EAT THE RAINBOW

Today’s rule is really simple: EAT THE RAINBOW.

You’ve probably heard that expression before and there’s a reason for it. Anti oxidants get rid of free radicals in the body (simplifying things - free radicals come from all the bad stuff, smoking, pollution, refined sugars... and they damage cells so we want them gone!).

You’ve heard of blueberries being a superfood - mostly because of their high antioxidant content. BUT, studies show that antioxidants only work when eaten IN COMBINATION. Not to say eating an entire punnet of blueberries is necessarily bad for you, but it would be a WHOLE lot better for you if you had a mixture of berries or fruits and veg all together.

There was a famous study when they found that beta carotene (found in carrots) helped in lung cancer, so they isolated the chemical from carrots, turned it into a supplement and then gave it to patients with lung cancer expecting them to be cured. What happened? They got worse, far far worse than the controls. Why? Because beta carotene only works in combinations with other anti oxidants! (Also just another example of why supplements and medicines should be a last resort and you should always try adjusting your diet first!).

Most fruits and veg’s colour determines their antioxidant contents, making the rule of eat the rainbow in every meal a really simple way of making sure you get that vital mix of anti oxidants from your fruit and veg!

- Red onions face 76% more anti oxidant capacity than white onions

- Red cabbage has 8 x more than green cabbage

- Red apples or grapes more than green

Think colour. The brighter the better (as long as it’s not artificially made so).