What color is your diet?

The gorgeous salad photo is courtesy of Prevention.com. The fried chicken shot, sadly, is courtesy of a Refresh You staff cell phone. We pledge to do better. You can, too.

Too often, our good ol’ American diet looks shockingly monochromatic–it’s usually either golden brown or boringly beige. Fish fries, chicken dinners, French fries, boiled corn and that nasty canned yellow gravy, we’re lookin’ at you.

This spring, as a whole new crop of fresh produce hits the stores and farmers’ markets, vow to add some color to your diet.

Here’s how to taste the rainbow:

1. Green
Vegetables like spinach, broccoli and some darker lettuces are high in lutein, which keeps your vision sharp and clear.

2. Blue/Purple
Blueberries and blackberries are always healthy choices. They’re just bursting with goodness, including antioxidants and anthocyanins (compounds that help prevent tumors from forming and/or slow their growth). Plus, they just taste like summer, don’t they?

3. Yellow/Orange
Sweet potatoes, carrots, mango, corn, and melon all contain a variety of carotenoids, which help reduce the risk of developing cancer.

4. Red
Tomatoes and watermelon are loaded with lycopene, which may protect against cancer and heart disease. And the taste of the season’s first strawberries is beyond compare.

5. White
Cauliflower offers the same cancer-fighting benefits as broccoli. There’s also some evidence that the sulfur compounds in garlic and onions may ward off stomach and colon cancers. Other white foods, like poached chicken, seafood, reduced-fat cheeses, eggs, and tofu, provide all-important protein.

See? Easy. Over the next few weeks, find some colorful in-season produce and add it to your diet. Aside from the awesome tastes, colors and textures, your body will thank you.