Find the rainbow in your diet…
We all love a bit of colour.....in our homes, in our lives, in our clothes and in flowers... so why is airline food always a bit beige?! Chicken, pasta, rice, potatoes, all of them are very ‘beige’ and are typically found on the menu when we fly... but it doesn’t have to be like this. There are many proven benefits of eating a rainbow coloured diet and we should try and bear this in mind when we travel, particularly before we travel and when we land on the other side.
It is easy to maintain a rainbow of colours in your diet, simply by choosing your vegetables wisely. Vegetables come in a variety of colour, caused by the specific phytonutrients within them, and this also reflects the different nutrients within them.
To highlight a few, red fruit and vegetables are proven to help us fight against cancer, and to reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Red fruits and vegetables can easily be increased in your diet by eating strawberries, red peppers, tomatoes, raspberries, cranberries and cherries – to name just a few! Cherries in particular can help fight against gout and help sleep conditions, whilst cranberries can help fight infections.
It is no myth that carrots can help you see in the dark. Carrots and other orange and yellow vegetables are rich in beta carotene. This converts to vitamin A in the body which helps to promote healthy vision and cell growth. It’s easy to increase these every day by choosing oranges, sweet potatoes, squash, melon and orange and yellow peppers.
And don’t underestimate the power of the green smoothie either – green fruits and vegetables can boost the immune system, help to detoxify the body and generally restore energy and vitality. The humble smoothie can be crammed full of green fruit and veg such as avocado, kale, spinach, apple and kiwi, all of which are rich in isoflavones and vitamin K and can help support blood and bone health.
So even if you do travel a lot and you can’t avoid the beige food… at least when you can choose, make sure you choose wisely!
