The Rainbow Diet is based on the proponents of colour therapy; it is an easy to use system that ensures a healthy diet by the colours of food on your plate. Meals rich with different coloured fruits, vegetables, meat, chicken, fish and whole grains mean you are getting the healthy variety of nutrients that your body needs. The rainbow diet is simply a balance of attractive colours in the foods we eat, but they play an instinctual part as to what the body needs in the moment. The colour energy of fruits, vegetables, vitamins and minerals all come into play when furnishing our bodies with the proper nourishment.
The Colour Energy Of Foods.
Medical research continues to find elements in fruits and vegetables that strengthen our immune systems, impede the development of degenerative diseases like cancer and heart disease, and contribute to good health in many other ways. Maintaining a healthy diet translates into eating more nutrient-dense foods. This means consuming a diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. In fact, the majority of the diet should consist of plant-based food. By eating a variety of natural, full spectrum foods, you obtain the healthiest combination your body can utilize. The colour energy of foods are not mutually exclusive, some foods share different “colour values”, properties and common healing affects.
To Aid Digestion Take Acidophilus.
It is the friendly bacterial flora found in yogurt or taken as a capsule and is essential to the digestive system. The normal, healthy colon contains “friendly” bacteria (85% lactobacillus and 15% coliform bacteria). When these bacteria are not in balance, then the person may experience bloating, flatulence, constipation, and mal-absorption of nutrients. Acidophilus taken as a dietary supplement may help to detoxify and to rebuild a balanced intestinal flora. It is used for the prevention of Candida as well as for treatment. Acidophilus aids the digestion and helps to replace the “friendly” intestinal flora.
Red Whole Foods.
Red foods are great sources of protein, vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, beta-carotene and lycopene.Vitamin C, beta-carotene and lycopene are potent antioxidants. Iron is vital to the body’s formation of red blood cells, which help carry and store oxygen throughout the body. Red foods are especially important to men’s health, as they have been linked to reductions in the risk of prostate cancer. Black beans are high in fibre and calcium whereas red beans are a good source of iron. Calcium strengthens bones and teeth. Include these red and black foods into your diet: Strawberries, raspberries, cherries, tomatoes, watermelon, guava juice, red cabbage, beetroot, radishes, red onions, chillies, red pepper, pink grapefruit, black beans, kidney beans, red meat, chicken, and fish.
Orange Whole Foods.
Orange foods assist in detoxifying and releasing toxins from the body. As in theChakra System, orange foods and orange energy help with the reproductive system, muscle and joint flexibility stagnation in many forms. Beta-carotene, Vitamin C, Calcium, copper, selenium and zinc are all plentiful in orange foods. These foods help people maintain good vision fortify the immune system, promote proper bone and tooth development and help in the formation and maintenance of healthy skin and hair. Include these orange foods into your diet: Apricots, peaches, oranges, mango, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, squash, orange/yellow peppers.
Yellow Whole Foods.
Yellow foods generate power. These are foods rich in immune stimulating properties and vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, B complex, E, sodium, potassium, selenium and chromium. Many grains fall into this category. When we lack yellow energy in our diets it can lead to poor memory, lack of concentration, tension, irritability, digestive problems and a lack of proper absorption of nutrients. Omega 3 fatty acids have a yellow energy. Include these yellow foods into your diet: Lemon, bananas, grapefruits, rice, rye and wheat, eggs, certain fish, fish oils and foods rich in fatty acids.
Green Whole Foods.
The power of Green Whole Foods is essential for all day energy, greater focus under stress, sense of well-being, strengthened immune system, fewer food cravings and optimum synergistic balance of essential nutrients for total health. Green Whole Foods contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, active enzymes, bioflavinoids, chlorophyll and other phytonutrients necessary for optimal cellular metabolism, repair and protection!
