No, we aren’t talking about Skittles. Eating a rainbow of fresh veg is actually a great way to boost your health by ensuring you take in a variety of nutrients. Plus, it’s more pleasing to the eye, which can help when trying to feed kids more veggies! We’ve enlisted the help of expert nutritionist Dr Laura Wyness to walk you through why eating the rainbow is so great, and how to get started.
Eating the rainbow isn’t just great for increasing the variety of nutrients that are so great for your body, it’s also a great way to empower kids to love their veg by offering them more visually-pleasing colour, texture, taste and choice!
Dr Laura Wyness, one of our amazing expert panel, is here to walk you through why eating the rainbow is such a good idea, and how to get started – why not challenge your family to eat the rainbow with our wall chart below?
It’s a great idea to eat a rainbow of different colours of vegetables! Each colour has different types of vitamins and minerals that are essential for kids and their growth. Eating the rainbow is not only beneficial for health, but it looks great on the plate, which looks much more appetising for the kids. Let’s take a look at the colours and get to some top tips.
White
White veggies can include cauliflower, parsnips and other root veg like celeriac, onions and mushrooms. Did you know that mushrooms are one of the few plant sources of vitamin D? In fact, leaving your mushrooms on a sunny windowsill for a few hours before eating can actually increase the vitamin D content, helping those strong bones!
Yellow
Yellow veg includes sweetcorn, yellow pepper and some squashes. Did you know the biggest sweetcorn in the world was recorded as being just over 10 metres tall?! Yellow veg, like many colourful veggies, is full of antioxidants and vitamins like vitamin C, helping your digestion and gut health among other benefits.
Orange
Orange veg includes butternut squash and pumpkin, orange peppers, carrots, and sweet potatoes. They are full of beta-carotene which is great for your eyes – yes, carrots really do help you see better, but maybe not in the dark! Orange veg are often quite sweet, so a great one for kids to try. Sweet potatoes are especially sweet-tasting, some people even add them to sweet bakes like brownies. Store them in a brown paper bag at room temperature and they will last for up to 3 weeks.
Red
Red veg include tomatoes, red peppers, and radishes, and are full of antioxidants such as lycopene and vitamins such as vitamin C, helping keep your heart and immune system healthy. Did you know that a red pepper has more vitamin C than an orange? These veggies are so beautifully bright in colour that they can be great for kids because they look appetising. Great raw with dips for an afternoon snack!
Purple
Great for supporting brain health and protecting cells from damage, purple veg such as aubergines, beetroot, red onion, purple broccoli and red cabbage are full of anthocyanins. Although the flavour of these veggies can be strong, there are great ways to prepare each, such as homemade coleslaw made by mixing grated red cabbage with grated carrots and/or apples and some mayonnaise or yogurt. Kids enjoy the challenge of trying to compete for the “most purple tongue” award when eating veg like raw red cabbage or beetroot!
Green
Green veg has many forms, including leafy greens (kale, spinach, salad, etc), courgettes, leeks, broccoli, green beans, cucumber and more. Chlorophyll gives the veg their deep colour, and they are full of nutrients such as vitamin K, which is great for getting strong bones and healthy teeth. Did you know that broccoli is actually a giant bundle of flowers that hasn’t yet bloomed?
Dr Laura Wyness PhD
Laura is a freelance Registered Nutritionist in public health nutrition. Her work includes providing online nutrition support for individuals. Laura loves reviewing the scientific evidence and translating it into clear and practical messages, and of course testing out new recipes.
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