27/07/2025
I gave a short presentation the other night and brought up food diversity as it pertains to supporting the microbiome and ultimately, hormone balancing. Everything is connected and everything matters! 🤗
I love that this post encourages you to aim for 30-50 unique foods weekly! I say don’t get caught in the numbers as much as just trying not to get into a food rut and eat the same exact foods as last week—for example, “We always eat this exact stir fry on Mondays.” Mix it up! Swap out your veggies, join a farm share for produce, and try to eat all the colors of the rainbow (not skittles—produce!!) every day!
Be a DIVERSITARIAN🥗🥦🥕🌶️🍆🍠🍅🫛🫑🧄🥔🥒🥬🧅🥗
I was with colleagues at dinner, and they asked me “how I ate.” They talked about themselves as following a vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based approach, with a few of them eating more fish and meat. I responded by saying, “I’m a diversitarian.” They looked at me quizzically. I said, “Because I travel so much, I want to experience the culture through their foods and their gut microbiome. I want to experience life through the varieties of foods.”
Unless I’m truly allergic or intolerant to something, I try to broaden and diversify my intake. The research on dietary diversity is extensive, indicating that it is associated with better nutritional status, gut microbiome adaptability, cognitive function, visual and auditory sustained attention, and less risk for mental health issues, allergic symptoms, and even fractures and falls.
Over the years, as I’ve worked with people and their food intake, I’ve seen that people get into food ruts. Sometimes, we need to shake things up. Aiming for at least 30-50 unique foods weekly is a general guideline, with the premise that everyone’s gut is different and may need a gradual increase.
Diversity is Nature’s principle. It can help people thrive and be more resilient in body and mind. 🌈✨
