The Cracks and Crevices of Healthy Eating # 2: Variety

We usually associate “food jags” with toddler tantrums and mashed potatoes flying across the room.   But “food jags” can happen with adults too, although hopefully in a less dramatic fashion.  We, as adults, sometimes get into modes of eating the same foods and not being open to adding new foods to our daily eating habits.  The reasons for adult “food jags” may vary from convenience, taste preference, habit, or income.  Maybe you work 60 hours a week and frozen dinners are your best friend.  Because of tiredness and time constraints, when you grocery shop, you may not venture out to buy new brands and healthy types of frozen dinners or even think to cook quick healthy meals at home.  Perhaps you are the married woman that knows the foods that you and your husband like to eat and in order to keep marital discord to a minimum, you cook the same tried and true meals every week.  Or, maybe you are the person that really doesn’t like vegetables but you know it’s good to eat them so you have your two favorites - carrots and potatoes – that make your grocery list every week.  Lastly, perhaps you are the college student that wisely budgets $30 dollars a week for groceries.  You may buy the same foods each week that you know will taste good and give you the most food for your money.   Even with these possible barriers, there is still hope to getting variety into your daily eating habits. 

                     

Let’s revisit the definition of variety: varying the color and type of foods you eat to get the most nutrients possible.  Part of this means making your plate at each meal as colorful as possible by adding different fruits and vegetables.  You can do this inexpensively by buying fresh fruits and vegetables that are on sale and in season.  You can also buy frozen and canned vegetables, these are usually pretty reasonable if there are no sales on fresh fruits and vegetables.   Cooking frozen mixed vegetables or making a fresh fruit salad are great options.  Within the colors – red, white, orange, purple, yellow, green - of different fruits and vegetables there are powerful antioxidants.  Fruits and vegetables also have other important nutrients in them like fiber, vitamins and minerals.  The other part of variety means eating different types of foods from other food groups.  Take the lean protein fish, for example.  Some fish have more heart healthy fat in them than others and if the only type of fish you eat is cod, then you are missing out on the higher content of heart healthy fat that salmon has to offer.  You can apply this same thought process to other foods within the lean protein food group as well as whole grains also.

You can start adding more variety to your daily eating routine by simply adding a new vegetable, fruit or healthy food item to your grocery list each week.  If it is difficult for you to grocery shop right now, you can start by trying a new healthy menu item if you eat fast food or at a restaurant.  When you think variety, think - healthy, color and type!