Variety's the Spice of Life

“Variety’s the spice of life” has become one of the most hackneyed phrases in the English language. But taken literally, with food in mind, it takes on a very contemporary urgency.

Over 90% of American seed varieties available a century ago have gone extinct, according to @NatGeo. Both the number of varieties and the nutritional values of our foods are rapidly dwindling. At the same time, according to celiac.com, nearly 70% of the calories in every meal, snack and beverage that we consume come from wheat, dairy, soy & corn. Americans are eating fewer varieties of foods and over-indexing on a literal handful of common ones.

Why Is Variety Important?

Eating a wide range of diverse foods contributes to maintaining a healthy diet, which supplies the body with a host of essential nutrients and protects against chronic disease. Plus, it makes eating more fun!

Eat Good Food from Fresh Ingredients

Recently, I rewatched the 2009 film “Julie and Julia” and was inspired by the elegant simplicity of Julia Child’s approach to food: Eat good food from fresh ingredients.

Every adult should have a food philosophy. Along with sleep and movement, food is one of the most important determinants of health and wellness. What you put in your body is a leading indicator of how well you feel, how sharp your mind is and how efficiently you ward off disease and sickness.

My food philosophy is very simple: Eat whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible. Avoid additives and food-like substances created in a lab.

While I do not agree with the decadence of some of Julia Child’s dishes, I love that she emphasized using fresh, seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients.

What’s your food philosophy?