Ever seen a rabbit with glasses?
The Netherlands turns orange on King’s Day and other national festivities. Orange is also a good choice on your plate. Because eating more color means more variety in nutrients and that is healthy! Hence an ode to orange food.
When we think of healthy food, we mainly think of greenery. But always that green lettuce, green beans and cucumber will eventually get boring. Moreover, most children flawlessly filter every green strand from their pasta or soup. Adding color makes eating fun again and helps put together a healthy meal. Because every color has its own healthy substances.
Ayurveda and Science
In India, they have long known that a range of colors not only looks attractive, but is also good for the body. According to Ayurveda, a meal with cheerful colors activates the taste buds and that is beneficial for digestion. Orange foods such as mango, carrot, pumpkin and egg yolk strengthen, calm and promote appetite.
Science also contributes. In the book ‘The Color Code’, American researcher Daniel Nadeau describes the influence of colors in fruit and vegetables on our health. Each color contains different vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances. Every reason to put more orange on the table.
Orange = antioxidant
Orange food contains many antioxidants that protect us against air pollution, increase resistance and have a positive effect on blood pressure and the skin. The substance that turns carrots, oranges, apricots and nectarines orange is beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is converted by our body into vitamin A and helps to see better in the light and dark. The joke that rabbits don’t wear glasses is therefore not nonsense!
Apricots and nectarines
Apricots have the most beta-carotene of all fruits. You can eat them fresh or dried, that makes no difference to the beta-carotene content. Dried apricots also contain a lot of iron and are good for blood pressure. Nectarines are extra good for the eyes. It has a lot of lutein and zeaxanthin in it. These substances protect the retina from the harmful effects of sunlight.
Orange top
So make a generous serving of those carrots, apricots, papaya, peach and bell pepper! Because food in color is tasty, varied and inviting to eat. And that is also a cheerful incentive for the children to get their vitamins. Because scientific research shows that children have a preference for a lot of color on their plate. That’s probably better than just broccoli!
