We’re pretty sure we’ve got some new readers after the Nutrient Hunter was released in early August (the Swedish version, anyways). Warm welcome to Food Pharmacy! Here we focus on what we can and should eat instead of what should be eliminated, we are on the hunt for nutrient packed meals, we sell vacuum blenders and steamers and always try to mix at least three different colors of fresh produce when we cook. Why?, you ask.

Well, we always have a little rainbow in the back of our minds when we shop and cook. The colors in fruits and vegetables represents the presence of antioxidants in the form of phytochemicals. The phytochemicals function as the plants’ immune systems and are super important for their survival, they protect them from both UV radiation and against various attacks such as viruses, bacteria and pollutants and also have strong antioxidant properties.

An important factor to know is that different colors contain different kinds of phytochemicals with different positiveeffects on our health. So if you only eat green vegetables, you only get those kinds of phytochemicals. Many of the antioxidants only defend themselves against certain specific radicals, so it is important that you get a good mixture of different vegetables, fruits, berries and nuts and not just live on carrots and cashews. On the other hand, if you eat a broader spectrum of the color palette, say orange, red and green, you get different kinds of phytochemicals that strengthen and support each other.

The interesting thing is that 1 + 1 does not = 2 in the world of phytonutrients. Since different phytonutrients reinforce each other’s properties, they can instead lead to 1 + 1 = 3. Hence, why a good rule of thumb is that a meal should always contain several colors from the plant kingdom – then it qualifies as rainbow food and you provide your body with a blanket of disease-inhibiting properties. Just remember to think of a little rainbow the next time you stand there and stare into the fridge or walk aimlessly around the grocery store, you’ll be surprised how much it simplifies things.

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