By: Sarra Rabie

Youmna Mohammad

Rainbow Diet

What do you think a rainbow diet is?

NOT THIS!!!!

This is Rainbow diet .

The Rainbow Diet is not a strict eating regime. It encompasses a wide variety of foods, and seeks to espouse certain principles in preference to dictating meal plans. It can be both a short-term weight loss diet and a way of eating for life depending on what you want from it.

Introduction :

Unlike many weight loss diets, it contains all the macro and micro nutrients your body needs so can be safely followed for the rest of your life.

At it’s heart, the Rainbow Diet is about eating a varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables. This follows the guidelines of most dieticians, and will improve not just your weight but your energy levels and general health as well.

The basis for the diet is the knowledge that each food color represents a certain type of antioxidant – for example foods that are red colored are usually high in the antioxidants which protects both the short-term and long-term memory, and helps prevent some times of cancer and heart disease.

What is rainbow diet ?

By eating a rainbow every day, you can ensure you are getting a wide range of protective and beneficial nutrients without having to worry over much about sticking to particular food plans.

The Rainbow Diet works because it is simple, asks us to eat low-calorie, high-nutrient foods, and doesn’t outlaw any particular food type. Each day you will need to eat a rainbow, which comprises of the following foods/colors.

Research has shown that eating a variety of these nutrients can work together to:

Strengthen your immune system.Lower your risk for certain cancers.Help ward off type 2 diabetes.Reduce high blood pressure.Prevent some eye diseases.Maintain urinary tract health.Maintain heart health.Improve memory.Help build strong bones and teeth.

Benefits of rainbow diet :

White foods, which include garlic, onions, cauliflower and radish, are primarily useful for boosting immunity and reducing inflammation, viral infections and fungal infections.

These foods are excellent for those who have arthritic tendencies, or are prone to frequent colds and coughs.

Benefits of White colored food:

The nutrients they contain are anthoxanthins (these contain health-promoting chemicals which can lower blood cholesterol levels), sulphur (it has cancer-fighting properties) and quercetin (it improves immunity).

Onions are especially useful for combating diabetes by regulating blood sugar and cauliflower and cabbage from the cruciferous vegetable group also help prevent cancers because of the phyto-nutrients they contain—indoles and isothiocyanates.

Yellow foods, which include lemons, pineapples, yellow peppers and grapefruits, are rich sources of vitamin C and are excellent for preventing colds coughs, allergies and inflammation.

Pineapples also contain the compound brome lain, which has significant anti-inflammatory properties and is useful for those with arthritis.

Benefits of Yellow colored food:

The citrus bioflavonoid that impart the yellow color in these foods also help in firming up skin texture, and strengthen tendons and ligaments because they support collagen production.

Orange foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and oranges are high in the phytonutrient beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.

Vitamin A plays a vital role in building immunity and in strengthening membranous tissue. Vitamin A is also good for the eyes, hair and skin.

Benefits of Orange colored food:

Oranges are a rich source of vitamin C and help combat allergies, while sweet potatoes and pumpkins are rich in fibers.

Red foods like tomatoes, watermelon, beetroot and red bell peppers are rich with the antioxidants lycopene and anthocyanin. These protect the skin and strengthen cell structure and therefore aid in circulation of blood while also regulating blood pressure.

Benefits of Red colored food:

Tomatoes also protect the body from ultraviolet radiation. A point to note is that the antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes is best absorbed when they are cooked, especially in olive oil.

Purple fruits and vegetables have the richest storehouse of antioxidants among all foods—the list includes purple cabbage, eggplant, blueberries and blackberries.

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants.

Benefits of Purple/ Blue colored food:

Purple foods are often called super foods because they can greatly improve the quality of life by raising levels of HDL, or the good cholesterol, in the body, offering protection from a wide range of diseases, and improving brain function.

Green foods like spinach, broccoli, green beans, celery, metha and green leafy vegetables are rich in chlorophyll, which supports liver and kidney function.

Green foods are also rich in vitamin K that helps regulate blood clotting and aids the building of strong bones.

Benefits of Green colored food:

Spinach and curry leaves are also good for strengthening hair because they are rich sources of B-vitamin, folic acid. Mehta and curry leaves also help control blood sugar.

You can eat whatever else you want, which means if your calorie intake is high and you don’t exercise accordingly you won’t lose weight. Eating high volumes of nutrient dense food does reduce cravings for fatty, sugary and unhealthy foods but does not outlaw bad foods altogether. 

BUT!!

Overall, this diet is a healthy and easy way to smarten up your daily food choices. It ensures you remain healthy, and can be a valuable starting point when losing weight. However if your goal is to lose x-number of pounds, then you will need to go a little bit further and make smart decisions about the rest of the food you eat as well.

Have on your daily schedule time for making exercises because it is the best way to lose weight whatever the diet you are following is.

Even if you are following the rainbow diet, make sure that all of the food you are having is somehow moderate in the amount of calories it has.

Advice

THE END