FEED THE MINDS // Eat the rainbow.

I went to see radical raw foodist and eco expert David Avocado Wolfe talk last weekend, with my superfluid and plant-loving  girlfriend Tracey Lester, it was a revelation and coincides with my obsession of food as medicine. I haven’t felt this good for years, like a lot of years and I’m putting it down to eating the whole damn rainbow via my vegan diet and steering clear of alcohol. Wolfe’s upcoming book, “The Color Code” reveals the science of color in greater depth.. How the color pigments in foods are vital clues to the photo-chemistry and healing properties that they contain and links each color in nature to vibrant health. I’m a big fan. See below for notes on how best to eat the rainbow for vibrant health. Feed the minds indeed. X

Red — Blood building, heart strengthening, also volatile. Red foods contain lycopene and betalains that nourish your heart and blood. (red = blood). Beets are one of the best sources of betalains. Good sources of lycopenes are watermelon, red bell pepper and tomatoes.

Yellow — Tissue building, tissue repair, immune system development. This is especially important when you are pregnant, or if you have an injury. It also contains Quercetin, one of the most powerful antioxidants, capers are the most concentrated way to get Quercetin. For brilliant yellow foods, enjoy yellow squash, yellow beans, pineapple (which contain healing bromelain), lemon peel (organic only!), and yellow bell peppers to heal and build tissue.

Orange — Anti-inflammatory, happiness in action. One of the most potent anti-inflammatory spices is turmeric, which contains the active component, curcumin. Curcumin on its own is difficult to absorb, but nature found a way to help. Simply add black pepper to your turmeric dishes.

Green — Neutralizer, deodorizer, detoxifier, liver cleanser. Leafy green plants, from spinach to Swiss Chard, contain chlorophyll which neutralizes toxins and removes them from your body. Some of the best sources of chlorophyll are parsley, cilantro, as well as sea vegetables such as chlorella and spirulina.

Purple — Central nervous system protector, gut nervous system protector, brain and eye nourishing. Purple foods help reduce stress by supporting your nervous system. They provide anthocyanin, and are in berries, plums, grapes, wine, currents, and eggplant. Purple foods are almost 20x more powerful that Vitamin C for reducing stress.

Black — Jing (primordial lifeforce essence), longevity, marrow, kidneys. Black foods give you long life! Black foods have the most concentrated pigments, and are rich in zinc, which most of us are deficient in. Black foods contain a primordial life force and are said to promote “Jing”, the Chinese word for essence. Eat black rice, blackberries, black chia seeds and black grapes.

White — Beneficial to the lungs and the immune system, tabula rasa, source energy.

All pictures from my Pinterest. X