“What am I going to cook today?” Some days I struggle to think what to make for dinner, especially when I’m short on time. Thinking about what to eat and creating a balanced diet for a family can be stressful. Just to make sure the menu includes proteins, vegetables, carbohydrates, fruits and oils can be time consuming. But, over time we do get better at it.
One method that can simplify the task is to use color. It’s commonly known that the Japanese also “eat with their eyes”. Presentation is an important part of their meal but so is color. That’s why they are particular on the color of their dishes because it can enhance the appearance of the food to make it look more appetizing! But just by trying to include a variety of colors into your menu, can help you put together a rather good, balanced meal.
Imagine a turkey sandwich on brown bread. The colors are brown and a very light pink. Now add some color to this sandwich – a little green lettuce, red tomato, dark green basil leaves and yellow mustard! By simply adding color the nutrition value improves. Isn’t this an easy method to help you create that balanced meal?
A while back my feng shui master send me a TED video by William Li called “Can We Eat To Starve Cancer?”. Here it is:
- tomatoes
- beets
- radishes
- dried cranberries
- watermelon
- red grapes
- red peppers
- red cabbage
- red onions
- carrots
- yams
- pumpkins
- nectarines
Hi Jenny, great post! This is a terrific guide to helping people cook more variety into their diets. Colorful dishes not only look good on the plate, but are full of antioxidants and natural benefits.
Hi Ben, thanks for stopping by! Good point on the antioxidants. We all could use more in our diets. Are there any common Chinese vegetables that are “red”?
hi Jenny great post very intresting and great blog, keep up the good work. Tell me does this fit in with a macrobiotic diet? (pls forgive my ignorance)
Thanks for stopping by Stephen! A macrobiotic diet is about consuming lots of whole grains and a variety of natural foods. So I think, yes it can fit in with a macrobiotic diet because these are all natural foods with their natural colors!
Hello Zvezdochka I have a room in the entrance of the house it is organe the living room is red and the dining room is yellow is this a good idea to have the three colors in the same area .Thank you
It depends on the size of the space but in general, too many colors in the same area can cause color fatigue. If necessary stay with the same intensity.