Creating a colourful plate of food is not only a way to make your food more delicious, it is also a way to prevent disease and ensure optimum health. The hues of food not only make them beautiful, it makes them extraordinary! Within each colour are disease-fighting phytonutrients that make us look and feel fabulous. These foods are top the list of alkaline foods.

Think of the beauty of a plate full of McDonalds. White French fries, a white bun, some meat that is a color I wouldn't like to describe, and if you are lucky, some lettuce that is nearly white.

Then imagine a plate filled with beautiful, vibrant fruits, vegetables, and super foods....they are beautiful artistic mediums that give us the nutrients needed for a healthy body...and a creative mind! It's like a painting.

The colors in plants are called phytonutrients, and they are responsible for protecting the plant from insects, disease, pollution, drought, excessive heat, and ultra violet light. When we consume them, we also enjoy those amazing health benefits. Scientists are constantly proving that a diet full of these powerful nutrients are the key to preventing disease, reducing blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, detoxifying the body, relieving allergies, and staying young in mind and body.

According to Dr James Duke of the Department of Agriculture, "One gram of phytonutrients is better than a ton of curative drugs.

And on an artistic note...how much more beautiful is your plate when there is a mixture of colors on it. I am certain that Van Gogh would agree.

There are different types of phytonutrients that give us the nutrients we need.

Carotenoids typically give plants a red or yellow color, but are also found in green vegetables. They lavish the body with antioxidants, decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer, and keep the eyes and skin gorgeous and youthful.

Your body is treated to a lovely dose of carotenoids when you eat sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers, pumpkin, butternut squash, spinach, kale, avocados and peas. Or if you fancy fruit, you can eat oranges, peaches, mangos, apricots, kiwis, cantaloupe or papaya for your carotenoid fix.

Flavonoids provide a rainbow of lovely colors. They are so nourishing that the body is able to happily deal with viruses, allergens, carcinogens, and many other cancer causing, disease infesting toxins that are thrown its way.

Pamper yourself with Flavonoids by eating apples, blueberries, acai berries, grapes, onions, broccoli, green tea...and chocolate!

Phytoestrogens eating a diet high these heroic nutrients means less risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, and hormone induced cancers such as breast and uterine.

Seeds, berries, broccoli, legumes, and sprouts are some of delicious foods that will provide you with phytoestrogens.

It's important to consume a wide variety of colorful plant foods to reap these health benefits. That's because all of the phytonutrients work synergistically to combat disease. So the goodies that you consumed in the pink grapefruit you ate for breakfast, for instance, may fight disease more effectively when combined with an apple at snack time. The spinach salad that you eat for lunch will be more powerful (not to mention tastier) if some delicious avocado is added.

So load up your plate with all the lovely colors that nature provides. This is more than just a healthy food list. This is about art! Picasso used a variety of colors to create his vibrant painting in the same way that we need to splash on a range of colors for vibrant health and wellbeing!

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Sheryl Walters is an experienced holistic health expert.