Day 73 - Coloring Salad

Set your go-back-goggles for two months ago. That is about the time I was in a blog chat about vitamins and whether daily vitamin pills are necessary. Oh we debated other supplements like protein powders and amino acids and the like too. But I've always remembered that discussion for those who were against getting their vitamins from pills. While not completely surprising it did challenge a stereotype I had for healthy people; that a majority used supplements, at least vitamins, daily.

In fact many stated they use no supplements of any kind. Intrigued I wondered just how they could be so bold. I mean, how can modern people not get and stay healthy from some sort of help from the diet & supplement industry?

I basically asked them that question. Those that were anti-vitamin pills had a common answer to how they get the vitamins they need. "From food", was the quick reply of a few.

OK, raise your hand if that was news to you in any way. Anyone, I didn't think so. If you did raise your hand don't feel stupid, I am about to do you one better.

Being fearless from behind the safety of my mouse and keyboard I challenged these anti-vitamin takers, our conversation went something like this...

"Counting calories let alone the nutrition content of what you eat is insane. That has to take hours to get it sorted so you end the day with a balanced vitamin intake. You can't be sure you are getting your vitamins!", I roared.

"Oh no, it isn't insane, I don't count calories.", the lead voice of the opposition calmly replied.

"Huh, OK, you buy all pre-packaged stuff, someone else does it for you, right?" I insisted still in disbelief.

"LOL", was the first answer I got.

"Nope, those are worse than using on vitamins and supplements", another insisted. A couple of other said similar.

"No, just from food. But we color our food, that's how we know", was the answer I took note of after a few more LOL's.

Remember I told those of you that raised your hand earlier I was about to do you one better; here it is...

"You color your food, you mean like dying Easter eggs?" I asked.

After a mess of LOLs, ROTFLOL, LMAO, etc. eventually someone took pity on me and explained in simply.

"Eat a salad once a day. That salad should contain as many different colored foods as you can find. Do the same other meals too. If you have three items on your dinner plate, don't let them all be brown or white", she shared.

In a nut shell, the more colors your overall food intake is made up of the higher the probability that you are getting all of the vitamins types you need and as well getting the amount you need.

So the smart ass in me really wanted to answer back that Big Mac must have six or seven colors in it, must be chocked full of good stuff, right? I thought I would have been in my right to ask that after the avalanche of LOLs I endured. However, I did ask the Easter egg question, so I refrained.

Instead I left the conversation enlightened. I knew enough about food from previous missions where I had counted stuff to know that a carrot is good for vitamin A, that an egg brings in the vitamins D & B,  that celery delivers the vitamin K, and I could go on.

Regardless of getting validation from the science behind the theory it maks sense to me. And more importantly is sounded so unbelievably simple. The holy grail ingredient of success; make it simple and it will be done!

So, there you see the picture of my salad. You don't see much green but the lettuce is there underneath all the rest of those colors. Purple onions, Orange carrots, White hard boiled, Beige garbanzo beans, Yellow corn, Black beans, Red bell pepper and red cherry tomatoes, Green-sort-of peppercinos, and whatever color tuna is.

Do you color your food?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!