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Page 110
| Variety is the spice of life: it's a tired cliché, but one that takes on new meaning when applied to the foods you eat. Many people associate healthy eating with proscriptive diets, the kind that tell you exactly what you can and cannot eat. The list of ''good" foods is usually so limited that you're bound to raid the "bad" list sooner or later. |
| But not only is this way of eating self-defeating; it's also unhealthy. A truly healthy diet is one that encompasses a wide range of delicious and nutritious foods. Fortunately, nature provides enough of these that you need never get bored. More importantly for your health, eating many different types of foods vastly improves the chances that you'll get all the nutrientsboth known and yet-to-be-discoveredthat your body needs to prevent and fight disease and keep you functioning at your peak. |
| So although the twenty-nine foods described in chapter 3 are true nutritional powerhouses, you shouldn't limit yourself to those or any other twenty-nine items. This chapter is filled with more worthwhile candidates for your list of dietary "staples"; incorporate them into your menus for a lifetime of always delicious, never dull, dining. |
| THE KEYS |
| Don't get in a diet rut: variety means better health. There's a bounty of healing foods that belong on your weekly shopping list. Question your assumptions about foods you thought you should avoidbut which have many benefits. Learn the whys behind what you should eat: here's a rundown of healing nutrients in each food. Try out more healing recipes to expand your culinary and nutritional horizons. |
| Fruit |
| You really can't go wrong eating any type of fruit; they all offer nutritional benefits, along with sweet, delicious flavor that makes it easy to forgo empty-calorie candy and other desserts. But some fruits are more health-packed than others. Following are some top choices for vitamins, minerals, and other healing essentials. |
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