My daughter is really into rainbows – like really into them. She draws rainbows everywhere. With chalk on walls. With paint on canvases. With pencils on paper.
I always try to feed my children healthy snacks and what better time to do that then the start of summer. Well to be honest, the last month has felt like summer. Spring has totally been skipped in Sydney which is very alarming to me. But back to the rainbows. On Saturday, I decided to make a rainbow fruit platter.
Apart from being pretty and very appealing to a rainbow obsessed little girl, there is in fact a lot of science behind this theory. Fruit and vegetables come in different colours and these colours are caused by phytochemicals. Each different colour has a set of antioxidants which helps your body in different ways:
Red
Examples: Tomato, Red capsicum, Radishes, Strawberries, Rhubarb, Cherries, Red grapes, Raspberries, Watermelon and Red apples.
Benefits: red fruit and vegetables have lycopene. This is a powerful antioxidant which reduces the risk of some cancers and protects the heart.
Blue/ Purple
Examples: Beetroot, Red cabbage, Eggplant, Blackberries, Blueberries, Purple grapes and plums
Many schools these days have ‘crunch and sip’ where children take in fresh fruit or vegetables to have during class time with water. This, along with lunches and recesses provide great opportunities to include a ‘rainbow’ in lunchboxes for children. There is a great website which makes this fun with lots of ideas for parents and teachers.
Trying to be an eco-mum on a budget 