Variety Is the Spice of Life

Many weight-conscious people eat the same foods every day, day after day, week after week. Their typical menu is based on bagels, pasta, chicken, yogurt, and air-popped popcorn. Does eating low-calorie, low-fat foods all the time ensure that you are eating healthy? Probably not.

Eating a variety of foods helps your children consume a wider variety of nutrients. For example, if the only fruit you serve them is apples, they won't get the folate that's found in oranges. If they get all of their protein from turkey, they'll miss out on the iron and zinc that's more abundant in beef. Making sure that your child eats a varied diet can also reduce the chances that she will ingest the excessive amounts of harmful residues that might be more abundant on particular foods, such as strawberries and grapes. Don't take too much solace in the fact that your kid eats energy bars all the time: she might be getting too much of some nutrients and not enough of others.

Studies suggest that people who eat from a wide variety of food groups tend to be healthier and to have a reduced risk of disease, including heart disease and diabetes. At each meal you should plan for your kids to eat from at least three of the five foods groups and challenge them to the Five-Plus Rule of eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. In addition to expanding their repertoire of foods, adding variety to a child's diet reduces the need for supplements.

More on: Healthy Meals for Families

Excerpted from:

From Raising Healthy Eaters: 100 Tips for Parents by Henry Legere, M.D. Copyright © 2004. Used by arrangement with The Perseus Books Group.

To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.