A rainbow of vegetables and fruits is often recommended by health professionals as a way to stay healthy. In order to understand and implement eating the rainbow, you don’t have to be an expert.
Each fruit or vegetable we eat contains a different combination of vitamins and minerals, which provide our bodies with essential nutrients.
Specifically, this article will discuss yellow foods and how they contribute to eating the rainbow and cover everything you need to know about this concept, including its associated health benefits.
What is Eat the rainbow?
Eat the rainbow means adding different colored vegetables and fruits to your diet throughout the day. The colors are red, orange, and yellow, green, blue, and purple, and dark red, white, and brown.
These different colored fruits and veggies can offer specific health benefits.
What are the benefits of eating the rainbow?
Each color of the eating the rainbow concept offers various nutrients that can benefit your overall health. We will now discuss all the health benefits of eating the rainbow concept.
1. Red-colored foods (lycopene, anthocyanin)
Prevent diseases, improve heart health, and urinary health, and boost eye health. Tomatoes, watermelon, beets, strawberries, and raspberries are some of the food sources.
2. Yellow-colored foods (Beta carotene)
Maintains healthy skin, improves eye health, and boosts the immunity system. Carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, butternut squash, and lovely/orange/ red/ yellow peppers are some best sources in this category.
3. Green-colored foods (lutein and indoles)
Lower the risk of certain cancers and improve eye health. Broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts are some sources of green foods.
4. Blue and purple-colored foods (anthocyanins, flavonoids)
Improves immunity system and bone health, improves urinary health, and improves cognitive functions. The best blue and purple-colored foods are eggplants, blueberries, blackberries, purple cabbage, and concord grapes.
5. White and brown-colored foods (allyl sulfides)
Improves heart health, and supports the immune system and lymph. Garlic, onions, and cauliflower are some of the best sources of white and brown foods.
Yellow foods
When discussing eat the rainbow concept, yellow color food plays a vital role in offering great sources of vitamins and antioxidants crucial for everyone. There are many yellow fruits and vegetables you can add to your daily diet.
Yellow foods that can be included in your diet
Mango: is a popular yellow fruit that can aid eye health, and prevent cataracts and macular degeneration.
Lemon is another yellow food that can boost metabolism and reduce kidney stones.
Bananas are easy to find and affordable fruit that can provide health benefits, including weight loss.
Pineapples are super yellow foods that help you with indigestion and reduce inflammation.
Yellow bell peppers are another yellow food rich in folate, iron, fiber, and antioxidants.
Dandelion is a yellow herb that can detox the body and is great for liver health.
The health properties of yellow foods
There are various plant chemicals, and the scientific community still has a lot left to study. However, there is already some reliable research on particular phytonutrients in yellow foods and their functions. The majority of these plants contain bioflavonoids that support gut health and digestion while preventing oxidative stress to cells.
Phytonutrients in yellow foods
Bioflavonoids
Gingerol
Lutein
Ginger has over 400 various types of chemicals, including the most researched one of all: gingerol. This chemical has beneficial actions on several digestive problems and can help relieve nausea and improve gastric emptying.
Citrus fruit is also well-researched. The acidity of these fruits is considered to act beneficially on the digestive tract by lowering the pH and making it more acidic. It’s worth mentioning that, contrary to rumors, acidity is not a bad thing. It helps a balanced gut environment for beneficial bacteria in the gut.
Pineapple is a source of bromelain that proves to play a role in breaking down undigested food in the stomach, enhancing the overall removal of food remnants from the digestive tract (both stomach and gut).
Yellow citrus can also help lower the glycaemic load of starchy foods that reduce the impact of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. Also, a flavonoid in citrus, called naringenin, seems to have antidiabetic activities. Other phytonutrients in citrus, including rutin, hesperidin, and nobiletin, help protect the stomach from gastric ulcers.
The other proven health benefits of yellow foods
Yellow foods can instantly boost your mental wellness levels and be an instant mood booster. They can also improve skin health, hair health, bone health, and dental health. Besides, they can promote the body’s production of collagen, an essential anti-aging component, and balance the body’s pH levels.
Yellow fruits can be used topically on the skin and also in hair packs for optimum beauty benefits.
