The best way to get more nutrients into your salad recipes is by following the rainbow rule. All it takes to make a rainbow salad is simply loading up on the most colorful veggies you can find at the market, and throwing them together to create a bright and nutrient-packed dish.

This veggie rule of thumb is so good for you because colorful veggies have a diverse mix of antioxidants and essential vitamins you need to create super-powered, healthy meals. Here’s a good breakdown of each veggie (and fruit!) color and its health benefits according to nutritionaustralia.org:

Red: These fruits and veggies contain lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant that can help keep your heart healthy and can help reduce the risk of some cancers.

Green: Greens contain phytochemicals including carotenoids, indoles and saponins that all have anti-cancer properties.

Orange/Yellow: Many of these veggies feature carotenoids like betacarotene and lutein that both help keep your eyes healthy and help prevent cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Purple/Blue: These fruits and veggies feature anthocyanin, which is the plant pigment that gives them their blue/purple color. That pigment is also full of antioxidants that help protect cells and reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and strokes.

Brown/White: Many of these veggies have antibacterial and antiviral properties, and are rich in potassium.

Even though brown isn’t *technically* part of the rainbow, Flackers are the perfect topper for any rainbow salad to round out a seriously good nutritional punch. As most veggies don’t have a lot of protein, you can pack it in with just one serving of our Sea Salt Flackers. Just 10 crackers contain about 6 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber.

The great thing about our delicious Flackers flavors is that they each pair beautifully with whatever salad you want to make that day. The best part: You can eat them whole on the side, crunch them up like a traditional crouton, or use up the flax crumbs at the end of the bag.

Here’s our rainbow salad pick we put together using fresh organic ingredients from Whole Foods.

You’ll need:

Organic spring mix greens

Cherry tomatoes

Red cabbage

Orange bell pepper

Yellow bell pepper

Sugar snap peas

Annie’s organic balsamic vinaigrette (or this balsamic vinaigrette recipe to make on your own, which is just as delicious!)

Instructions:

Chop up the bell peppers and red cabbage to about a handful each, or to your liking. Add greens to a large salad bowl, pop in tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and your favorite Flackers crackers. Drizzle your dressing on top and your rainbow salad is ready to roll.

Get creative! The best part about these salads is that you can add any mix of color to your plate to get the health benefits. Don’t forget to add Flackers to round out an extremely delicious, crunchy, and nutritious rainbow salad.