities to make your meals and snacks more colourful. This article will detail 11 simple and tasty ways to incorporate more colourful foods into your existing diet!
11 Easy Ways To Eat The Rainbow Overview
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- Blended into pasta and pizza sauce.
- As tasty toppings.
- In one-pot meals.
- Swap the colours of your favourite fruits and vegetables.
- Cook with herbs and spices.
- Blended into smoothies, popsicles and juices.
- In condiments and dips.
- Baked into your favourite foods and dishes.
- Use as a replacement for pasta, rice, crackers and chips.
- In assorted salads.
- In Buddha bowls and stir fry.
PLUS: Why do experts say to eat the rainbow?
1. Blended into pasta & pizza sauce
This is the easiest way to sneak an entire rainbow of vegetables in one sitting. Plus, it’s both adult and kid-friendly!
Blending vegetables with tomatoes will make them take on the flavour of the tomatoes and spices you use. It’s the perfect way to disguise a rainbow of vegetables for even the pickiest eaters.
Examples of vegetables that taste great in tomato sauce include:
- Mushrooms
- White or yellow onions
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Yellow and orange squash
- Carrots
- Green, red, orange and yellow peppers
- Zucchini
- Spinach
- Celery
- Beetroot tops/greens
- Eggplant
- Rainbow chard
NOTE: Avoid using cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale and cauliflower in this sauce. Their flavours can overpower the tomato base. However, that’s not to say they won’t work as-is with your final dish!
How To Make It step-by-step
- Load a large pot with a rainbow assortment of cut-up vegetables, onions, and garlic. Add a couple of cans of tomatoes and some tomato paste, and bring everything to a simmer.
- Allow the vegetables to cook through until they are fork-tender.
- Next, using an immersion blender, puree everything until it becomes one cohesive sauce.
- Add your favourite dried or woody spices like basil, oregano, thyme, garlic, onion, pepper, salt, and bay leaves. Simmer on low for an hour or more so the spices get a chance to work their magic.
- Serve it like you would any jarred pasta or pizza sauce.
MEAL PREP HACK: Transfer leftovers into glass mason jars and freeze them for future use.
2. As toppings
It’s all about that topping life! This is one of the easiest ways to make your meal more colourful, especially when eating out at restaurants.
IN SANDWICHES, wraps & BURGERS
- Mixed lettuce greens
- Microgreens and sprouts
- Fresh herbs
- Tomatoes and tomatillos
- Avocado slices or mash
- Coleslaw with purple cabbage and carrots
- Pickled radishes, red onions, red and yellow peppers, cucumbers and jalapenos
- Sauteed mushrooms, green peppers and white onions
- Caramelized onions
ON SALADS
- Fresh berries, grapes and pomegranate seeds
- Dried fruits
- Diced apples, pears and peaches with the skins on
- Assorted fresh herbs, like basil, mint and cilantro
- Pickled beets, green beans, carrots and asparagus
- Roasted sweet potato, white potato, eggplant, zucchini and beets
- Avocado and olives
- Red, white and green onions
- Raw peppers, radishes, carrots, celery, cucumber, mushrooms, peas and broccoli
- Alfalfa sprouts and micro greens
- Black beans, chickpeas, corn and cherry tomatoes
OTHER RAINBOW-Topping opportunities
- On pizza
- On nachos
- On tacos
- On yogurt
- On (and in) omelettes
- On oatmeal
3. In one-pot meals
One-pot meals like soups, stews, chillies, and curries are another easy way to incorporate a rainbow of colourful foods into your diet in one sitting. That’s because the vegetables and legumes you choose are likely to absorb the flavour profile of the dish.
Even better, they don’t take too much hands-on time to prepare! Most can be prepared and allowed to simmer for hours on the stove or in a crockpot, making it a great addition to any meal prep regime.
soups
The possibilities are endless when it comes to soup! Almost any vegetable and herb can be incorporated into soup. The hardest part is picking which type to make! After you’ve decided on the style, try to fit in as many colourful veggies and herbs as you can.
Here are some examples of soups that taste best when you have a variety of rainbow-coloured foods!
