Folk wisdom in Japan says that one should eat 30 different foods types every day. Counting herbs, spices, oils, nuts and seeds, it is estimated that the typical Italian diet contains approximately 60 different food groups. The comparable estimate for the typical Western diet is just 20 food groups. So it may not be the high olive oil content and low level of saturated fats in the Mediterranean diet which confer the well-known benefits: it may be the variety as well. This would explain the French anomaly, where the consumption of butter, cream and cheese is legendary, but where freshness and variety of herbs and vegetables are also paramount.
Dr Carole Hungerford. 2009. Good Health in the 21st Century, pp10,11.
If I was honest, I would have to admit that there are more than a few days when I would be challenged to eat even that paltry 20 food groups.Note to self - do better for my own sake!
How very interesting! I will have to start counting.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think simplicity works better, but one way to get variety is to make a big salad, containing a variety of veggies and nuts and seeds and raw cheese chunks and sesame butter mixed with a dressing. We have one almost every night in the summer. It's a full meal.
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