How many colors can YOU fit onto one plate?

rainbow food

Happy National Nutrition Month!

What, you’re not celebrating yet?  Well it’s time to get started!  This year’s theme is “Eat Right With Color.”  I love the color theme because it inspires all kinds of creativity in what you put on your plate.

Think of your typical meals.  How many colors do they include?  Maybe 1 or 2?  Why not try to put 4 or 5 different colors on your plate?  Make it fun!  See how many you can get into one meal and leave the number in the comment section.  Let’s have a little contest!  If you have a particularly beautiful or colorful plate that you would like to share, post it on the Inspired RD Facebook wall or Flickr group for all of us to admire.

Now remember, we are talking about natural colors here, not food coloring.  Here are some ideas in each color to get you thinking:

Red
-red apples
-beets
-red cabbage
-cherries
-cranberries
-pink grapefruit
-red grapes
-red bell peppers
-pomegranates
-red potatoes
-radishes
-raspberries
-rhubarb
-strawberries
-tomatoes
-watermelon

Orange
-apricots
-cantaloupe
-carrots
-mangoes
-nectarines
-oranges
-orange bell peppers
-peaches
-persimmons
-pumpkin
-sweet potatoes
-tangerines

Yellow
-yellow apples
-butternut squash
-yellow grapefruit
-lemons
-pears
-yellow bell peppers
-pineapple
-yellow summer squash
-corn
-yellow tomatoes

Purple
-blackberries
-blueberries
-eggplant
-figs
-plums
-prunes
-purple grapes
-raisins

Green 
-green apples
-artichokes
-asparagus
-avocados
-green beans
-broccoli
-brussels sprouts
-green cabbage
-green cauliflower
-cucumbers
-green grapes
-honeydew
-kiwi
-lettuce
-limes
-green onions
-peas
-green bell peppers
-spinach
-zucchini

White
-bananas
-cauliflower
-garlic
-ginger
-jicama
-mushrooms
-onions
-parsnips
-potatoes
-turnips

So get those creative minds thinking and come up with the most colorful plate that you can.  Leave a comment with the number of different colors you fit onto one plate.  And post photos of your gorgeous plates to Facebook or Flickr.  I will post them on my next blog post about National Nutrition Month. Go!




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Photo credits: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nirak/3900797330/
www.flickr.com/photos/velkr0/441402134/
www.flickr.com/photos/timailius/3529072427/
www.flickr.com/photos/karen_d/2685405502/
  • EA-The Spicy RD March 3, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    Great post! Love all the colorful inspiration. I would add purple sweet potatoes to the list-yum:-)

  • Kat (Eating The Week) March 3, 2011 at 9:29 pm

    Great list! Much more comprehensive than others I've seen.

    Last night I had red quinoa (ok, a grain, not fruit/veg) with red onion, yellow corn, black beans & green parsley, with purple grapes on the side. Not all included in this photo, but you get the gist: http://www.flickr.com/photos/57057126@N04/5494264582/

    Today, vegetable pasta soup: purple cabbage, orange carrots, green beans, green/yellow zucchini, red onion. http://www.flickr.com/photos/57057126@N04/5456240963

  • Lauren March 4, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    It would be fun to give people a checklist to cross off as they eat their colors throughout the day. I am about to put about 4 colors in my smoothie, of course it results in only one color once blended.

  • Alysa March 4, 2011 at 3:52 pm

    EA, purple potatoes are my favorite! I don't know how I missed them šŸ™‚

  • Alysa March 4, 2011 at 3:53 pm

    Kat, thanks for sharing your colorful photos. I love your "Barney" soup šŸ™‚

  • Alysa March 4, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    Lauren that is such a good idea, you should design one!