It’s easy to fall in a lunchtime rut, staying in your comfort zone of staples and familiar flavors. Sticking with what you know, though, is a disservice to your taste buds and your body’s full potential. There’s a reason why living the Sakara Life for a year will have you basking in over 800 plant ingredients—diversity, color, and nutrient density can transform your inner world.
Each color offers its own melange of phytonutrients and superpowered compounds that improve communication between the cells, combat chronic disease, and fight inflammation. The same cannot be said for the standard American diet. Founder and co-CEO of Sakara, Danielle DuBoise takes it a step further, declaring mealtime as a moment to say “I love you” to your body. “Every time we sit down to eat, we’re deciding if we’re worthy of nourishment, love, and standing in our power. Food is a reflection of our innermost relationship. Our issues with food are our issues with ourselves,” Danielle says. “Your plate is holy; let the reverence shine.”
Take these sneaky opportunities to invigorate a breakfast or even a take-away pizza slice with rainbow-drenched, saturated color. This not only heightens the nutrition benefits and punches up a blasé plate, but is also a personal love tap from nature.
The Meal: Overnight Oats
Color Boost: Goji berries, blackberries, pineberries
Why it Works: Adding antioxidant-rich berries brings deep hydration to a simple breakfast—with the water trapped inside the fiber, minerals, and vitamins, you will stay satiated and enjoy bright bursts of tart and sweet. If you have the chance, slice up pineberries, a unique fruit that is bright white (a source of cancer-fighting quercetin!), looks like a strawberry, and tastes like a pineapple.
The Meal: Take-Out Pizza
Color Boost: Heirloom tomatoes, arugula, radicchio
Why it Works: Sometimes the night calls for pizza and wine; we’re never one to shy away from a slice. Uplevel what’s in the cardboard box by slicing up brightly-colored tomatoes that contain lycopene, known to be a “scavenger for free radicals,” or rip up fiber-rich and bitter radicchio and arugula to get in your greens (and purples and pinks) while honoring your craving.
The Meal: Protein Powder Smoothie
Color Boost: Bok choy, raspberries, cauliflower
Why it Works: A straightforward breakfast or midday snack comes by way of the protein shake—it’s a quick boost of energy that focuses on an important muscle-building macronutrient. Make it worth your while by adding vegetables that promise not to change the flavor profile or impart an unwanted “earthy” taste—bok choy does the trick, while providing vitamin K, C, and the antioxidant beta-carotene.
HOW TO UNLOCK COLORFUL NUTRITION AT HOME
The Benefits of the Technicolor Diet
The Anatomy of a Perfect Salad
