Variety - The Key to Life

In a study a few years ago, a large group of nurses answered a questionnaire listing 22 commonly available foods. Participants gave themselves a point if they'd consumed one of the foods the previous week. After eight years the results were startling. Anyone with a score of 14 or more points was still alive; anyone with a score under 8 was dead.

This study serves to underline the importance of that old adage: eat a variety of foods. Our bodies are complex organisms that require complex feeding. The nutrients we most commonly think of, say vitamin C and calcium, are only the tip of the iceberg. Nutrition scientists have identified over 12,000 compounds that play a role in preventing disease, and there are probably many more yet undiscovered. Many of these compounds also work together. For instance, vitamin C aids the absorption of iron. Think of your body the way you might think of a mutual fund. The wider range of foods you invest in, the more your health will prosper.

A varied diet has not only been linked to general longevity, it's been shown to offer protection against Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and possibly abdominal fatness and cancer. All the unidentified factors in food probably explain why vitamin supplements are rarely as effective in preventing disease as the natural foods they are found in.

You can define "food variety" many different ways. The most obvious are the major food groups: grains and cereals, meats and beans, dairy, fruit and vegetables. Within these groups there is also huge variety. Grains range from barley to rye to wheat; meats from pork to turkey; vegetables from broccoli to carrots, fruits from oranges to bananas.

Foods also differ in preparation method. Dairy comes in the form of milk, yogurt, and a multitude of cheeses. Both the yogurt and cheese are fermented, carrying with them their own unique brands of micronutrients. Foods can be raw or cooked, influencing nutrient availability. Even the spices and herbs foods are prepared with make their own subtle contribution to nutrient content. Condiments like jams and chutney are a surprisingly good source of antioxidant phytochemicals.

Fortunately, eating a varied diet is fun. All you have to do is open your mind (and mouth) up to the wonderful array of both foods and cuisines. Don't get stuck in a food rut. The American palate has expanded greatly in the past twenty years. Foods like cilantro and chipotle chiles that were once exotic are now commonplace.

Whole, unprocessed foods of course are the best source of varied nutrients. Processed foods such as breakfast cereals often have their natural nutrients leached out of them, only to have a small fraction of them (say, iron) added back in. Read cookbooks and cooking magazines and experiment with new foods and recipes. Try a new one each week! When you eat out, sample the abundance of your town's ethnic restaurants.

Preparing multi-ingredient dishes such as stir-fry, casseroles and salads is an easy way to increase variety. Throw some oriental greens into a stir-fry, add cannellini beans to the lamb stew or farro to the salad. Try pesto on your pizza instead of tomato sauce. Eat multi-grain breads. Flavor accents such as chopped almonds, crumbled bleu cheese, or candied ginger intrigue the taste buds while adding nutrients.

What "variety" do you lose while eating a varied diet? Why the variety of fad diets, of course! Most fad diets thrive on elimination. Eliminate dairy, eliminate cooked foods, or eliminate carbohydrates. Then substitute some processed foods, like low-carb cookies, whose main benefits accrue to the entrepreneur who developed them.

Inclusion is so much more fun.

Wendy Gordon is a writer and restaurant reviewer who lives in Portland, Oregon. She has a Masters Degree in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Chicago, and is on the Board of Directors of Food Front Grocery, a co-op in Portland.