Count Colors Not Calories To Lose Weight

If you need to drop and few pounds and don’t know where to get
started, STOP counting calories and START counting colours. When
it comes to losing weight, make sure your plate is piled high
with a range of colourful fruit and vegetables. You’ll naturally
create more balance and health-filled menus.

Why? Colour not only brightens your mood – but also your diet.
Load your plate with fruit and veges like a box of crayons in
colours such as red, yellow, orange, blue, purple, white and
green and you’ll also be filling up on power packed
phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are naturally occurring chemicals
which combat disease, including cancer.

Go easy on the beige and brown foods such as pasta and startchy
carbs. When there are too many of these drab colours on your
plate, weight gain is almost certain. That’s because these beige
foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling
hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200
calories….but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a
hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright
yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up,
while calories go down! Plus, you’ll get more enjoyment from
eating when there’s a variety of colours and flavours on your
plate.

According to Dr David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. and author of “What
Color Is Your Diet” the key to designing your colourful diet is
to choose from a range of different colour groups:

Blue/purple fruits and vegetables contain varying amounts
of health-promoting phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and
phenolics. Choose from a range including blueberries,
blackberries, eggplant, plums, raisins. These assist in memory
function.

Green group includes broccoli; Brussels sprouts, cabbage,
and bok choi. These foods stimulate the genes in your liver to
turn on the production of enzymes that break down the
cancer-causing chemicals in the body.

The yellow/green group includes green peas, avocado and
honeydew melon. These promote eye health.

The yellow/orange group includes carrots, mangoes,
apricots, rock melon and pumpkin. These contain carotenoids
(beta carotene is one), fierce antioxidants that help prevent
cancer and assist to lower heart-attack risk.

The white group includes bananas, white peaches,
cauliflower, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and are helpful to
maintain heart health.

The red group includes tomatoes, pink grapefruit and
watermelon all of which contain lycopene. Lycopene is associated
with a lower risk of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The red/purple group includes grapes, grape juice,
prunes, cranberries, strawberries and red apples. These foods
contain anthocyanins which have a beneficial effect on heart
disease by inhibiting blood clot formation.

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