We haven't quite hit peak fruit and veggies season yet, but there are still so many great options to add more colorful foods to your daily nutrition plan. I’m not going to emphasize the standard, “eat an apple a day” or “eat a banana before exercise” sayings. Not that those are not important but I believe there are so many other great ways to use colorful foods so let’s get into it.

But first, we all likely grew up with our parents telling us to eat our fruits and veggies but did we ever know why? Did they even know why? Here’s a TOP 3 LIST of the benefits of these colorful foods that you may not know:

1. they have fiber that helps control blood sugar and keep your energy stable throughout the day. (visit www.metabolicefficiency.org for more information regarding Metabolic Efficiency Training and blood sugar control.)

2. they contain polyphenols which are plant compounds that give fruit and veggies their bright colors, bitterness, aroma and flavor. More importantly, polyphenols contain a bunch of antioxidants that help protect the body from cellular damage due to a high amount of exercise, exposure to pollutants and chronic stress.

3. they are nutrigenomics superstars. Nutri - what? Nutrigenomics is a relatively new topic in the field of nutrition and discusses how certain foods have either positive or negative interactions with certain genes in our bodies. Basically, there are these amazing compounds in most fruits and vegetables that trigger certain genes to reduce cellular oxidation and inflammation. Yeah, you want more of these in your body so don’t skimp on the color on your plate! Learn more about nutrigenomics with our favorite book, The Genomic Kitchen, written by our good friend Amanda Archibald. Also, be sure to check out Episode 7 of the Inside Sports Nutrition Podcast where we interviewed Amanda and chatted all things nutrigenomics!

We know fruits and veggies are important to consume on a daily basis and we typically recommend eating between 6-10 servings each day. Say what? Sounds like a lot but here are some easy ways to sneak some color into your meals and snacks:

• Make a smoothie and add 1-2 servings of veggies (spinach, carrots, beets, etc.) and 2-3 servings of fruit, balanced with protein. It is super easy to get almost half your daily color from a simple smoothie! Need more smoothie ideas? Check out the electronic Smoothie Recipe Book on the eNRG Performance website for an amazing 85 different smoothie recipes!

• The key to eating more vegetables is all in the preparation. We are more of a “grab and go” society and we look for quick and easy snacks or simple, colorful foods to add to meals. Cut up some carrots, celery, cucumbers, and broccoli, and add some pickles and olives to a vegetable tray that you can store in the fridge. Grab it when you need to add some color to your protein at a meal or snack. Nothing could be easier but remember, you have to be sure that it is prepared first. Spending a few minutes on the front end leads to eating more veggies throughout the day and nothing could be easier!

• Have a salad each day. Okay, this may be overused and maybe you don’t like salad but I’m not talking about the traditional salad. Since when does lettuce need to be the base of a salad? It doesn’t. Try cutting up your favorite veggies (I like olives, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, and zucchini) then add some chickpeas, spices and a few dashes of rice vinegar. It makes an amazing, antioxidant-rich salad without the lettuce! Of course, there is nothing wrong with lettuce…I’m just giving you another option!

• When it doubt, don’t think about it, just do it! There are many times when I fall into this situation and I simply do not want to take the time to make vegetables. Don’t laugh, but I am known in my household as the “spinach fly-by guy”. I will literally grab a handful of raw spinach from the fridge, stick it in my mouth and call it good. One serving down the hatch! Sometimes, you just don’t need to overthink it.

Have some fun with your color and reap the rewards!