Eating Colors

Folks, (Jeannie and Emily in particular), I'm not nibbling on the Crayola 96-s. Not this time, anyhow. The Nemo Team is so nutritionally advanced, I feel certain you've all heard vibrantly colorful foods are vibrantly healthy foods. So let's build one terrific Crayola Plate for ourselves. Take a look.

What colors are good for your eyes, and bones, and increased circulation? Think of those dark green leafy sources of plant omega-3s and folate, like spinach, kale, and romaine. Next, what's a good heart healthy color, that can also increase immunity, and decrease the risk for certain cancers? This is a good one: add red to the plate, with antioxidant lycopenes, in foods like tomatoes, watermelon, and papaya, to name just three. So what could be the color of another cancer-fighter and immunity-booster ... one that's GOOD FOR THE EYES? You've got this one: add orange to the plate now, with carrots or any other carotinoid-rich veggie or fruit, like pumpkin, mango, yummy butternut squash, or our big favorite, sweet potatoes. Gayle, could you give us a hint as to what color to add to the plate for really big memory enhancement? Go true blue! Add the blueberry, aka, the "brain berry," rich in antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins A and B. You can also get your blue on with Acai berries from the Amazon, even richer in antioxidants than blueberries. While we're adding brain power, what food is rich in anthocyanins for improving brain function. Hint: Hannibal Lechter thinks these go good with brain. Yes, you guessed fava beans, although I prefer black beans for color contrast on the Crayola Plate. Looks nice; tastes so good.

Now, how about finding some hidden colors you may have consumed today? The UK's Food Studies Agency recently suggested some of these colors may be related to ADHD. So smart you are. You know they are additives. But do you know where they are??? Look around the house for sunset yellow, carmoisine, ponceau 4R, tartrazine, quinoline yellow and allura red. How about checking for "Blue 1, 2"; "Red 3" and "Green 3" and "Yellow 6." Unlike their found-in-nature counterparts, these colors are linked with tumor formation. Found any yet? Check your soda bottles, candies, fruit cocktail, cherries, sausage, baked goods and...don't eat this...pet food. You can find more info at the "Mayo Clinic"- and the "MSN Health and Fitness"- websites.

So, take a look. We've colored inside and outside the lines with our pick of savor-ful, colorful foods that add life to our lives. We've also found invisibly bright food colors that don't. After all we've seen today, I can hear two colorful words from Deuteronomy that sum it up for me: "Choose life."