Eating the Rainbow…and other Healthy Eating TidBits

Heather Quackenboss, Human Development and Relationships Educator

Each year, the top resolution tends to be “to eat healthier.” That is a lofty statement and can truly seem like an insurmountable goal, even though we know that eating better will improve our health and wellbeing.   Making small changes that are reasonable and doable for ourselves will actually help create the long term change and the outcomes we want to see.

The top tip from clinicians is to choose foods that have a wide variety of colors and textures, in their most natural form. This gives us, as consumers the greatest nutritional value (Saleh, 2017). Some nutritionists and dietitians call this tip, “eating the rainbow” or making sure that there are many natural colors on our plate.

Other tips that are smaller, and perhaps more manageable, include:

• Increase vegetable and fruit intake
• Consume foods that are high in fiber
• Eat whole-grain foods
• Drink more water
• Decrease intake of dietary sugar (sugar-sweetened beverages or even diet sweetened beverages);
• Get sufficient protein intake
• Maintain a sufficient intake of healthy fats

For more information:

Saleh, N. (2017, June). The 6 Dietary Tips Patients Need to Hear From Their Clinicians. Retrieved
December 20, 2018, from https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/882156#vp_1