Green Whole Foods contain the most powerful combination of nutrients in any grain, herb or food. They contain almost all of the vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes necessary for the human diet, plus chlorophyll. Green foods are rich in cancer preventing antioxidants and iron. Iron affects many aspects of daily life including the ability to concentrate and learn. The darker the green, the better so the next time you make a lettuce salad; try using romaine or green leaf lettuce instead of the traditional iceberg. Include these green foods into your diet: Asparagus, watercress, spinach, broccoli, parsley, dill, romaine lettuce, zucchini, green peppers, green apples, pears, avocados, green grapes kiwi and limes.
Blue, Indigo, and Violet Whole Foods.
The pigments found in blue and purple foods are high in anti-cancer properties. As in the Chakra System, these foods also coordinate the same energy centres. Blue foods tend to be helpful for the voice, organs and glands of the neck, while indigo and violet foods work in conjunction with the pineal and the pituitary glands. They also contain water-soluble vitamins that strengthen tiny blood vessels, which can help swollen feet or ankles, speed up the healing of bruises and promote healthy collagen for fewer wrinkles. Include these blue and indigo foods into your diet: Blueberries, black currants, plums, concord grapes, purple cabbage, as well as, Vitamin E, kelp, iodine and seaweed products. For Violet foods, red grapes are more violet than red and cranberry juice is violet and very healthy. Foods that include sugar and alcohol fall into the violet category because of their action on the brain.
The Rainbow Diet is the balanced diet, not only does it advises us against simple carbs and promotes whole grains it promotes variety. By eating variety, one is less likely to be deficient in essential nutrients because again you are eating all the different fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs. We apply the rainbow concept to fruits vegetables, proteins, spices, grains, herbs, etc. Here are few examples, vegetables include root, round, leafy and green vegetables that are all different colours, and they are abundant in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, bioflavonoids and hytochemicals.
Complex carbohydrates are whole-wheat grains, millet, brown rice, barley, oats, quinoa, buckwheat and others. They are all absorbed slowly by the body, thus keeping glucose and insulin low and provide long-lasting energy. Their mechanism of absorption gives a unique ability to prevent the steep decline in blood sugar levels that gives rise to hypoglycaemia and its characteristics symptoms, such as fatigue, mood swings, and food cravings. When you are in a balanced state, you more likely to make choices that sustain balance. In addition, this is what Rainbow Diet is all about creating long gentle rises and falls in blood sugar. This diet is rich in fibre, which makes digestion easy and regular. Finally, varieties of lean protein source pack this diet with essential amino acids, omega 3 oils, iron and vitamin B-12 that are all necessary to stay healthy. Rainbow diet promotes weight loss, without hunger, cravings, or feelings of being out of control.
Simple Guidelines
Here are some simple guidelines; high fibre, low fat, low salt, low sugar, complex carbs, five fruit and vegetables a day, and avoid processed foods. Each meal should be approximately 80% plant based and no more than 20% animal based. Your plate should look like a rainbow with lots of colours on it. A diet high in colourful fruits and vegetables has been shown to provide many benefits for your immune system and help fight cancer, allergies and free radicals that can wreak havoc on your cells and tissues.
Solarised Water
This is a simple and cheap way of applying colour to the body. When water is exposed to sunlight in a coloured container for at least an hour it becomes irradiated and takes on some of the vibrational energy of that particular colour. This is called solarised water. Special coloured containers can be bought, but they can easily be improvised using coloured cellophane. Simply drink (solarised water should always be sipped) this water at regular intervals throughout the day.
A red vessel will give red solarised water, a blue vessel, blue solarised water, etc. The longer the water remains exposed to the sun, the stronger is its potency. Solarisation depends on temperature, geographical location and the time of the day. One simple way to determine if the water has absorbed the sun’s energy is to drop an ice cube in the glass of water to be solarised. When the ice cube has completely melted, the water is charged. Obviously, it will take more time in winter as opposed to in summer.
Storing Solarised Water
Fresh solarised water is preferred if practical. However, you can solarise the water and store it for few days at a time. Blue solarised water can be kept safely for a week or ten days in hot or cold weather. However, red, yellow, and orange solarised water should be changed every two days in warm weather and every ten days to two weeks in cold weather.
© Trevor Mayes 2007