What we eat affects our health in more ways than one. This is why doctors urge us to eat a variety of foods. We need to get the necessary nutrients each day to maintain a strong body, improve our health, and boost our immunity. The healthier and the more diverse the food we put on our plate, the better. But then, it is easier to give in to fast foods and our favorite comfort foods than to enjoy a colorful dish.
How different was your diet now compared to three years before? While most people want to start eating healthier and well-balanced meals, many still fall into the trap of eating the same old boring meals that increase one’s health risk. Here’s why you should start changing your diet into a more diverse one.
Nutrition Synergy
Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables each day allows us to get all the essential nutrients we need like vitamins and minerals. It helps us enjoy a variety of colors, flavors, and textures. These are high in fiber, low in both cholesterol and sodium, and can even help protect our body from developing cancer and other diseases.
Numerous supplements are available in the market that allows us to get our daily dose of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. But for these nutrients to work the right way, they need to have a synergistic action along with other nutrients. Simply relying on supplements alone and not consulting your doctor can actually have adverse effects in the future.
Studies show that excess nutrient intake brought about by supplements can actually lead to cancer. One can get better amounts of nutrients by eating a variety of foods instead. If you are already at risk of developing cancer due to your lifestyle and genes, then it would be better to adjust your diet and to consult your physician first before drinking a supplement or two.
Reduced Risk of Food Intolerance and Allergy
These days, more people are getting tested for allergies in clinics. This is since children are at a high risk of developing allergies to certain foods, asthma, atopic eczema, and many other allergies. But according to new studies, introducing a variety of food to kids early on helps lessen their risk of developing food intolerance and allergies later in life.
According to some researchers, decreasing food diversity in little kids aged six months to one year has an impact on kids with asthma and allergic rhinitis. Introducing different kinds of food in a kid’s diet and allowing them to eat the same food, again and again, lead to fewer incidences of food allergies. In short, if you have kids, it is best to increase their exposure to different kinds of food to promote tolerance development.
Boredom and Mindless Eating
It is so easy to eat the same food each day especially when you’re busy, don’t have time to prepare home-cooked meals, and are on a budget. But then, a repetitive diet that consists of unhealthy food items can feel repetitive. It can lead to boredom, and not to mention, increase our cravings for more unhealthy food and boost weight gain.
To avoid mindless eating and boredom, opt to eat the colors of the rainbow. Thankfully, there are lots of new recipes to try each day to add life to your boring plate. A healthier diet can also help make cooking more fun and exciting, making eating nutritious meals a lot less stressful.
You can even share your new recipes with your partner, kids, and friends. The more people involved in the kitchen, the more fun it can be. Including your family in preparing and cooking meals allow them to learn how important it is to enjoy a variety of food and how to stick to a healthier diet.
Avoidance of Nutrient Excess
Too much of a good thing is never healthy. The same goes for nutrients. Too much healthy food can lead to nutrient excess, which can be harmful to your health.
Some people drink supplements to make sure they don’t lack the kinds of nutrients needed to keep themselves healthy. But many people don’t know that excess in nutrients can also be bad for your health.
For instance, people who eat too much food rich in Omega-3 can have blood-thinning effects on normal individuals. Too much Vitamin D can cause hyperparathyroidism. Even an excess in Amino Acid can cause confusion, nausea, weakness, and hypertension.
This only goes to show that too much of a good thing can have bad effects even on healthy individuals. There can be many reasons why one can have nutrient excess such as.
- Drugs
- Toxins
- Improper diet
- Improper supplementation
Welcoming food diversity into your family’s diet allows you to enjoy numerous benefits. Your family will have better health; you get to reduce your chances of developing preventable diseases and enjoy healthy meals that will drive your senses to a frenzy. So, instead of buying your usual grocery list, choose to break out of your rut and go for colorful food items instead.