Jessyca Thomas

University of Arizona Global Campus

ECE 214: Nutrition and Health of Families & Children

Instructor: Lynn Morrison

9-27-2021

 Kenyetta is a daycare instructor, who is trying to teach her 5-year-old daughter, Kenya, about eating healthy foods. However, Kenya says that her favorite foods to eat are cupcakes and Ice-cream. Kenyetta believes it is important for small children to eat colorful, healthy foods that represent the rainbow.

Groak and Song (2012) declares that eating fruits and vegetables from all color groups ensures that we get a broad spectrum of beneficial nutrients (section 2.1).

Plants contain pigments, called phytonutrients, that give them an array of numerous colors (Davidson, 2020). Scientists suggest that the more color one puts in their diet, the healthier they will be. 

Kenyetta understands the rewards of having a healthy diet because she works with small children. She wants Kenya to understand, so she began to explain the different colors of foods and various minerals and nutrients each one holds. 

Red foods like tomatoes and red apples contain compounds like anthocyanidins and lycopene. They 

boost to reduce the risk of cancer, boost the immune system, and enhance brain and heart health.

Orange foods such as carrots and oranges also help to boost the immune system and optimize skin and eye health and contain beta-carotene and circuminoids (Omar, 2019). 

Fruits and vegetables that are yellow contain lutein and zeaxanthin.  They are anti-inflammatory and promote eye, skin, brain, and heart health. Some of these items include pears and summer squash.