Diversity Diet

 

The Often Overlooked Way to Lose Weight and Live Longer
Written by RealAge, Inc., peer-reviewed by Dr. Axel Goetz, April 2004
 

In the world of finance, experts advise you to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. When it comes to your diet, a similar rule exists but with this twist: avoid filling your basket with only eggs. Just as with your finances, diversity is the smartest choice around when it comes to choosing the foods that you eat. Applying a diversity strategy to your eating patterns can provide you with easy opportunities to lose pounds, gain years, and enjoy some of the most delicious foods on the planet.

Step inside the major food categories
You probably know all the major players in the nutrition game: vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, meat-based foods, and fats. Getting an appropriate amount of each major kind of food every day is a good start toward eating a diverse diet. But can you name five different fruits you've eaten in the past week? Within each food category is a vast array of nutrient-rich foods, each one containing hundreds of unique substances. The key is to get to know all the different powerful choices within each food category and to introduce these different foods into your diet on a rotating basis. With a little exploration, you can find hundreds of nutritious newcomers to add to your meals and make them more satisfying and more nutritious.

Take a colorful adventure
Start by taking a trip to the grocery store and spending a little more time than usual exploring the offerings. Hit the produce aisle first and while you're inspecting the offerings, focus on the range of colors. Richly colorful plant foods—bright berries, sunny tangerines, and dark green lettuces—contain important protective phytochemicals and antioxidants that help prevent disease and preserve health. Such healthful vegetables, fruits, and legumes are the items that are often lacking in most diets. Pick out four or five that you've never had before or that you rarely eat, plus grab a few of your favorites, too. Make sure you see a range of colors in your cart. The following table will help you appreciate the full range of nutritional power these different colors have to offer.

Discover new delicious foods
Continue in the same attitude of exploration as you move through other store aisles. Check out low-fat options in the dairy section; whole-grain breads, cereals, grains and pastas; fish, seafood, and lean meat options. Read product labels and learn which foods contain unsaturated fats rather than the less healthy saturated and trans fats. Whenever possible, choose fresh, unprocessed whole foods over prepared and packaged foods, which are often highly processed, low on nutrients, and potentially full of chemical additives. Chances are you'll discover quite a few new items from every food group.

Re-balance your food portfolio
Once you have a better understanding of what's out there, it will be easier to figure out what's been missing. But rather than simply adding these foods to your diet, you need to clear some room for the new additions, otherwise you may start putting on pounds rather than dropping them. That means taking a look at your meals and cutting back on nutrient-poor foods you eat too often. For most people, that means cutting back on refined breads, pastas, rice, and other heavily processed grain products. Replace these with a couple whole-grain options. Studies show that choosing a mix of whole-grain cereals and breads that have been made with largely unprocessed grains, such as millet, bulgur, and whole wheat, can help boost your efforts to keep off extra pounds.

If you routinely eat a big plate of pasta with a couple slices of bread, you're overloading on grains and neglecting the other groups. Instead, diversify the meal by taking less pasta and adding a serving of tomatoes, spinach, and pine nuts. Strive to cover all your bases by incorporating at least three food groups into each meal. If you take this approach with most of your meals, including snacks, you'll give your body the mix of nutrients it needs to function at its best. This, in turn, can help you avoid those energy lulls that lead to nutritionally poor food choices, especially between meals. Fill in any dietary holes at snack time. If you're short on dairy, enjoy a cup of yogurt or a slice of low-fat cheese. Grab a handful of nuts or soybeans, also called edamame, if it's protein you need. Raw vegetables and fruits are always a wise snack choice.

Add up the colors
Expanding your food selections to include a wide range of great-tasting foods that are full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber has many benefits. But how do you know if you are on the right track? For most people, counting servings and calories is tough to do. Try counting colors instead. You can't go wrong if you add a greater variety of colorful vegetables and fruits to each meal and push out bland colors, such as refined bread and pasta. The more colors, the greater the payoff (and food coloring doesn't count).

Also, make sure you vary your greens, reds, yellows, and purples from day to day. Green bell peppers add vitamin C or A, but don't forget asparagus, which is high in folate, and spinach, which is a great source of calcium and iron. This diversity across and within the food groups is one of the wisest investments you can make in your most precious asset: your health.