- Blended vegetable soups and gazpachos
- Classic vegetable soup
- All-in-one ‘meal’ soups, like cabbage-roll, stuffed-pepper and tortellini soups
- Heartier soups, like minestrone, bean and kale, and lentil soups
curries
Curries are another amazing way to eat a rainbow! That’s because most recipes already call for a variety of vegetables and spices. Including:
- Cauliflower, bell peppers, green beans, peas, green and yellow zucchini, winter squash, chickpeas and broccoli
- Root spices and vegetables, such as ginger, turmeric, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onions
- Various spices and herbs, like saffron, chillies, fenugreek, coriander, paprika and chat masala
stews & CHILLI
Classic stews and chillis are a delicious way to incorporate colourful legumes, spices and hearty root vegetables with their skins on. Including:
- Red kidney beans and black beans
- Orange, green, yellow and black lentils
- Sweet potatoes and yams
- Red, yellow and white potatoes
- Parsnips, carrots and radishes
- Cumin, chilli, oregano, thyme, rosemary and paprika
4. Swap the colours of your favourite fruits & vegetables
Many fruits, vegetables and legumes come in a variety of colours. By simply changing the colour of your everyday favourites, you can give your diet a colour boost with very little effort.
simple colour swaps
- Orange carrots for purple, yellow, red and white carrots
- Green bell peppers for red, orange, yellow and purple peppers
- Green grapes for red, purple and black grapes
- White potatoes for red and yellow potatoes
- Orange sweet potatoes for purple sweet potatoes
- Red apples for yellow, pink and green apples
- White grapefruit for pink or red grapefruit
- Green cabbage for purple and red cabbage
- White cauliflower for yellow, green and purple cauliflower
- White onions for green, red and yellow onions, and purple shallots
- Strawberries for blackberries, blueberries and dark cherries
- Watermelon for cantaloupe and honeydew
5. Cook with herbs & Spices
Herbs and spices are among the most underrated nutrition powerhouses. Not only are they full of potent antioxidants, they’re jam-packed with a high concentration of phytonutrients.
Adding fresh herbs to your meals will not only improve the overall flavour but also support your body’s natural detoxifying abilities. While cooking and simmering food with spices unlocks powerful antioxidants and anti-aging properties.
Here are some tasty examples to try:
herbs
- Mint
- Dill
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Chives
- Basil
- Sage
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Tarragon
- Bay leaf
- Summer savory
spices
- Black, red and white pepper
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Paprika
- Clove
- Cumin
- Chilli
- Turmeric
- Saffron
- Allspice
- Nutmeg
- Cayenne
- Fennel seeds
- Red pepper flakes
- Onion
- Garlic
6. In smoothies, popsicles & Juices
This tried-and-true solution for eating the rainbow couldn’t be simpler or more economical! Frozen fruit and vegetables taste amazing in smoothies and generally cost less than fresh produce.
Plus, you can turn smoothies into rainbow-eating popsicles by freezing leftovers in popsicle molds.
There are countless smoothie flavours and combinations, making it easy to find or create a recipe that suits your taste!
Here’s a rainbow list of fruits and vegetables to try:
- Red strawberries, raspberries, cherries, beets and grapefruit
- Orange mango, peaches, oranges, carrots and papaya
- Yellow pineapple, banana squash,
- Green spinach, apple, zucchini, kale and kiwi
- Blue and purple blackberries, blueberries and acai berries
- White cauliflower, banana and coconut
Juicing is another way to extract all the yummy phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables. Juicing is ideal for people who struggle with digesting fibre or have a medical condition that makes eating more difficult.
7. In condiments & Dips
Salsa
- Fruit-based salsas, like mango, strawberry and watermelon salsas
- Savoury salsas like pico de gallo, salsa verde, salsa taqueria and corn salsas
Pesto
- Green pestos, like basil, mint, carrot top, garlic scape and arugula
- Red pestos, like roasted red pepper and sundried tomato
- Purple pestos, like black olive, beetroot and radicchio
HUMMUS
- Orange hummus, like carrot, pumpkin and roasted red, yellow and orange peppers
- Pink hummus, like strawberry, raspberry and roasted beet
- Yellow hummus with turmeric, yellow lentils and lemon zest
Other Colourful Condiments & dip opportunities
- Salad dressing
- Relish
- Hot sauce
- Jam, marmalade and fruit compote
- Chimichurri
- Kimchi and sauerkraut
- Babaganoush
- Mustard
- Harissa
8. Bake them into your favourite foods
Baking colourful fruits and vegetables into different dishes is an excellent way to eat the rainbow and make your food more beautiful!
MUFFINS, QUICK BREAD & BAKED OATMEAL
These fruits will add a bright sweetness to your baked goods, while the vegetables go completely undetected.
