Ever look down at your dinner plate and realize everything on it is some shade of beige? You're not alone. Between busy mornings, packed lunches, and grabbing whatever is fastest, it's easy to fall into a groove of eating the same handful of foods on repeat. That's exactly where eating the rainbow comes in, and it might be the simplest shift you make this year.
Eating the rainbow is not a diet or a strict set of rules. It is a colorful, flexible way of thinking about your plate that makes healthy eating feel less like a chore and more like an adventure. Ready to dig in? Let's break it down.
What Does It Mean to Eat the Rainbow?
At its core, eating the rainbow simply means filling your plate with a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables instead of sticking to the same few options. Think leafy greens, vibrant berries, orange sweet potatoes, and deep purple cabbage all making an appearance throughout your week.
Why does color matter so much? The pigments that give fruits and vegetables their vivid colors are called phytonutrients, and different colors tend to be associated with different types of these plant compounds. Eating a variety of colors is simply an easy, visual way to make sure you're getting a variety of these naturally occurring compounds in your diet.
A Color-by-Color Guide to the Rainbow
Here's a rundown of what to look for in each color group, along with some foods to try.
Red
- Tomatoes
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
- Red peppers
- Beets
- Cherries
Red fruits and vegetables often get their color from compounds like lycopene and anthocyanins, plant pigments that have been studied for their potential to help the body manage oxidative stress.
Orange and Yellow
- Sweet potatoes
- Carrots
- Oranges and grapefruit
- Mangoes
- Pumpkin and winter squash
- Yellow peppers
This group is often rich in beta carotene and related compounds like lutein, some of which are associated with eye health. If you love sweet potatoes, you're in good company. They show up in everything from roasted side dishes to kettle-cooked chips.
Green
- Spinach and kale
- Broccoli and brussels sprouts
- Avocado
- Zucchini
- Green apples and kiwi
- Edamame
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and brussels sprouts contain compounds that researchers have studied for their potential role in supporting healthy cell function. Leafy greens also tend to bring fiber and folate to the table.
Blue, Indigo, and Violet
- Blueberries and blackberries
- Purple cabbage
- Eggplant
- Plums and figs
- Purple sweet potatoes
- Purple grapes
The deep hues in this group typically come from anthocyanins, the same family of pigments found in red foods, which have been researched for their potential connection to managing oxidative stress in the body.
White and Tan
- Cauliflower
- Garlic and onions
- Mushrooms
- Parsnips
- Jicama
Alliums like garlic and onion contain compounds such as allicin and quercetin, which have been studied in connection with cardiovascular wellness.
Tips for Bringing More Color to Your Plate
Don't Fixate on Just One Color
It's tempting to latch onto one superstar ingredient and eat it constantly, but variety is really the whole point here. Rotate through the colors throughout your week rather than leaning on just one.
Try Something New When You Can
If you always reach for the same three vegetables at the grocery store, challenge yourself to pick up something unfamiliar. Dragon fruit, jicama, or purple cauliflower might just become your new favorite.
Texture and Prep Change Everything
Not a fan of a certain vegetable raw? Try it roasted, pickled, or blended into a dip. A food you dislike in one form might become a favorite in another.
Let Colorful Snacking Help You Along the Way
Eating the rainbow doesn't stop when snack time rolls around. Real sweet potatoes bring that same vibrant orange color and show up in Jackson's kettle-cooked Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips, made with real sweet potatoes, avocado oil, and seasoning. And if you're building a snack plate with a veggie-forward option, Jackson's Sea Salt Super Veggie Straws® are made with a blend of yellow peas, brown rice, cassava, and sweet potato, plus avocado oil and seasoning, for a light, airy crunch.
Every Jackson's snack, from chips to Super Veggie Straws®, is cooked in avocado oil. If you want to go deeper on why the oil you snack with matters, check out our guide on the omega-3 and omega-6 balance.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Good Housekeeping noted that "Jackson’s Wavy Cut Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips have just three ingredients (heirloom sweet potato, avocado oil and sea salt)... The brand uses avocado oil, which provides antioxidants and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats." And dietitian and mom of two Julianka Bell told Business Insider, "My husband and I love crunchy and savory snacks. Jackson's chips are simple and made with lightly salted sweet potatoes with avocado oil."
Bring Color, Bring Variety, Bring the Fun
Eating the rainbow is not about being perfect or overhauling your whole pantry overnight. It is about noticing when your plate could use a little more variety and reaching for something new the next time you're at the store. Add a red pepper here, a handful of blueberries there, and before you know it, colorful, varied eating becomes second nature.
The same philosophy can carry right into your snack drawer. Reaching for real food ingredients, bold flavors, and a little more color, like real sweet potatoes or a veggie blend, is a simple way to keep things interesting while you snack. Here's to a plate, and a pantry, full of color.
Read next: Veggie-First Snacks
