FEATURE — A plate full of colorful fruits and veggies not only looks great – it’s good for you, too!
Different colors provide different nutrients. It is recommended that you keep your plate colorful to help keep your body and mind healthier, longer. The American Heart Association shares five reasons to add color, included in the following infographic:
Now that you know it is important to fill your plate with color, how are you going to do it? Here are a few ideas:
- Make a tropical fruit salad with oranges, pink grapefruit, mango, kiwifruit, bananas, and grapes.
- Top a spinach salad with dried cranberries, oranges, and red onions.
- Make confetti slaw with shredded red and green cabbage, grated carrots, and red, green, and yellow bell peppers.
- Grab a bag of mixed frozen veggies from the freezer section to use in a soup, casserole, or stir fry recipe.
- Top your pizza with different colored veggies, like spinach, mushrooms, yellow bell peppers, olives, and red onions.
- Create a fruit or veggie tray with as many different colors as you can. Serve it with your favorite fruit or veggie dip. Some of my favorite dips are Cottage Cheese Dip, Cream Cheese Fruit Dip, and Spinach Artichoke Dip.
This week I decided to give Rainbow Frittata a try.
If you don’t have fresh basil and thyme on hand, you can use dried. Use 1/2 tsp. dry basil and 1/8 tsp. dried thyme. You can also substitute oregano or Italian seasoning. If you like spicy food, try adding Sriracha, another kind of hot sauce, or red pepper flakes. If spicy isn’t for you, go ahead and leave it out. It’s a flavorful enough dish even without the spice. Find the complete recipe here.
Take some time this week to give Rainbow Frittata a try, or other colorful recipes. See how colorful your plate can be! Click here to find a list of fruits and veggies by color. Enjoy!
Written by CANDI MERRITT, Certified Nutrition Education Ambassador.
This article originally appeared April 28, 2021, on the USU Extension Create Better Health blog.
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