Nailing Dietary Diversity
When it comes to dietary diversity, there is zero debate that it is a key component of a healthy diet. It is a universally recognised goal, and is associated with increased longevity, improved quality of life, a reduction in the risk of most chronic diseases, improved cognitive function and of course enhanced microbiota diversity, resilience and function (1,2,3,4,5).
By eating a range of whole foods, you gain access to a spectrum of bioactive elements, nutrients and compounds required for optimal human biology (6).
Dietary diversity also reduces the risk of potential harm that can occur when only a limited range of foods is being consumed.
Interestingly, from an evolutionary perspective, being omnivorous was advantageous because the entire landscape became edible, and therefore met our needs/enhanced chances of survival far more effectively than eating exclusively as a carnivore or herbivore (the latter being a huge enzymatic and caloric challenge). In other words, we evolved to thrive in environments that offered diversity in every way and a biodiverse environment is conducive to health and resilience.
But Houston, we have a problem…
According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (UNFAO), 75% of the world’s food comes from just 12 plants and 5 animal species (7). Homogenous diets and poor food access mean that one in three people in the world suffers from micronutrient deficiencies, while nearly 2 billion people are overweight or obese (9).
The below infographic shows some of the declines over the past century. From 288 varieties of beets, to just 17; 497 varieties of lettuce, to just 36… and on it goes.
The scale of agrobiodiversity loss is staggering. Also from the FAO (8);
“Over human history, out of about 30 000 edible plant species, 6 000 – 7 000 species have been cultivated for food. Yet, today we only grow approximately 170 crops on a commercially significant scale. Even more surprising, we depend highly on only about 30 of them to provide us with calories and nutrients that we need every day. More than 40 percent of our daily calories come from three staple crops: rice, wheat and maize!”
Although the statistics are sobering and the challenge is very real, here are some simple adjustments you can make to nail dietary diversity:
Embrace nose to tail eating. As well as the traditional muscle meat cuts of meat, incorporate ‘secondary’ cuts which offer amino acid and nutrient variety. Oxtail, lamb neck, osso bucco, fish wings, fish carcasses (for fish broth), hump, etc. Please note, the name ‘secondary’ does not imply they’re secondary from a nutritional perspective!
Embrace root to tip eating. Carrot tops, beetroot tops, pumpkin skins, beetroot stalks, celery leaves etc. will all offer fibre diversity and nutrient diversity.
Eat seasonally. This aids with dietary diversity due to the seasonal nature of fruits and veggies.
Challenge yourself with different cuisine styles which use different flavours/ ingredients to what might appear on your usual menu.
Support small and large producers who are enhancing biodiversity through their practices.
If you’re a green thumb, buy and plant heirloom varieties of seeds, embrace wild and natives foods, and raise rarer breeds of animals.
Diversify where you shop as much as possible. I understand not everyone has the luxury of doing this, but there are many instances where we can support even the smallest of producers and grocers which will help to diversify our diet and enhance regional resilience.
If you’re still not sure where to start, break it down into groups (oils, nuts, seeds, flours, grains, legumes, fruits, veggies, animal proteins). Choose one group and think about something you can access that you have never tried or haven’t eaten for some time. Black beans? Rye flour? Hemp seeds? Teff? Sago? Or simply a different cut of meat or type of frozen veg?
Finally, set a benchmark.
Click here for a download of my dietary diversity challenge to see where you’re currently sitting. Give it a go, you have nothing to lose!
