Diversify Your Diet

The often overlooked way to lose weight and live longer

In the world of finance, experts advise you to avoid putting all of your eggs in one basket. When it comes to your diet, a similar rule exists, but with this twist: Avoid filling your basket with only eggs.

As with your finances, diversity is the smartest choice around when it comes to choosing the foods that you eat. Applying a diversity strategy to your eating patterns can provide you with easy opportunities to lose pounds, gain years, and enjoy some of the most delicious foods on the planet.

Food, Glorious Food

You probably know all the major players in the nutrition game: vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, meat-based foods, and fats. Getting an appropriate amount from each food group every day is a good start toward eating a diverse diet. But can you name five different fruits you've eaten in the past week?

Within each food category is a vast array of nutrient-rich foods, each one containing hundreds of unique substances. The key is to get to know all the different powerful choices within each food category and to rotate different foods into your diet. With a little exploration, you can add dozens of nutritious newcomers to make your meals more satisfying and more nourishing.

A Colorful Adventure

Start at the grocery store, and spend a little more time than usual exploring the offerings. Hit the produce aisle first, and while you're inspecting the fresh fruit and veggies, focus on the range of colors. Richly colored plant foods -- bright berries, sunny tangerines, and dark green lettuces -- contain protective phytochemicals and antioxidants that help prevent disease and preserve health. These healthful vegetables, fruits, and legumes are often lacking in most diets.

Pick out four or five that you've never had before or that you rarely eat, and grab a few of your favorites, too. Make sure you see a range of colors in your cart. The following table will help you appreciate the full range of nutritional power these different colors have to offer.

Red
Tomatoes, watermelon, cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, beets, red peppers, radishes, radicchio, red potatoes, rhubarb . . .

Red foods contain lycopene and anthocyanins, phytochemicals that help lower the risk of some cancers and promote:

• Heart health
• Memory function
• Urinary-tract health

These foods contain anthocyanins and phenolics, phytochemicals that reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and help promote:

• Urinary-tract health
• Memory function

Yellow-Orange
Apricots, cantaloupe, grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, persimmons, pineapple, tangerines, squash, carrots, yellow peppers, pumpkin, rutabagas, sweet potatoes . . .

Yellow-orange foods contain carotenoids and flavonoids, phytochemicals that lower cancer risk and help promote:

• Heart health
• Vision health
• A healthy immune system

Yellow-Green
Avocados, green apples, green grapes, honeydew melon, kiwifruit, limes, green pears, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, endive, leafy greens, green onions, okra, peas, green peppers, snow peas, sugar snap peas, spinach, watercress, zucchini . . .

These foods contain lutein and indoles, phytochemicals that lower the risk of certain cancers and help promote:

• Vision health
• Strong bones and teeth