Recipe ideas for yellow foods
Sugar-free banana chips
Ingredients
- 4 ripe bananas
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Water
How to make
- First, preheat the oven to 195°F.
- Prepare two baking trays with baking paper. Place the lemon juice with a bit of water in a separate bowl. Then cut the banana into thin slices, preferably with a mandoline. Toss them with lemon juice and water, and put them on the board. If you want to add flavors, such as one teaspoon of ground coriander.
- cinnamon or salt, add it now.
- Then bake for 90 minutes and then turn the slices. Please bring them back to the oven and bake them for another 90 minutes. The chips are ready when they are dehydrated.
- Let it cool, remove it from the tray, and store it in a jar or airtight container.
Mango Sorbet With Banana and Pineapple
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen mango
- 1 cup frozen pineapple
- Two bananas
How to make
Blend in a blender until the ingredients are smooth and thick, just like the perfect sorbet. Note: this serves one mildly hungry person, so if you are like me and love your fruit, double or triple the recipe!
Fluffy lemon waffles
Ingredients
- Three tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- One teaspoon of baking powder
- One teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup dairy-free milk
- 2/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- One tablespoon of lemon zest
- One teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Six tablespoons melted vegan butter or
- Coconut oil
How to make
- Take a small bowl, stir the ground flax seeds and water together, and keep aside.
- Then in a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt, and whisk them until blended. Keep aside.
- Next, in a large bowl, whisk the dairy-free milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla together. Then, add the flax mixture and whisk to combine. While whisking, add the melted butter.
- Add the flour mixture and whisk until combined, and no streaks of dry flour remain in the batter.
- Then you have to preheat the waffle iron according to the product instructions. Then add enough batter to fill the grid, and close the lid. Bake until crispy and golden, then remove and serve immediately with maple syrup or fresh fruit as desired. Enjoy!
Bombay potatoes and peas
Ingredients
- Two teaspoons of safflower or other neutral oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- One teaspoon of mustard seeds
- One small red onion, finely chopped
- One large tomato, coarsely chopped
- Seven cloves garlic
- One 1-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- One teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (more to taste)
- Three medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- One teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1 cup water, or more as needed
- 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen peas
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Fresh lemon juice, to taste (optional)
How to make
- First of all, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Then, add the cumin and mustard seeds. Cook them until the cumin seeds change color, 1 to 2 minutes. Next, add the onion and cook until it is translucent for 4 to 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, blend the One teaspoon of ground coriander garlic, tomato, and ginger into a coarse puree in a blender. Then add the tomato mixture, turmeric, cayenne, coriander, ground cumin, and garam masala to the skillet. Cook, occasionally stirring, until the puree thickens and the garlic is fragrant.
- Next, add the potatoes, salt, and water. You must cover the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes. Now add the peas. You can taste and adjust the seasonings according to your preference.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked to your taste. You can add water if the potatoes start to stick or if you prefer more curry.
- Add the cilantro and lemon juice if needed.
Pumpkin pasta
Ingredients
- 6 ounces of pumpkin purée (fresh or from a can)
- 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- One teaspoon salt
- Seven tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
How to make
- Put your pumpkin purée in your food processor with the aquafaba and blend.
- Now add your flour and salt and pulse on and off in3-second bursts until your dough comes together. After that, remove it from the food processor and form it into a softball.
- Dust your cutting board lightly with flour and knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until you have a softball of dough. Put into a covered container.
- Let the dough rest by covering it for 15 minutes, and use however you would use fresh pasta.
- Suppose you do not have a rolling pasta machine to make my pasta sheets paper-thin. Then cut off a piece of dough, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a rough rectangle, and hand-cut it using a knife into long pasta strips. Then dry these for 15-20 minutes and then toss them in simmering salted water for 4-5 minutes.
You can serve it with any sauce or vegetables you’d like.
Wrapping Up
It is important to remember to include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet to attain the numerous health benefits associated with them. In our discussion, we have discussed the significance of including various colors in your meals as well as the health benefits that can be achieved by doing so.
Throughout this article, you will also find recipe ideas that align with the concept of eating the rainbow and will therefore support your healthy eating journey. Following these recipes will allow you to easily incorporate a vibrant array of fruits and vegetables into your diet.
