People often ask, “If you were to eat just a few foods, which would be the very best ones to eat?”…but I believe that is what my grandfather used to refer to as a “sucker’s question.” It tries to narrow the response to a small number of options–too small to provide an accurate picture to the broader issue at hand, which is eating to promote health.
In fact, no matter how heroic a particular food is, the truth is that a full variety of vittles seems to be much better than any single option. (Digressing for a moment, this assumes we are all on the same page already as far as “vittles” = real foods, in the most whole forms available).
Ok, makes sense. Only a variety of foods can provide the full range of nourishment our bodies need. Although we know this, still we succumb to the loud lauding of one wondrous nutrient when it hits mainstream media, and then seek foods with a ton of THAT nutrient. But thinking bigger is the better answer.
Case in point: While the article from MSNBC at the link below reminds us that some foods are super-providers of antioxidants, the main point is that we take in antioxidants from many food sources, so don’t sacrifice the good nutrition that a variety of foods provides in search of an overabundance of one great nutrient. Take a look: “Beyond Blueberries: 8 Unexpected Antioxidants”