Eat in Color While Staying In Your Comfort Zone
By: Feli Musing
As a disclaimer, don’t look at the title of this post and tell all of your peeps that Feli told you how lying in bed and chowing down on your 6-piece fried chicken and biscuit combo (mmm, chicken) with ketchup and hot sauce equates eating in color while
staying in your comfort zone. That is not the case, though I do love some
fried chicken. When the goal is to eat healthy majority of the time, six pieces of deep-fried chicken and a tower of biscuits can be saved for very limited occasions. Instead, I want to invite you to a party where starchy vegetables mingle on a plate with non-starchy vegetables. One bashment weh (where) yuh curry can par wid (with) yuh greens (not THOSE greens, people).
I don’t know about you, but I get tired of eating the same thing all the time. Here are my top 3 colors to include in healthy meals so that you don’t get bored or scared off.
1. The glorious color green.
Source: http://www.functionalformularies.com/blog/The-Power-of-Spinach-and-Other-Dark-Greens/
If you find yourself about to eat a meal without any green in it, add some. Increasing my green leafy vegetable intake has been my trick to tackling weight loss plateaus. By no means am I telling any of you to jump to an extreme you’re not used to like, eating a large bowl of raw kale. That would be madness! Incorporate greens you enjoy when they are not affected by an E.coli outbreak. Callaloo is one of my favorite greens, so when I can get it, I tap into my childhood and I feast. Trust me when I say, eating greens you do not enjoy will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Get your mind to positively associate greens with deliciousness and added health perks like fiber. Think about it this way, you wouldn’t invite your super sleepy relatives to your party, so don’t invite wilted greens or greens you dislike to your lunch or dinner. The more vibrant and crunchier they are, the better.
2. Orange/Yellow – Let’s group these two beauties together here.
Squash, bell peppers, carrots, lemons, and so many other levels of yum. Not only are yellow and orange vegetables tasty, they also contain many healthful nutrients. For instance, vegetables like carrots are known to be beneficial to eye health. Immune system boosting orange and yellow foods can make your plate come alive. Orange and yellow foods jive well with greens on your plate, but also shine on the dancefloor of your taste buds. Adding them to a salad or a stir-fry is just as good as having them with a little unsweetened peanut butter as a snack.
3. Radiant red, pretty purple, and bold blue. Yes, they are in a category all their own
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070819085831.htm
Even when it comes to an outfit, the color red is often seen as luxurious. Red is that jolt of excitement that a pair of red bottoms give to the other women in the room who desire them. Party people almost stop in their tracks. Fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, red bell peppers, beets, pomegranates, blueberries and plenty others have this same effect on me. All the powerful antioxidant properties they have just light up my meals with flavor and juiciness. Berries are some of the lower calorie and sugar containing fruits, so the antioxidant properties are an added benefit. Don’t shy away from reds, purples, and blues if you want to feel lively after a meal.
I can guarantee you that incorporating these 3 color categories of healthy foods will wrap you up like a blanket after a long night of dancing. For me, the comfort of a plate of fried chicken with French fries did not give me much energy. It wasn’t until I started taking the colors I was so familiar with as a Caribbean-American child that I started enjoying the healthy meals I ate. The colors green, orange/yellow, and the red, purple, and blue family are the wickedest dance crew in the health party. I remember when I prepared the curry lentils, baked salmon, wild rice, and salad pictured above. It’s almost as if my mind goes back to these colors without thinking, and it sure is a beautiful symphony of yumminess. A salad of spinach, carrots, goji berries, pistachios, and tomatoes is sure to keep things interesting. Add some color to your palette! Salud.
