Healthy Eating 101 Eat More Vegetables Why You Should Eat the Rainbow When It Comes to Fruits and Vegetables Find out the health benefits of including colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet. By EatingWell Editors EatingWell Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter Articles by "EatingWell Editors" are a collaborative effort from our in-house team. Sometimes, articles are updated by a number of writers and editors over time to keep the information as up-to-date and comprehensive as possible. The EatingWell team includes industry-leading food and nutrition editors, registered dietitians, expert Test Kitchen staffers and designers who produce award-winning journalism, delicious recipes and engaging content. Our work has earned more than 50 national and international awards for writing, editing, art direction, creative marketing and publishing excellence EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 28, 2020 Reviewed by Dietitian Victoria Seaver, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Victoria Seaver, M.S., RD Instagram Twitter Victoria Seaver is a registered dietitian and Associate Editorial Director for EatingWell.com. She completed her undergraduate degree in nutrition, dietetics and food science and her masters degree and dietetic internship at the University of Vermont. Victoria has been a part of the EatingWell.com team since 2015. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Most of us don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 87 percent of Americans aren't getting enough servings of vegetables (76 percent don't get enough fruit each day). Eating more fruit and vegetables can help reduce your risk for chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer. Whole fruits and veggies contain fiber, a nutrient important for keeping your gut healthy, which can reduce your risk for autoimmune diseases, fight off pathogens and infections and even improve your mood. 7 Ways to Eat More Vegetables Andres Mathis, M.A., R.D.N., L.D. Recipe to Try: Rainbow Veggie Pizza Fresh produce is also packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals. What's fascinating is that nature seems to have a way of highlighting these beneficial nutrients by giving them bright colors that allow you to spot them at a glance. For example, anthocyanins make blueberries blue and may help to keep your mind sharp. Tomatoes get their ruby hue from lycopene, a phytochemical that may help to prevent prostate cancer. To get the maximum disease-fighting power that phytochemicals can provide, choose foods that represent all colors of the rainbow. The USDA suggests paying particular attention to orange and red (5 1/2 cups per week) and dark green (1 1/2 cups per week) produce, both good sources of vitamin A and other important nutrients. Watch: See how to sneak veggies into meals 1. Red Fruits and Vegetables Recipe to Try: Herbed Tomato Gratin Red foods, such as tomatoes and watermelon, contain lycopene, a phytochemical that may help protect against prostate and breast cancers. Healthy Red Fruits & Vegetables: Guava Pink Grapefruit Red Peppers Tomatoes Watermelon 2. Orange Fruits and Vegetables Recipe to Try: Sweet Potato Carbonara with Spinach & Mushrooms Alpha and beta carotene make foods like carrots and sweet potatoes so brilliantly orange. The body converts these compounds into the active form of vitamin A, which helps keep your eyes, bones and immune system healthy. These phytochemicals also operate as antioxidants, sweeping up disease-promoting free radicals. Healthy Orange Fruits & Vegetables: Apricots Cantaloupe Carrots Mango Oranges Papaya Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes Tangerines Winter Squash 3. Yellow Fruits and Vegetables & Leafy Greens Many yellow and green vegetables are good sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, phytochemicals that accumulate in the eyes and help prevent age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older people. Leafy greens are also rich in beta carotene. Healthy Yellow and Green Fruits & Vegetables: Artichoke Corn Lettuce Summer Squash Wax beans Arugula Chard Collards Mustard Greens Turnip Greens 4. Green Fruits and Vegetables (Cruciferous) Recipe to Try: Balsamic & Parmesan Broccoli Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and kale, provide compounds called indoles and isothiocyanates, which may help prevent cancer by amping up the production of enzymes that clear toxins from the body. Healthy Green Vegetables: Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower Green Cabbage Kale 5. Blue, Deep Red & Purple Fruits and Vegetables Recipe to Try: Purple Fruit Salad Blue, purple and deep-red fruits and vegetables are full of anthocyanins and proanthocyanins, antioxidants associated with keeping the heart healthy and the brain functioning optimally. Healthy Blue and Purple/Deep Red Fruits & Vegetables: Blackberries Blueberries Eggplant Plums Cranberries Grapes Radishes (red) Raspberries Strawberries Video: How to Make Rainbow Hummus Some original reporting by EatingWell Editors Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit