ENJOYING FALL COLORS ON THE THANKSGIVING PLATE 

“Color is spirit made visible.” —Alexandra Stoddard

ADDING VIBRANT COLORS TO THANKSGIVING’S PLATE

I’ve been admiring a stunning fall show outside my office window as the leaves of a large maple tree have slowly transformed from a pleasant green to a fiery red. I took a photograph of the maple and thought it looked good, but likely it would look even better painted on canvas. 

This got me wondering about whether those of us who don’t have painting skills could use a paint-by-numbers method to recreate this colorful fall magic on a canvas. A paint-by-numbers approach allows anyone to create an artistic-looking image by painting a scene that has been pre-printed and numbered on a canvas with correspondingly numbered paint colors. But of course, even with this methodology, few us would have time to paint while also preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday!

Suddenly I realized that a paint-by-numbers approach could enable us to enjoy fall colors by recreating them on our Thanksgiving plates. In other words, we could plate-by-numbers instead! Not only would we enjoy the red, orange, yellow, and green colors of autumn that we’ve been admiring on the trees, but also we’d profit from their rich source of nutritional benefits.

A FALL VEGETABLE PALETTE MAKES IT EASY

The paint-by-numbers approach helps us better appreciate the artistic aspects of vegetables. For instance, like the fall-foliage palette, many vibrantly colored vegetables belong to the fall vegetable palette. In addition, any combination of the vegetables in the palette look good together on the plate. Vibrant plates can be created at home, in restaurants, and in most any other venue.

Color’s effect—whether in painting or food—is distinctive, as artist Georgia O’Keeffe points out when she writes, “The meaning of a word—to me—is not as exact as the meaning of a color. Colors and shapes make a more definite statement than words.”

While our traditional Thanksgiving menu may be familiar and enjoyable, it can also be constrained by an overabundance of tan-colored foods. Thus, to make Thanksgiving more colorfully rich, we’re including the Thanksgiving plate-by-number tool kit below for all to enjoy. Although we hope it will be helpful during the holidays, this method and tool kit can be enjoyed at any time of the year. 

THANKSGIVING PLATE-BY-NUMBER TOOL KIT

 FALL VEGETABLE  PALETTE  BY NUMBER  

MOCK-UP EXAMPLE: PLATE-BY-VEGETABLE PALETTE NUMBERS 

Best wishes for a vibrant Thanksgiving holiday season.

Sincerely, 

Joyce M. Young, MD MPH and colleagues at Advanced Wellness Systems

Tool kit photos via Canva