A Surprise Masterpiece

Written by Lauren Pisano
Part of the National Nutrition Month initiative

True story:

A few days ago I had a lovely dinner at Hokie Grill on the Virginia Tech campus.  I stood in line, ordered what I wanted, took the plate to my table and sat down.  As I took the lid off my plate and revealed my piping hot meal – something looked odd. 

I was looking down at a plate of pure white!  White potatoes, white turkey, white gravy, and an (almost) white banana.  I stared down at the most lackluster of meals with a puzzled look on my face.

Could this be right? Why does this feel so… so wrong!?

I had read many times before that color is the key to good nutrition.  Filling your plate with dark leafy greens, bright red strawberries, and vibrant pink salmon is apparently the key to eating healthy.  The reds give you anti-inflammatory benefits, the greens give you antioxidants, the oranges protect your skin, eyes, and bones.

So I got up from my table and went back to get myself a spinach and romaine salad and I added every colorful addition I could find at the salad bar. Green peppers, yellow peppers, red peppers, chic peas, black olives, green peas! I felt like I was an artist painting a beautiful masterpiece! I drizzled olive oil over my salad like I was drizzling paint on a canvas.

I came back to my table and sat down, admiring my work of art.  I felt accomplished, I felt good.  I ate my colorful salad.  It tasted amazing and I felt great knowing that not only had I enjoyed my mealtime – but I had fueled my body with colorful, fresh foods bursting with flavor and healthy nutrients.

Think of each meal as a work of art – the brighter the yellows, the deeper the blues, the darker the reds, the more amazingly nutritious (and attractive) your meal will be!

References
Dulan, Mitzi. America’s Nutrtition Expert. Color Your Plate. Retrieved from: http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/2010/04/color-your-plate/

Taste Autumn with a Colorful Salad [Photograph].  (2008).  Retrieved March 25, 2011, from: http://www.yumsugar.com/Taste-Autumn-Colorful-Salad-2474933

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