When looking to eat healthier, organic produce is a great place to start. Organic farming excludes or strictly limits the use of manufactured fertilizers, pesticides (which include herbicides, insecticides and fungicides), plant growth regulators such as hormones, livestock antibiotics, food additives, and genetically modified organisms. But while it is important to try to eat organic, it’s also important to get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. While we all know that eating fruits and veggies will keep us healthy, we often don’t really understand which ones are the most important to eat more of and for and for what reason, which is why you should start “eating a rainbow” every day.
Red foods have lots of lycopene, which is good for helping to protect against various cancers. These include: cherries, red/pink grapefruit, cranberries, pomegranates, red grapes, strawberries, watermelons, beets, red onions, red peppers, red potatoes, and tomatoes.
Orange and Yellow foods contain carotenoids, limonene, and bioflavenoids, which help to strengthen your immune system. These include: squash, turmeric, cumin, apricots, grapefruit, mango, papaya, pineapple, carrot, yellow pepper, sweet potato/yam, and lemons.
Green foods contain lutein and indoles for vision and help protect against various estrogen-related cancers. These include: avocado, green apples, kiwi, lime, green pears, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, green pepper, and zucchini.