I honestly don’t think this probably even warrants a post BUUUTTTT here we are. Kids are visual tiny humans and so the colors of things and the way they’re presented makes a huge difference in their little eyes. For my girls, simply placing food in the color order of a rainbow at least gets them to be interested in what’s on the plate. And if they can dip it ranch? They’ll eat it. So you know what? Ranch it is. Because they still get all those vitamins and nutrients packed inside the veggies even if it has a small smother of ranch on top.
I’m not going to insult you with directions on how to place your veggies in rainbow order so I thought I’d just throw out some ideas for our favorite colored vegetables and some of my favorite (and healthiest) ranch dip options.
Red: red veggies contain antioxidants lycopene and anthocyanins that give them their red color. Lycopene can reduce the risk for heart disease, protect your eyes and vision, and fight infection while anthocyanins are known to protect the liver, improve eyesight and reduce blood pressure and inflammation. Red veggies to try on your tray:
Red Cabbage
Tomatoes
Red Bell Pepper
Radishes
Radicchio
Orange & Yellow: Orange and yellow vegetables go together and both contain beta-carotene - a form of Vitamin A - that is great for eyesight and eliminating free radicals. The beta-carotene gives the vegetable its orange color. Orange and yellow veggies to try on your tray:
Orange Bell Pepper
Carrots
Roasted Sweet Potato
Roasted Butternut Squash
Yellow Bell Pepper
Yellow Beans
Summer Squash
Roasted Golden Beets
Green: Green vegetables are among the healthiest foods in the world. They are heart-healthy, good for brain development and muscle growth, and contain copious amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Green vegetables contain vitamin C (a collagen building antioxidant) that fights wrinkles and signs of aging, and other nutrients found in green veggies help with weight management and energy. Green veggies to try on your tray:
Broccoli Florets
Sugar Snap Peas
Celery
Asparagus
Green Bell Pepper
Cucumber
Green Beans
Purple: Purple vegetables are harder to come by but that vibrant purple color means they’re packed with nutrition. Anthocyanin is the phytonutrient that gives purple vegetables their beautiful color and it is anti-inflammatory and has been shown to improve both memory and overall brain function. Purple veggies to try on your tray:
Purple Cauliflower
Purple Asparagus
Purple Carrots
Purple Cabbage
And if you can’t get your hands on a purple vegetable? Try kalamata olives like we did! We don’t dip them (although I’m sure my kids would…) but they’re a nice switch up to the veggies on the tray and add an extra healthy dose of fat to make the snack tray more filling.
Now let’s talk ranch dressing and dip…my kids LOVE ranch and like I said before, if it means they’ll eat some veggies then I’m fine with a little ranch. I’ve gone lots of different routes when it comes to ranch - mixing ranch seasonings into greek yogurt, making my own, trying out all the different brands - and my go-to route is to buy a health store-bought ranch dressing. I look for one with as few ingredients as possible and little to no added sugar. Here are some of our favorites:
Marzetti Simple Dressed All Natural Ranch* - includes added sugar but it’s minimal at 1gram and this brand is very commonly found in all grocery stores
Let me know if you have a favorite vegetable to dip or dip to dip it in!
