Many of our most colorful foods are also the most nutritious — the pigments represented in many of our fruits and veggies are antioxidants and other phytonutrients essential to our health.

But it can seem challenging to do as the seasons change to ensure we have flavorful and colorful nutrition at our fingertips, on our plates, and in our mouths.

Here are some guidelines to ‘minimally processed’ whole foods and building your colorful plate:

1. Look for glass jars and BPA-free cans.
   
   
2. Shop for organic varieties when you can in your fruits and veggies. (Conventional fruits and veggies are still powerhouses of good nutrition, but choosing organic slashes the potential exposure to pesticide residues).
   
   
3. Read the label to steer-clear of artificial preservatives, colors and sweeteners.
   
   
4. Be conscious of added salt and sugar in foods. Keep it low — it’s better to ‘flavor up’ your food than be stuck with foods too high in added sugars or sodium.
   
   
5. Build your healthy plate with a goal of 3 colors on your plate — always with at least one fruit and/or veggie — and you can have seasonal fare that provides a boost to your health and pleases your taste buds, too!
   
   
6. Get to know what fresh items are available, affordable ,and nutritious during each season. Though limited at times, you might actually be surprised what Mother Nature has done to provide for us from season-to-season.

Wendy Bazilian (www.wendybazilian.com) is a doctor of public health, registered dietitian and freelance writer in San Diego. She is also the Nutrition Advisor at the renowned Golden Door and Co-owner of Bazilian’s Health Clinic with her husband and business partner, Dr. Jason Bazilian. Dr. Wendy is author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet (Rodale).

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