Food Variety: Subtle Changes for Big Differences

 

I find often that I go to the same types of foods while I am at the grocery store. Of course, there are staple items that everyone needs such as milk, cheese, eggs, bread and so on. I started wondering though, am I getting enough of all of the different vitamins and minerals in my diet? I feel lately that my diet is typical, predictable and boring. I then came across an article on Betterhealth.org explaining the importance of variety in the diet. I have always know that a variety in the diet is an important aspect to overall health, but I really did not think this applied to me as I always ate healthfully and tried to eat different foods. As the school year has gone on though, I have had less and less time to cook and not only that, but cook creatively or try new recipes. So this past week, I have really made an effort to try different recipes that incorporate foods I do not normally eat. So far, it has been going well and I love that I know I am getting a lot of different vitamins and minerals from all types of foods. I put sprouts on my sandwich instead of lettuce, made couscous instead of rice, steamed asparagus instead of broccoli. Although these changes are small and may not make a very big difference nutritionally, it is giving me more motivation to explore new ways to cook and create new dishes. The importance of including different foods from each food group is not only nutritionally important, but important to sustain your love of food and cooking. There is no better feeling then making a new dish that you haven't had before that taste SO good and is healthy too! Here is the article I found on Betterhealth.org. Check it out!

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Food_variety_and_a_healthy_diet?open#.T2DUcyAIDV4.twitter