for Health Professionals
About the Program

Colour It Up: Go for More Vegetables and Fruit (Colour It Up Program) is a proven community-based, behaviour change program designed to promote increased vegetable and fruit consumption to women and their families. There are two separate programs available: one for women ages 19-50 and one for women over the age of 50.

The Colour It Up program helps women make changes in how they eat. It gives participants the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to eat more vegetables and fruit and achieve the recommended 7 to 8 Food Guide Servings each day. The discussions and activities in this program are based on strategies that promote behaviour change rather than simply providing nutrition information.

Contact us if you are interested in implementing a Colour It Up Program in your community!

Program Aims:

The program aims to inform, educate and support behaviour change related to women's vegetable and fruit acquisition, preparation, storage and eating. Specifically, Colour It Up focuses on:

  1. Increasing self-efficacy (a person's strong belief in her ability to make a change);
  2. Reducing barriers to vegetable and fruit consumption through group learning exercises and experience sharing; and
  3. Fostering adequate social support to facilitate these changes in the reality of women's everyday lives.

See some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Colour It Up Program.


Interactive Sessions

The program consists of six interactive sessions, designed to be implemented once a week for six weeks. Each weekly session lasts about two hours. In each session there are discussions, activities, recipes and snacks that help women to overcome challenges and build confidence in their ability to eat more vegetables and fruit.

The program was designed by a behavioural psychologist, the content developed by a Registered Dietitian and materials were reviewed for clear language. The program materials are available in both French and English.

10 Key Messages of the Colour It Up Program

There are 10 key messages reinforced throughout the Colour It Up Program:

  1. Go for more vegetables and fruit. Eat 7 to 8 Food Guide Servings every day.
  2. Enjoy the many health benefits of vegetables and fruit.
  3. Choose a variety of colours and tastes.
  4. Choose fresh, frozen, canned and dried there is always something available.
  5. Vegetables and fruit are safe to eat.
  6. Vegetables and fruit are affordable.
  7. Discover fast and easy ways to prepare vegetable and fruit.
  8. There are simple solutions to storing vegetables and fruit.
  9. Help children enjoy vegetables and fruit.
  10. Everyone can find a way to eat more vegetables and fruit.

The key messages reinforced in the Colour It Up Program for women over the age of 50 are similar but reflect Canada's Food Guide for women 50+ and also focus on the role women have in caring for other family members and the importance of self-care.

1. Go for more vegetables and fruit. Eat 7 Food Guide Servings every day.
9. Help family members enjoy vegetables and fruit.
10. Make eating vegetables and fruit an important part of self-care.

Background Information

The Colour It Up Program (originally TAKE Five) was developed by Cancer Care Ontario and pilot tested in 12 diverse Ontario communities in 2002. The impetus for the program stemmed from consistent scientific evidence indicating that increased vegetable and fruit consumption is an important factor in reducing the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Cancer Care Ontario completed a rigorous evaluation demonstrating very positive results, including an increase in vegetable and fruit consumption as a result of participating in the program.

Provincial Coordination

The Colour It Up Program is provincially coordinated by the Nutrition Resource Centre (NRC) at the Ontario Public Health Association with funding from the Ministry of Health Promotion. Cancer Care Ontario, the Canadian Cancer Society (Ontario Division) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario are provincial partners. At this time, the Nutrition Resource Centre only supports the Colour It Up...Go for More Vegetables and Fruit program offered by organizations in Ontario.

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