|
If you need to drop and few kilos and don’t know where to get started, stop
counting calories and start counting colours. When it comes to losing weight,
make sure your plate is piled high with a range of colourful fruit and
vegetables. You’ll naturally create more balance and health-filled menus.
Why? Colour not only brightens your mood – but also your diet. Load your
plate with fruit and veges like a box of crayons in colours such as red, yellow,
orange, blue, purple, white and green and you’ll also be filling up on power
packed phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are naturally occurring chemicals which
combat disease, including cancer.
Go easy on the beige and brown foods such as pasta and startchy carbs. When
there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost
certain. That's because these beige foods often are high in calories and can
leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200
calories....but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh
greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the
nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you'll get more enjoyment
from eating when there's a variety of colours and flavours on your plate.
According to Dr David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. and author of “What Color Is Your
Diet” the key to designing your colourful diet is to choose from a range of
different colour groups:
Blue/purple fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts of health-promoting
phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and phenolics. Choose from a range including
blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, plums, raisins. These assist in memory
function.
Green group includes broccoli; Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and bok choi. These
foods stimulate the genes in your liver to turn on the production of enzymes
that break down the cancer-causing chemicals in the body.
The yellow/green group includes green peas, avocado and honeydew melon. These
promote eye health.
The yellow/orange group includes carrots, mangoes, apricots, rock melon and
pumpkin. These contain carotenoids (beta carotene is one), fierce antioxidants
that help prevent cancer and assist to lower heart-attack risk.
The white group includes bananas, white peaches, cauliflower, garlic, ginger,
mushrooms and are helpful to maintain heart health.
The red group includes tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon all of which
contain lycopene. Lycopene is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer
and cardiovascular disease.
The red/purple group includes grapes, grape juice, prunes, cranberries,
strawberries and red apples. These foods contain anthocyanins which have a
beneficial effect on heart disease by inhibiting blood clot formation.
Kim Beardsmore M.B.A., B.Sc. (Biochemistry) writes for the online weight
loss, health & fitness magazine Weight Loss Health. For free resources,
tips and healthy recipes to help you lose weight and gain energy, visit http://weight-loss-health.com.au
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com |
