A health blogger has revealed that her top tip for eating healthily has nothing to do with calories and all to do with color.
Amanda Meixner, 26, from Ohio, regularly shares diet and exercise tips on her Instagram page, posting images of similar plates of food that look almost identical but have vastly different calorie counts.
However, in her latest post, she’s suggested that in order to have the healthiest diet possible, people should be eating a range of ‘rainbow’ colored foods and not just their greens.
Bright idea: Health blogger Amanda Meixner, 26, from Ohio, has suggested that eating a variety of ‘rainbow’ colored foods is the key to a healthy diet
Myth buster: Amanda also gives advice on how to keep nutrition in mind when choosing snacks and frequently dispels food myths on her page
Step-by-step: Amanda has also shared the benefits to eating different colored foods and detailed what vitamins and minerals can be found in each color
Healthy attitude: Although Amanda posts healthy posts she’s also honest about indulging in snacks time-to-time and how they don’t have to sabotage a healthy body
‘There are some actual benefits to eating the rainbow. I mean isn’t it more fun when your food Is super colorful? That’s why I’m a sucker for purple cauliflower,’ she captioned a shot of brightly colored fruits and vegetables on her Instagram page.
To back up her claim, the healthy eating advocate also detailed the nutritional value of each different colour.
‘Purple = Anthocyanins which antioxidant properties can help limit damage caused to your cells by free radicals and may also lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer + more,’ she wrote.
‘Orange = beta-carotene which is a carotenoid your body uses to create vitamin A. Carotenoids may help improve your immune function and lower your risk for vision problems + more,’ she added next.
Amanda then turned her attention to yellow foods, and explained that ‘bioflavonoids which work together with vitamin C to help maximize its benefits and have been shown to help keep youthful skin & support blood circulation.’
She then moved onto red foods and explained that they contain lycopene which is ‘one of the most powerful antioxidants capable of fighting off toxins, improving heart health & preventing cancer.’
Finally Amanda turned her attention to green foods and wrote: ‘Chlorophyll is known for its healing and detoxifying properties like aiding in wound healing & preventing infection. It’s anti-viral effects make it a strong skin protector.’
Prep: Amanda is also a big advocate for meal prepping and frequently posts pictures of the contents of her fridge to encourage her followers to do the same
Appetite: She also gives snack ideas to her followers
Tips: Amanda also shares meal ideas with her followers to help inspire them to make better food choices
Crunching the numbers: The influencer often posts photos of her trim and toned physique
A fan of posting ‘spot the difference’ style comparison pictures, Amanda regularly shares her healthy eating tips with her 605,000 Instagram followers, and highlights how small tweaks can save hundreds of calories per meal, without compromising on flavor or nutrition.
She recently posted a series of images showing the calorie difference between two seemingly identical plates of food.
One image shows two eggs and two eggs whites scrambled with half an avocado on toast and a sliced apple, which amounted to just over 500 calories.
But adding the rest of the avocado, two more eggs and a spoonful of peanut butter more than doubled the calorie count to over a 1,000.
Meanwhile a 472 calorie snack of yogurt, dark chocolate, nut butter and berries suddenly became almost 900 calories with the addition of 40 grams more chocolate and two extra tablespoons of cashew butter.
To avoid extra calories, Amanda has implemented some simple swaps such as eating veggies noodles instead of sweet potatoes or pasta into her diet.
‘Skip the extra olives or extra fats for more veggies,’ she recommended. ‘Swap out some eggs for egg whites – only 17 calories per one.’
In another post, she highlighted how avoiding processed convenience foods and opting for homemade or whole food versions can save hundreds of calories.
‘While it’s great to treat yourself every now & then, processed food calories add up quick without filling you up. Not to mention the added preservatives and chemicals,’ she wrote.
And referencing sugar loaded coffee drinks and soda, she added: ‘If you’re going to drink your calories, make sure it’s low cal quality drinks or a solid protein shake.’