Nutrients: Get all the colours you can!

It's not as strange as it sounds.  The rainbow for healthy weight loss I'm referring to a vegetable rainbow as Simon Lovell of www.thelunchboxdiet.com reveals... 

We tend to think "green" when we hear the word vegetable, but the fact is that in order to achieve healthy weight loss and optimum nutrition, we need to go beyond green.  We need to choose a rainbow of vegetables!

Vegetables are a great way to achieve healthy weight loss because they are so low in calories and so versatile.  When you choose a wide variety of colors, you not only add aesthetic appeal to your menu, you end up combining different sets of nutrients that complement one another both in flavor and providing optimum nutrition.

If you grew up on canned green beans and corn made a hundred different ways, then you might not know about all the different choices.  Let's go over a few in each color and see if we can get you on a path to healthy weight loss!

Red

Peppers:  Peppers are high in antioxidants (these fight against the bad cells in our body that cause us problems!)and range from sweet to fiery hot.  They can add flavor and zest to a wide variety of foods utilising very few calories as opposed to other, fattier methods of flavoring.  This is a great way to move towards healthy weight loss; being creative with flavoring!

Beets:  The sweet beet is finally gaining the recognition it deserves.  Beets are packed full of nutrients such as folate, Vitamin C and potassium.  They contain fiber and antioxidants.  They are incredibly versatile in the kitchen and can be prepared a number of ways from a cold beet salad to warm Borscht soup.  And don't forget to save their greens!  These can be washed and tossed in a salad and your lunchbox!

Orange

Winter Squashes:   You'd be tempted to not cut into these beauties and leave them out for a centerpiece, but slice away because they contain tons of nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, phosphorus and potassium.  There are many varieties including acorn, blue hubbard, buttercup, butternut, spaghetti squash and many, many more.  The flavors and textures range from squash to squash so experiment!  Some are great by themselves and others are better suited for complementing dishes.

Yam:  Yams are packed full of nutrition.  They contain beta-carotene and other antioxidants as well as fiber.  Plant estrogens in yams may even help regulate hormone levels in women helping to combat mood swings and regulate menstrual cycles.  Delicious and sweet, yams can be eaten alone or cooked, chopped and thrown into other dishes.  One might be tempted to eliminate higher calorie veggies from their menu, but healthy weight loss allows for most types of vegetables.

Yellow

Rutabaga:  Great sources of vitamins A and C as well as calcium and iron.  Rutabaga can be used in conjunction with other root vegetables or added to existing recipes such as stew.

Sweet corn:  Sweet corn is packed with antioxidants and B complex vitamins.  It is incredibly versatile and can be eaten alone, sprinkled over salads, and added to salsas.  Take advantage of harvest time and eat up!  In between, look for organic frozen sweet corn.

Green

Avocados have potassium, folic acid and vitamin C.  Avocados also contain lutein which is an antioxidant beneficial for eye health.  You may have heard about high fat content in avocados, but the oil in avocados is 70% monounsaturated oil (like olive oil) which has been shown to increase the good cholesterol HDL.  Avocados add a buttery flavor to your meal and can be chopped up and thrown into your box.

Broccoli is full of cancer fighting antioxidants, B vitamins, calcium and iron.  It's great by itself or dipped in a low fat dressing.  Steamed broccoli drizzled with a bit of olive oil is delicious!

Sugar snap peas and Mangetout (snow peas):  These members of the legume family have folate, vitamin A and vitamin C, and are also a good source of zinc.  They are seasonal but when you find them in the produce section, grab them up because they are fantastic little snackers!  It's so important in healthy weight loss to have low calorie snacks available!

Dark Leafy Greens: Drop the iceberg lettuce and go for the wide variety of dark leafy greens.  These powerhouses have loads of fiber, beta-carotene, calcium, iron, folic acid and chlorophyll.  Some such as kale, collards and bok choy are also rich in Vitamin C.  The flavors range from peppery to sweet and everywhere in between.  Mild flavored greens include collards, chard, bok choy or spinach and blend well with other ingredients.  Kale has a nice medium sharpness. Stronger flavored greens include mustard, arugula, mizuna or turnip.  They really add some punch to a salad or can be munched on alone.

Blue

Okay, I couldn't think of any blue vegetables, so let's talk about WHITE vegetables in this section. 

Mushrooms:  Ahh... the world of fungus!  Seriously, there are so many varieties of mushrooms available today that this part of the produce section looks like a woodsy piece of art.  Mushrooms are good sources of three B-complex vitamins-riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid.  They are also very heart healthy containing potassium and a vegetable source of the antioxidant selenium which is great news for vegetarians.  All mushrooms are low in calories, contain very little fat or sodium, and are a good source of fiber.  Mild flavored mushrooms include oyster, enoki, button and cremini.  The cremini mushrooms eventually become portobellos when left to grow and mature lending to a stronger flavor.  Other robust shrooms are shiitake, porcini and morels.  An interesting fruity flavored mushroom is the beautifully colored golden chanterelle.

Parsnip:  Parsnip is that albino carrot looking guy and though it lacks its buddy's beta carotene, it contains folate, vitamin C, iron and a decent amount of calcium.  Parsnip can be used much like potatoes in the kitchen and is an excellent thing to sneak into mash potatoes for your kiddos.  It can even be made into chips! 

Indigo/Violet

Eggplant:  A source of potassium and very low in calories, eggplant makes a great addition to many recipes and is wonderful for healthy weight loss.  Grilled eggplant has become quite popular.  One thing to be careful about, though, is the eggplant's tremendous ability to absorb oil in dishes including meat.  To avoid this, sprinkle the slices with salt and allow them to stand in a colander for about 30 minutes and then rinse.  This shrivels the cells and makes them less likely to absorb oil and add calories to your meal. Nothing wrong with a grilled eggplant thrown into your box once a week or more!

Truly, using a rainbow of vegetables towards your healthy weight loss efforts has many, many benefits.  Try this:  Pick one new vegetable to try every trip to the grocery store.  Before you know it, you'll be a veggie aficionado!

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