Color in your diet is good for your brain

One of the most effective ways to build better brain health is to ensure that your diet includes plant foods representing all the colors of the rainbow.

That’s because these colorful foods contain phytonutrients, which play a key role in communicating with your body on everything from stimulating enzymes to getting rid of toxins, decreasing inflammation and keeping your blood sugar levels in check — all of which is important in your efforts to prevent or reverse Alzheimer’s.

You can find phytonutrients in fruits, vegetables, spices, teas, herbs, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. For the purpose of this discussion, we will eliminate whole grains since the Ketoflex diet does not include those.

Let’s take a look at how to ensure your diet includes a colorful array of foods by using the seven colors of the rainbow — and two additional colors not in the rainbow — and some of their health benefits:

RED: Most of us are familiar with foods that fall into this color category, including strawberries, red bell peppers, red cabbage, beets, raspberries and more. Tomatoes, for example, contain carotenoid lycopene, which has been shown to reduce cellular inflammation — an important factor in brain aging and preventing cognitive decline.

ORANGE: Some of the common foods in this color category include carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, paprika and legumes. Not only are many of these foods full of Vitamin C, but carrots also reduce oxidative stress in the brain, helping prevent cognitive decline.

YELLOW: This category includes foods most of us are pretty familiar with, such as yellow squash, yellow onions, lemons and ginger. Similar to some of the brain-healthy properties of foods in the orange category, yellow antioxidants in plants help reduce the inflammatory process.

GREEN: Foods in this color category include green kale, cabbage, spinach, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, arugula, asparagus, green beans, avocados and more. Green leafy vegetables, in particular, are a good source of lutein — a carotenoid that helps neutralize free radicals and reduces oxidative stress.

BLUE, INDIGO, VIOLET: In this category, common foods include eggplant, purple cabbage, purple asparagus, blueberries and blackberries. An example of good brain benefits: Blueberries have anthocyanins that enhance neural response in those with mild cognitive impairment.

Although WHITE isn’t a color of the rainbow, there are some foods in this category — garlic, cauliflower, mushrooms and jicama, among others — that have proven benefits for your brain. In fact, a six-year study out of Singapore showed that eating mushrooms not only seemed to lower the chances of mild cognitive impairment, but also improved brain processing speeds.

And I would be remiss not to mention BROWN foods such as walnuts, almonds and Brazil nuts, all of which can be an essential part of a brain-healthy diet. After all, the walnut even looks like a miniature brain, and those who consistently ate them scored significantly higher on cognitive exams than those who didn’t eat nuts.

This next week, see if you’re able to include one food from each color category into your meals every day.

Not only will you create vibrant-looking meals, but your brain will thank you for doing that, too.