A few weeks ago, during a discovery call with someone who is now my client, I told her that besides avoiding toxins and other things that might trigger a flare up, it is important to eat a wide variety of foods in her diet.

The reason is simple: the colors of your produce are determined by the type and concentration of nutrients, like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants contained in them. So by eating as wide a variety of them as possible –and within our tolerance–, we’d get the widest coverage of these nutrients.

This is what it means to Eat the Rainbow.

If you’d like to learn more, I’ve written about it here, here, and here.

But for today, I want to talk about the most common mistakes I see people make when they start incorporating this into their lifestyle:

Mistake #1: Focus Only on Fruits

Many people emphasize colorful fruits like berries, pineapples and oranges, while neglecting vegetables.

While fruits are nutritious and often packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, vegetables often pack as many essential nutrients while being generally lower in sugar.

Mistake #2: Ignoring Whole Foods

If you’re subscribed to this newsletter, you likely don’t have this problem. But if you’re new around here, you might hear the recommendation to “eat the rainbow” and your first instinct be to opt for colorful -but processed- foods.

“Foods” like fruit snacks or sugar-laden yogurts that mimic the natural colors of whole foods but lack their nutritional value.

Mistake #3: Forgetting About White and Brown Produce

White and brown produce like onions, garlic, mushrooms and cauliflower are often overlooked but are just as nutrient-dense as their colorful counterparts.

You should also include these colors in your diet to cover a wider nutrient spectrum.

Mistake #4: Relying Only On The Same Colors

It’s easy to get into a habit of eating the same colorful foods repeatedly.

And sure, you might be limited by what’s locally or seasonally available at any given time, but even then your goal should be to have as much variety as possible.

Mistake #5: Neglecting The Rest Of Their Diet

Adding several servings of colorful whole fruits and vegetables to an otherwise unhealthy diet, doesn’t make it healthy.

If this is you, think of “Eating the rainbow” as the catalyst to a dietary overhaul.

Mistake #6: Not Considering Freshness

Fresh, in-season produce is usually more nutrient-dense than out-of-season or processed options.

Frozen and canned vegetables and fruits can be good alternatives but it’s important to check for added sugars, salt, and preservatives.

Mistake #7: Forgetting About Fiber

A focus on colorful fruits and vegetables is great for all their nutritional benefits. But it’s also important to mention the tremendous benefit their fiber content can bring to your diet.

Which is why I like to emphasize the importance of consuming them in -or as close to- their whole, natural state.

Bonus Mistake: Ignoring Personal Preferences and Dietary Needs

This is often the most important of all the mistakes someone can make in regards to dietary and lifestyle modifications.

While you can put up with foods you don’t particularly enjoy for a period of time, it is unlikely you’ll stick to it for the long run.

Now It’s Your Turn

Help me out by replying to this newsletter with the one question you have about Eating the Rainbow.

It can be about practical aspects (”how can I incorporate more colors into my diet?”) or about specific autoimmune-related aspects (”what about intolerances?”).

Then I can answer those in upcoming posts.

ps. And whenever you're ready, these are a few other ways in which I can help you:

1. Subscribe to The Inspired Living with Autoimmunity™ Podcast
2. Take my 5-Day Challenge: Take Your Power Back
3. Apply to work 1-on-1 with me.