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Diversify Your Nutrient Intake

Below are some simple, hassle-free ways to diversify nutrient intake:

• Eat colorful meals and snacks.
• Eat fresh, whole foods.
  • Limit the consumption of heavily processed foods that may be stripped of quality micronutrients.
• Eat locally sourced food.
  • This is a way to expand nutrient intake and eat Affordably Healthy™.
• Eat more plant-based foods.
  • Consume multiple servings of plant-based foods (nuts, seeds, oils, beans, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables) daily.
  • This is a way to expand nutrient intake and eat Affordably Healthy™.
• Eat seasonally.
  • This is a way to expand nutrient intake and eat Affordably Healthy™.
• Explore different cuisines and cultural foods.
  • Experiencing a variety of cultural foods not only exposes one to new cooking styles and dishes, but also to nutrients from herbs, spices, and food items undiscovered. Be open to discovering different cuisines and cultural foods mindfully and reverently.  
• Explore meals across different dietary patterns.
  • Try dishes in other dietary preferences such as halal, kosher, paleo, pescatarian, pollotarian, vegan, and vegetarian that do not contradict your cultural beliefs, special dietary restrictions such as allergies, and medically necessary food restrictions such as food-drug interactions. Be open to discovering other dietary patterns intuitively and safely.
• Incorporate herbs into meals.
  • Herbs should be used as more than just a garnish. They supply wonderful phytonutrients.
• Snack healthily.
  • Snacks can be savory and flavorful. Not all snacks need to be sweet or dessert-like.
• Top your salads with a mixture of organic, cooked and/or raw foods.
  • Example of a nutrient diverse salad: a mix of leafy greens as the base, a cooked whole grain, cooked bean or legume, fresh chopped vegetables (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, onions, etc.), fresh chopped herb (cilantro, coriander, parsley, etc.), and simple dressing with oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
• Upgrade your spice rack. Spices provide beneficial compounds whether they are fresh or dried.
  • Work spice into your diet by adding them to breakfast cereal, smoothies, sipping them in tea, and by making flavorful homemade dressings and marinades.
• Use different types of cooking oils.
  • Use certain oils for cooking and others for making homemade dressings and dips. Something as easy as a switch in cooking oils can introduce a variety of unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and other compounds.

When constructing your menu for the month and prepping your meals for the week, include fresh, whole foods consisting of healthy complex carbohydrates, essential fats, and proteins from vegetable and/or animal sources. Hopefully, you find the suggestions above helpful with planning your meals and building your menus to include more diverse nutrients. Please, do not become overwhelmed by this list. Do your best to incorporate the suggestions above routinely and at your own pace.  Be encouraged.