Get the blues — not in your mood but in your food. And while you are at it, fill your plate with reds, greens, and yellows as well. Colorful foods are rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants that help fight off premature aging and disease.

Yet most Americans prefer a “beige” diet filled with highly processed, fatty foods — like donuts, French fries, burgers, and potato chips. As a result, many don’t get the dietary nutrients we all need to stay healthy.

“Eating plant-based foods rich in colorful pigment offers benefits not found in animal sources,” Dr. Felicia Stoler, a top nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and former reality show host from New Jersey, tells Newsmax Health.

“Many of these foods also contain fiber — some soluble and insoluble — which help to lower cholesterol, improve satiety, and reduce the risk for colon cancer.”

Tara Gidus Collingwood, the team dietitian for the Orlando Magic basketball team, tells Newsmax Health more Americans should follow what might be called the “Rainbow Diet,” when choosing which foods to eat.

“It’s important to include all the colors of the rainbow in our diet to keep out bodies healthy,” she says.

Here are a few health benefits of different fruit and vegetable colors.

Red, purple, and blue. The phytochemical anthocyanin is found in foods with these colors — such as blueberries, strawberries, beets, and tomatoes, says Collingwood. Anthocyanins are high in antioxidants and can help in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. If the produce is darker in color, it will contain even more antioxidants.

Anthocyanins are also anticarcinogenic, which helps prevent the onset of cancer. What’s more, red fruits and vegetables are good sources source of fiber. Raspberries have about 8 grams of fiber per cup. Fiber is important because it helps promote our digestive health. In addition, red foods contain lycopene, which can offer protection against heart disease and cancer, adds Stoler.

White. You might think that white foods have no benefit, but that’s not true. White fruits and vegetables get their color from the phytochemical anthoxanthin, says Collingwood. Examples of white produce include mushrooms, parsnips, potatoes, bananas, and cauliflower. Cauliflower is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.

These vitamins help with natural blood clotting and processing energy in the body. Potatoes have a healthy amount of potassium in them. Potassium is an electrolyte needed for appropriate electrolyte balance, muscle strength, and heart and kidney health.

Orange and yellow. Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables contain carotenoids — a healthy source of antioxidants that prevent cellular damage, improve eye health, and help ward off cancer. Beta carotene is a carotenoid that can be converted into vitamin A.

Therefore, it helps with skin health by protecting skin, tissue, and cells from environmental toxins and disease. Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables include bell peppers, squash, oranges, and carrots. Oranges and peppers provide vitamin C which promotes healthy immune responses and wound healing.

Green. Leafy vegetables and green fruits get their color from the phytochemical chlorophyll, and are naturally high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and zinc.  The phytonutrients found in green vegetables also help boost the immune system.

Dark green leafy vegetables help protect against inflammatory diseases and osteoporosis due to their calcium levels. Green leafy vegetables are cancer-preventing foods because of their high antioxidant content. Fiber, magnesium, and potassium are also found in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli.

They are an excellent source of vitamin K, potassium, and folate, a B vitamin that prevents birth defects. Some green vegetables, such as cucumbers, celery, and peas, also contain the phytochemical lutein, which helps keep eyes healthy by preventing macular degeneration and cataracts.