Are You Optimizing Your Calories?
A good indicator of whether or not you are making good use of your calories is the dominant colour of your diet. Here are two pointers.
1. The more colourful the better. (Greens, oranges, beets, coconut...)
2. Beige is bad. (Bread, pasta, even potatoes)
Here's why:
Fruits and vegetables are colourful. Each specific colour is attributed to the DNA of that plant and therefore the nutrition they carry. Colouring is not random and is obviously created by specific compounds. Each compound has their own uses within your body including releasing antioxidants and enzymes for digestion of chemicals. Increasing the colourfulness of your diet means that you are getting a better array of beneficial nutrients.
Most North Americans have a diet that is primarily beige: breads, pastas, crackers, chips, etc. This means that their calorie intake is high, most probably higher then necessary, and what calories they are consuming are NOT high in vitamins, minerals, and chemicals of nutritional value. Most N. Americans do include veggies and fruits in their diet but do not eat enough servings because they fill up on bad carbohydrates instead. Is a veggie dish ranked third on your dinner table as it is for many (1.Main dish:meat, 2.Side dish:grains, 3.Smaller side dish:veggies)?
If your diet is bright and colourful, you are eating enough vegetables and fruits. These foods are not only nutritions but also have a relatively low number of calories. You can eat many more of them to sustain the same calorie intake as someone who eats grains daily.
All of this is factual but here is one more for you...
FACT: Different fruits and vegetables are shown to reduce your risk of different cancers substantially. (This is possible because 85% of cancers are not hereditary.)