You’ve heard of eating locally or seasonally – but what about eating by color?
Bringing attention to the importance of healthy eating habits, New York City-based artist Tattfoo Tan’s Nature Matching System represents 88 common fruits and vegetables by their colors. A visual mash-up of nutrition and design – did you know, for instance, that okra corresponds to the Pantone Matching System code of 378U? – the system has been displayed as a large-scale public art mural in various New York City locales, including beneath the Manhattan Bridge and at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Eating a diet that varies in color is a crucial part of eating right, according to the American Dietetic Association, which touted March’s National Nutrition Month with the slogan “Eat Right With Color.” For maximum benefit, eat a diet high in phytonutrients, which give some vegetables their vivid colors as well as nutritional value.