- Blueberries, blackberries and cranberries
- Lemon, orange and lime zest
- Diced unpeeled apples, rhubarb, pears and peaches
- Apple sauce and mashed bananas
- Shredded carrot, zucchini and yellow squash
- Pureed sweet potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash and pumpkin
FRITTATA, QUICHE & OMLETTES
- Spinach, kale and broccoli
- Cherry tomatoes and assorted peppers
- Assorted herbs, like chives, parsley, dill and tarragon
- Asparagus, green beans and peas
- Assorted mushrooms and garlic
- Red onion, shallot and caramelized white onions
- Winter and summer squashes
- Sweet potatoes, red baby potatoes and yams
OTHER RAINBOW-BAKING OPPORTUNITIES
- Casseroles
- Shakshuka
- Meatballs and meatloaf
- Lasagna and pasta bakes
- Meat and veggie patties
- Pies
9. As a Replacement For pasta, Rice, Crackers & Chips
While there’s a time and place for traditional pasta, rice, crackers and chips, replacing them with colourful alternatives is an excellent way to reduce your carbohydrate intake (if needed) and keep your blood sugar levels in check.
PASTA SUBSTITUTES
- Spaghetti squash
- Spiralized zucchini (aka zoodles)
- Thinly chopped or spiralized cabbage
- Eggplant and zucchini sliced length-wise as an alternative to lasagna noodles
- Hearts of Palm noodles
rice SUBSTITUTES
- Cauliflower rice
- Riced broccoli
- Lentils
- Wild rice
cracker & Chips SUBSTITUTES
- Apple slices
- Cucumber slices
- Celery sticks
- Carrot sticks or chips
- Sliced radish
- Dehydrated root vegetable chips
- Kale chips
- Roasted seaweed
10. Assorted Salads
When healthcare and nutrition experts advise people to eat the rainbow, what usually comes to mind is a big garden salad. While this is a great option, it can also be a little, um… boring.
Thankfully, there are loads of other salad options that can just as easily help you achieve your rainbow-eating goals!
Here’s a list of delicious and exciting salad ideas:
- Greek salad
- Nicoise salad
- Waldorf salad
- Mixed-bean salad
- Cobb salad
- Quinoa salad
- Potato salad
- Pasta salad
- Egg salad
- Tuna salad
- Coleslaw
11. Buddha Bowls & Stir Fry
Buddha bowls, also known as nourish bowls, bliss bowls and macro bowls, are a rainbow meal waiting to happen!
They’re balanced meals, served in a large bowl, that include a protein source, hearty grains, some healthy fat, and lots of vegetables. The main purpose of these popular ‘meal bowls’ is to eat a wide variety of ingredients, which has been linked to a more diverse gut microbiome and lowered risk of developing a chronic disease.
Incorporating colourful Buddha bowls into your everyday diet is easy when you meal prep most of your ingredients ahead of time. In only 1 to 2 hours, you can prepare everything you need to assemble your bowls for the week.
RAINBOW nourish bowl INGREDIENT options
- Roasted cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli
- Roasted root vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, radishes and turnips
- Steamed or sauteed vegetables like string beans, zucchini, bok choy, kale, rapini, eggplant, asparagus and mushrooms
- Assorted legumes, like black beans, lentils and chickpeas
- Raw ingredients like avocado, arugula, radicchio, spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, microgreens and massaged dino kale
- Colourful condiments, like pickled red onions, hummus, kimchi, pesto and dressings
Stir-fry is another excellent opportunity to build a rainbow on your plate, and cooks up quickly!
RAINBOW stir fry INGREDIENT options
- Chinese vegetables like bok choy, yu choy, Chinese broccoli and Napa cabbage.
- Assorted mushrooms
- Assorted peppers
- Assorted onions
- Baby corn
- Snap peas
- Broccoli
- Bean sprouts
- Carrots
Why do experts say to eat the rainbow?
Eating the rainbow helps you stay healthy by ensuring you get a wide variety of essential vitamins and minerals, plus a healthy dose of antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Phytonutrients are chemicals plants produce to protect themselves from germs, bugs, fungi, and sun damage. They’re also what give plants their colours, tastes and smells. The more vibrant the colour, the more phytonutrients it has!
Eating the rainbow means eating a combination of plants from each colour group: red, orange, yellow, green, blue/purple, and white.
Each colour group has different levels of specific phytonutrients and different health benefits, including:
- Repairing and protecting different types of cells in the body
- Supporting your vision and eye health
- Reducing inflammation
- Supporting your immune system
- Slowing down cancer cell growth
- Lowering the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease
You can find powerful phytonutrients in:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Herbs and spices
- Legumes
Eating the rainbow is easier than you think and so much more delicious than you’d expect! After trying some of these easy and tasty ideas, you’ll have no problem eating the rainbow every day!
Questions?
If you have any questions about the information you’ve learned today, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me an Instagram direct message! 🌈
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