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The concept of Nutrivore is very simple: Choose foods such that the total of all the nutrients contained within those foods adds up to meet or exceed our daily requirements for the full complement of essential and nonessential (but still very important) nutrients, while also staying within our caloric requirements. The easiest way to do this is to have the foundation of the diet be a wide variety of nutrient-dense whole and minimally-processed foods including selections from all of the nutritionally distinct food families.
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What Is Dietary Diversity and Why Is It Important?
Wondering what dietary diversity is and why it’s important? I’ve got you covered!
One of the biggest nutritional challenges of the Standard American Diet is that, while it may feel like you’re eating a wide variety of foods, with so many being made from only a handful of ingredients (wheat, corn, soy, and dairy), the diet isn’t actually diverse. The number one best thing we can do to improve diet quality is eat a wide variety of foods from different food groups. Dietary diversity is typically defined as the total number of different food items in a diet. High dietary diversity refers to a diet where you’re eating a wide variety of different whole foods or whole food ingredients. Studies consistently show that high dietary diversity improves health outcomes. In fact, a large 2021 study showed that high diversity diets reduced all-cause mortality by 37% compared to low dietary diversity! Why? Quite simply, more diverse diets are higher quality and more nutrient-dense. When your dietary patterns consists of a wide variety of different foods, chances are much higher that you are achieving nutrient adequacy, meaning overall improved nutritional status. Studies also show that various ways of measuring dietary diversity can be used as a proxy measurement or predictor of diet quality. (Another way that dietary diversity may be measured is the Dietary Diversity Score, which reflects the number of different food groups represented in the diet over a 24 hours period.)
Aim for 12 different whole foods per day, and 35 different whole foods over the course of the week.
The challenge is that while this field of research shows a high diversity diet is really beneficial, there’s not yet enough data to really nail down a goal or cut-off. What is the minimum dietary diversity per day or per week to aim for to achieve enough diversity to gain benefits? Based on the science to date, I recommend aiming for 12 different individual foods per day and 35 different individual foods per week. But this range is a best guess – really when it comes to food consumption it’s about doing the best you can with the foods you like, have access to, and can afford which means that those living without food security have limited food access and will have a more difficult time consuming a healthy diet with food diversity. That is why it’s important to remember that that every little way you mix it up counts towards improving dietary quality. If you buy a different variety of apple or rainbow carrots instead of the orange ones, swap out a different kind of bean or a different type of meat in your favorite recipe, it all contributes to dietary diversity and achieving the goal of obtaining all the nutrients our body needs from the foods we eat – ultimately improving our health and helping to combat chronic diseases!
Tips to Increase Dietary Diversity
What are some strategies to increase dietary diversity, and easy ways to mix up the foods you eat each day and each week?
My first tip is to embrace recipes that make eating a lot of different foods easy. Soups, salads, stir-fries—recipes that tend to have six, eight, or even ten different whole food ingredients—are perfect for this.
Second, think about your favorite recipes, those go-to meals that you make regularly, and consider easy swaps you could make that wouldn’t fundamentally change the recipe or the experience of eating it. Maybe you can swap out broccoli for cauliflower, salmon for trout, sweet potatoes for winter squash, or rotate between legumes.
Another way to increase dietary diversity is with “one of each” shopping. When cooking for a group of people, instead of buying large amounts of one type of vegetable for a side dish, such as green beans, instead opt to purchase less green beans and also get other veggies such as a head of broccoli, some carrots, and maybe some peas or asparagus. Then, you can pair the vegetables that have similar cooking times so they can all cook together the same way. For example, if you plan to steam whole green beans, broccoli, carrots, and asparagus, add the carrots to the pot first, then the green beans, then the broccoli, and finally the asparagus, staggering them about two minutes apart, giving the carrots a full four-minute head start. If you plan to roast them, you can put all the veggies on the pan together. Then, everyone can have a smaller portion of multiple different veggies as part of their meal. Alternatively, mix it up day to day: green beans today, broccoli tomorrow, carrots the next day, and asparagus the day after. If you’re not cooking for large groups, that may be too much food to buy each week so you could mix it up week to week. This week could be green beans, next week broccoli, the week after carrots, and then asparagus.
Another really easy and affordable way to increase dietary diversity is with frozen mixed vegetables, fresh mixed vegetables, or spring salad mixes. The reason I recommend frozen first is because it tends to be a lot cheaper, plus you don’t have to use the whole bag within a certain period of time so it’s not going to go bad before you can use it all. Additionally, frozen mixed vegetables can typically be found even in stores that have a limited selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Other tips? Diversify your staple foods by exploring different varieties of fruits and vegetables available at local markets or grocery stores. Elevate your meals with garnishes like fresh herbs, nuts, or sliced fruit, or complement your dishes with flavorful additions like chutneys or salsas. Embrace seasonal eating by incorporating in-season produce, which tends to be fresher, more affordable, and locally sourced, enhancing both taste and nutrition. Embrace culinary exploration by trying new fruits, vegetables, recipes, and cuisines to expand your palate and discover new favorites. All of these strategies are helpful when it comes to increasing dietary diversity!
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Is It OK to Stick With Safe Foods?
If dietary intake from a diverse number of food groups feels really intimidating because you have a lot of food aversions, you might be able to leverage positive social learning to increase your liking of new foods. The more positive associations you can make with that new food, the easier it will be, and the fewer times it will take to start enjoying that food. Try pairing that food with flavors you already enjoy, such as a sauce or seasoning mix, or having it beside other foods you really like. Make sure your environment is positive when trying new foods. Perhaps save eating that food for a night when you eat dinner in front of your favorite TV show, or when you have company that you enjoy. Alternatively, save it for a night when you know you’re not going to be exhausted by dinnertime. We can learn to develop a preference for nutritious foods in as few as four or five attempts, but the strength of positive associations makes a big difference.
However, this strategy may not work for everyone. If you have a limited list of safe foods and need to stick to those, that’s okay. Increasing dietary diversity might not be a compatible goal for you right now. Working with a registered dietitian may help you identify other strategies to expand your diet or suggest supplements to fill in the gaps.
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What Makes a Balanced Meal?
