Monday "Did you know...?"

that the color of your diet may be important.

According to David Heber, "Modern humans evolved about 50,000 years ago...with a varied and colorful diet of plant foods that enriched our diet and provided health benefits...Existing Hunter-Gatherers in the outback of Australia who live in equilibrium with nature eat over 800 varieties of colorful fruits, vegetables and other plant foods."

He goes on to criticize that Americans eat 3...Iceberg lettuce, french fries, ketchup!:)

What to do?

1) Avoid consistently beige & brown plates of food!

2) Use color as a cue to reduce calorie intake and stay healthy.

Red: Foods in this group include tomatoes and tomato products and contain lycopene, which inhibits breast cancer growth and has an antioxidant effect.

Green: Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and bok choy are all in the green group of foods, which contain isothiocyanates. These stimulate enzymes in the body to scavenge and remove pesticides and carcinogens.

Green/yellow: These foods include spinach, kale, collard greens, and mustard greens, and contain lutein, which helps prevent blindness and inhibits tumor cell growth.

Orange: Packed with beta and alpha carotenes, foods like butternut squash and carrots have anti-cancer and antioxidant effects and are good for vision.

Orange/yellow: This is the citrus fruit group and should be eaten for their flavonoids and vitamin C content. The skins of these fruits also contain limonoids, which fight cancer.

Red/purple: This popular food group includes red wine, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. They contain polyphenols, which fight cancer.

White/green: This group, which includes garlic and onions, contain cancer-fighting allyl sulfides.

(for more, see the book, "What Color is Your Diet?" by David Heber)

Happy Labor Day!