If you try to investigate a plant-based diet you will run across a lot of information. Basically it is eating food from plant sources most of the time. Dr. Pam Popper, of The Wellness Forum, says if you choose to eat meat only have it 2 to 3 times per week, and make sure it is organic.
I think it is easier to think about all of the food I can eat, as opposed to all of the food I can’t eat. I’m a fan of Julieanna Hever MS, RD a.k.a. the Plant-Based Dietitian; she developed her own Food Guide Pyramid that is pictured above. She often says to “eat the rainbow.”
Yesterday morning was a busy day in our house. After lunch I was thinking about what I had eaten that day
- Coffee
- Peanut butter and jelly (all fruit) sandwich on 9 grain bread
- Black bean and brown rice burrito on a whole wheat tortilla.
- A butter bean cookie
None of these foods are bad for me but I’m missing some color here. Almost everything I ate was brown. I’m sure I’m missing some very important antioxidants. I think I’ll dive into that bowl of strawberries I have sitting in the refrigerator. I had already planned broccoli and spinach for dinner. Carrots and red bell peppers dipped in hummus are an easy snack.
This isn’t about perfection and I will not obsess about my food color. “Eating the Rainbow” is just one tool to help add variety to your diet.
If your like me and not always loving eating your greens it is very easy to hide them in a smoothie.
This smoothie has kale, parsley, bananas, blue berries, cherries, mango, pineapple, and orange juice. It was yummy, filling, and full of colors.
Are you eating your colors?