BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

MAY 13, 2022

Fruit and vegetables are an essential part of your child’s diet, and eating a ‘rainbow’ of different coloured produce is a brilliant way to ensure your little ray of sunshine gets all the goodness they need. 

Colour-wise, fruit and vegetables fall into five different categories – red, orange/yellow, green, purple/blue and brown/white – and each of these hues promote good health.   

Greens help your little one grow, oranges support their sight, reds protect their heart, and all the colours of the rainbow contain kid-friendly chemicals and nutrients that support a happy body, and (hopefully) fend off serious illness.   

The experts at Nutrition Australia know a lot about the science of rainbow eating, and their Senior Dietitian, Leanne Elliston, is here to explain why a multi-coloured menu is important, and how to coax your under five to eat blues, greens and every colour in between!  

What gives fruit and vegetables their vibrance? 

‘Phytochemicals’ are the healthy chemicals that pretty up our produce. These unique sets of chemicals give each fruit and veg category its colour, and as well as making tomatoes red, plums purple and oranges orange, phytochemicals also give our produce different disease-fighting powers. 

Ms Elliston says, ‘Eating a wide range of fruit and vegetables gives your child plenty of healthy nutrients, such as fibre, vitamins and minerals, and it also allows them to reap the rewards of different phytochemicals.  

‘Each of the five colour categories bring specific health benefits to the table, thanks to their particular phytochemicals, so eating a rainbow of fruit and veg helps your child’s health in different, and equally important, ways.’ 

What produce is on the rainbow menu? 

You’re spoilt for choice when planning a rainbow menu, because every fruit and vegetable you can think of fits into one of the colour categories.  

You’ll get the cheapest, tastiest produce if you shop seasonally, but there’s always the option of serving canned, frozen or dried fruit and veg. Ms Elliston says, ‘Interestingly, some phytochemicals are quite high in canned veg, and frozen is just as good as fresh.’  

The main thing is that you serve a wide range of colours, and introduce different options along the way, instead of sticking to carrot and corn till the end of time! 

When we look at the food colours, one-by-one, Nutrition Australia explains that: 

• Red fruit and vegetables, like raspberries, rhubarb, cherries, red apples, watermelon, tomatoes, red capsicum and radishes contain an anti-oxidant called lycopene, which is great for heart health and can also help to reduce the risk of cancer. 
   

• Orange/yellow fruit and vegetables get their colour from phytochemicals called carotenoids, and betacarotene is a famous form of this, which is found in sweet potatoes, carrots and pumpkin. Once it converts to vitamin A, it helps to keep eyes and membranes healthy. There are also loads of nutrients in produce like mangoes, rockmelon, pineapples, peaches, oranges, lemons, corn and squash. 
   
• Green vegetables, like asparagus, peas, green beans and cucumber contain lots of different phytochemicals which help to ward off cancer, and leafy greens like spinach and broccoli contain folate, which supports your child’s growth. Green fruit, like kiwi fruit, limes, grapes and apples are also packed with nutrients to help your busy bambino thrive.  
   
• Purple/blue fruit and vegetables, including blackberries, blueberries, purple grapes, beetroot and eggplant get their eye-catching colour from a plant pigment called ‘anthocyanin,’ and this is good news because this phytochemical safeguards cells and can lower the risk of stroke, heart disease and cancer, courtesy of its anti-oxidant properties.  
   
• White/brown fruit and vegetables, such as white peaches, brown pears, mushrooms, onions and cauliflower contain lots of body-boosting phytochemicals. In the colder months, it’s good to know that garlic contains the phytochemical, allicin, which has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, and the potassium in potatoes and bananas helps to keep your child’s blood pressure ticking along nicely.  

 

What are some fun ways to ease your child into rainbow eating? 

There’s lots of evidence that eating a rainbow is good for children, but convincing your under five to try a suspicious blue fruit or glaringly green vegetable can be easier said than done.  

While some little kids will happily eat everything on their plate, many others are fussy, and Ms Elliston says the best tactic is to make things fun and not push your reluctant taste-tester too hard.  

Ms Elliston says, ‘Positive exposure to colourful produce, through songs, books and activities, is a great way to help your under five eat a rainbow. By keeping things light and interactive, your child can build their interest in these foods without having to eat them first. The more they are positively exposed, the greater the chance they will then eat the foods.  

‘The main thing is to break down any barriers or fear of new foods that your child may have, and even if your little one isn’t ready to try that bit of broccoli or segment of squash just yet, looking at different coloured fruits and vegetables is a great opportunity for your child to explore the world of colour.’ 

At home, Ms Elliston suggests that you: 

1. Read stories and share vibrant foodie books with your child  

This helps to expose them to colourful, healthy foods with no pressure to eat, and these five titles come recommended:

• Budburra’s Garden, which introduces preschoolers to the idea of eating a rainbow every day 
• Rainbow Stew  by Cathryn Falwell, which sees three kids making a Rainbow Stew from Grandpa’s produce
• Rainbow Plate by Dr Preeya Alexander, which features broccoli-positive text and gorgeous illustrations
• Edible Colours by Jennifer Vogel Bass, which shows kids that food can come in unexpected colours (hello red banana and yellow cherry) and still taste beautiful, and
• Strawberries Are Red by Petr Horacek, which is a sweet introduction to rainbow eating for babies and toddlers. 

 

2. Put together a rainbow poster

Ms Elliston says, ‘I like to get kids to sort pictures of different coloured fruits and vegetables that they can then paste onto the rainbow poster. Alternatively, you can encourage your child to place coloured stickers that represent the different coloured fruits and vegetables they eat each day to fill the rainbow over a few days or weeks (depending how big the rainbow is).’ There’s also the easy option of printing an Eat A Rainbow poster (in full colour, of course!) and counting how many colours your child can taste-test in one day.   

3. Make a rainbow from real fruit or veg 

Beautiful fruit bits, such as strawberry, rockmelon, mandarin, mango, pineapple, kiwi fruit, purple grapes and blueberries can be laid out in a pretty arc on your child’s plate, or slid onto a skewer if they’re old enough to eat a fruit kebab. Just remember to cut the grapes and blueberries in half for under threes to prevent choking.  

Another idea is to cook a rainbow stir fry, using red onions, carrots, baby corn, broccoli and mushrooms.  

4. Bop along to some rainbow music 

Last but not least, Ms Elliston says it’s fun to, ‘Sing songs and rhymes that associate food with colour, and the Eat A Rainbow Rap is super catchy (and a little bit country).’