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WHAT'S NEW
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Variety for healthy eating
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Eat for optimal nutrition by choosing a wide range of foods, colours and cooking methods.
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By Rosie Schwartz
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Are you stuck in a diet rut, eating the same foods day after day? Even if everything on your plate is a stellar nutritional choice, you might want to rethink your menu.
Eating a variety of foods has long been part of nutrition counsel, but new research shows just how smart that advice really is. Varying your food selections, as well as how you prepare them, may help you reap a host of health perks. Consuming a wide assortment of foods is a route to ensuring that you take in the required nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, along with an array of phytochemicals -- disease-fighting compounds from plant foods. It's also a way to take in smaller amounts of assorted substances you should avoid.
Flavourful fruits
Fruits and vegetables are a prime example. While blueberries often rate as a superfood because of their antioxidant content and reputation in protecting against cognitive decline, mixing up your berries is wise. Raspberries are full of fibre and packed with anticancer substances, while cranberries offer anti-adhesive bacterial effects. These are linked to a reduced risk of some types of infections such as urinary tract infections and stomach ulcers because they don't allow the bacteria to take hold in these areas.
Munch on an apple, and along with nutrients such as fibre, you're consuming flavonoids -- phytochemicals similar to those that have given red wine a heart-healthy reputation. But just as the tastes of apple varieties differ, so do their flavonoid contents, so enjoy the range, from McIntosh to Granny Smith. Have an orange and your phytochemical mix varies again. Along with the vitamin C, there's an assortment of bioflavonoids and limonoids, compounds linked to protection against certain cancers.
Create colour
Go for a colourful range of produce, as each of the pigments responsible for the various hues offers benefits. If you think that pale foods are all created equal, think again. Button mushrooms contain substances that may defend against breast cancer, while shiitakes may aid in healthy immune system function.
It'd be a nutty idea to eat just almonds and eschew walnuts. Almonds offer some calcium, walnuts contain omega-3 fats, peanuts are tops for their B-vitamin folate content, and Brazil nuts supply selenium. So shake up the contents of your nut bowl, and add some sesame seeds for their blood-pressure-lowering perks.
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