Rainbow Recipe: A Guideline for People with Diabetes

Recent years witnessed the fact that the incidence of malignant tumors in China has been on the rise. On the contrary, the incidence of cancer in the United States has enjoyed a decline since 1992. People remain confused about the reason why there is a growing number of people suffering from cancers in most countries. As a matter of fact, its low rate has something to do with Americans' increasing highlight on lifestyle.

The World Health Organization has previously stated that 60% of factors depend on the individual's own lifestyle. Among these 60% factors, dietary factors are on the top list! People with diabetes should give its priority to control and develop a healthy dietary habit. Rainbow Recipe is highly recommended to people concerned about health.

The definition of Rainbow Recipe
To simply put, the recipe should be divided into 5 types of colors, covering red, orange-yellow, green, purple-black, and white. Meanwhile, each color represents a different phytonutrient so that they can reinforce each other. While eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, the ingredients of various colors are reasonably matched, enabling the table to be as magnificent and colorful as a rainbow. According to Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a person averagely needs to consume 5 to 13 types of food in this "Rainbow Recipe" per day.

Red-colored food
These foods are featured by strong anti-oxidation. Red-colored food is rich in natural iron, protein, high-quality vitamins and minerals, enabling people to improve immunity, anti-oxidation, lower blood lipids, and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Recommendations:
Hawthorns, pomegranates, carrots, red peppers, medlars, tomatoes, watermelons, red apples, strawberries, cherries; meats, covering beef, lamb, pork, pork liver, etc.

Orange-colored food
These foods can be used to reduce cholesterol. Orange-yellow foods are rich in carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B, anthocyanins, calcium, iron and dietary fiber. It can help lower cholesterol, protect eyesight, and assist in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Recommendations:
Orange, marigold, corn, pumpkin, carrot, pineapple, lemon, soybean, oats, papaya, citrus, and mango.

Green-colored food
Green-colored food allows people to boast a sense of freshness and vitality. Rich in dietary fiber, folic acid, vitamins, and lutein, these foods help regulate lipid metabolism, prevent atherosclerosis, and enhance gastrointestinal digestion.

Recommendations:
Spinach, water spinach, kale, chrysanthemum, cole, broccoli, green pepper, leeks, green onions, loofah, cucumber, bitter gourd, green beans, peas, asparagus, cantaloupe, etc.

White-colored food
Most white foods contain potassium and dietary fiber, helping create a favorable condition for blood, reduce fat adhesion, and allowing patients with hypertension and cardiomyopathy to benefit from them.

Recommendations:
Chicken, fish, rice, glutinous rice, yam, almonds, onions, winter melon, bamboo shoots, lotus root, milk, tofu, pears, lychees, coconut, white fungus, white radish, lily, etc.

Purple and black-colored food
These foods are rich in anthocyanins. Due to strong antioxidant capacity, they can enhance the toughness of blood vessels, help prevent cardiovascular diseases, and protect liver, eyes, skin.

Recommendations:
Black rice, black sesame, fungus, black beans, purple sweet potato, purple cabbage, eggplant, beet, seaweed, kelp, black-bone chicken, purple potato, shiitake mushroom, black date, grape, mulberry, and ebony.

Summary 
It's essential for people to have roughly 50 essential nutrients every day, none of which are indispensable. As such, food diversification is the most basic requirement of a healthy diet. Picky eaters have nowhere to go for pursuing a sound and healthy lifestyle.