DIVERSITY MATTERS! IN LIFE AND IN YOUR FOOD CHOICES

7 grape tomatoes. 1 mozzarella stick, a bunch of grapes. 5 crackers.

Hummus. Carrots. Apple.

Cliff bar. Cut up fruit.

Sound familiar? This might be your lunch or a colleague’s lunch - every day! Teachers make tens of thousands of decisions a day, so taking the decision-making out of lunch by eating the same foods can make life simpler for sure. It’s one less thing we have to think about. We think we are making our lives easier or more manageable, but health research is telling us that eating the same foods every day is actually working against us being our healthiest selves. We might think, “Hey! These are healthy foods!” but our gut microbiomes need diversity. We all have our food preferences and so do our microbes. A diversity of microbes, or different types of bacteria, has been linked to better immunity, digestion, and mental health.

DIVERSITY is defined as a variety, a range of different things. When we hear this term we often think of its importance in social issues and human rights, but diversity plays a crucial role in our food choices as well. It’s easy to get in a rut of eating the same things everyday, but changing it up will benefit you. Ask yourself, “Do I tend to eat the same foods over and over?” If the answer is yes, one way to increase your diversity is to Eat the Rainbow. If your plate of food is colorful, you’ll be getting a range of phytonutrients. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee describes phytonutrients as “compounds that plants generate to defend themselves – and they can be powerfully protective for us, too. They safeguard our heart health, fight cancer cells, reduce inflammation and reverse brain aging.”

He has created a free chart you can print out and stick on your fridge to help you increase your diversity and eat the rainbow.

Remember to start simply - any baby steps to increase your food diversity is a step in the direction of a healthier you. Pick up a new veggie at the market this week. Try it, you’ll like it!