It seems like every month there’s a new “it” food that’s being promoted in the marketplace for health purposes. While the food being promoted is usually full of potential health benefits, there is no such thing as one “halo food” that will solve all of our health and/or weight issues.
When it comes to connecting food and your health, diversity is important. Each nutrient contributes to the overall function of your body and if one nutrient is missing, it doesn’t function as well as it could.
It’s easy to get into a routine eating the same foods often. Things like busy schedules and taste preferences can be a factor. However, minimal food variation can cause you to miss out on some important nutrients that your body needs to help you age gracefully and combat disease. The key to a balanced diet is eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables combined with good protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
When adding variety to your diet, try choosing recipes that include multiple fruits and vegetables as well as interesting spices all in the same dish. Make a side salad to go with the meal. The more color on your plate, the better. The colors of plants contain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that can help boost the immune system and protect against oxidative stress. Spices used in small quantities can play an important role in boosting your immune system as well.
Nutritional experts recommend that we eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The majority of adult Americans eat less than two of each daily. That statistic reveals that most people could be increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables considerably.
Adding more fruits, veggies, and interesting spices to your diet is one of the best ways to add more variety to your plate and increase the nutritional value of a meal.
Here are some examples of foods that offer not just variety but great health benefits:
- Tomatoes, watermelon, carrots, mangoes, lemons, pineapple, broccoli, arugula, blueberries, plums, grapes, blackberries, garlic, and onions are all fruits and vegetables that are known to have protective and healing qualities.
- Arugula, watercress, and kale all contain a phytonutrient that suppresses cancer-cell growth.
- Spinach, asparagus, beets, lentils, and fish have B vitamins essential to the repair of DNA.
- Yellowfin tuna, sardines, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, sauerkraut, pickled beets (raw unpasteurized), turmeric, star anise, and fennel seed are all foods that can help stimulate and protect the immune system.
If meal planning is new for you and your spice rack is pretty basic then start with one new recipe per week. Stick to the simpler recipes in the beginning and I recommend you avoid picking anything that takes longer than thirty minutes on your busier days. Over time you will build up a collection of nutrient-dense recipes and a diverse spice rack. When I sit down and lay out our family’s weekly meal plan, I’ll mix things up by choosing different cuisines like Italian, French, American, Indian, Moroccan, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, Spanish, and Thai. Any recipe that goes over as a big hit is saved and if it wasn’t popular, it doesn’t get repeated.
Eating healthy doesn’t guarantee that you’ll have perfect health; however, I believe you are better equipped to fight off disease and maintain your weight when you do. I also believe that balance is very important so make sure you are enjoying the foods you eat and having fun. Self control is a good thing, an overly restrictive diet that causes stress in your life is not. Balance is always important when it comes to long-term success.
To your health!
Jennifer Ledford