A prescription for balanced living

More Plants on your Plate – An Apple a Day

I’ve often noticed people giving thanks before a meal for “the nourishment we are about to receive.” As a lifestyle physician, I like to pause and think about that word—what does it really mean?

Nourishment is defined as “providing the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition.” This is where I believe we often fail ourselves. Over the past 20 to 50 years, the entire concept of food has changed. Much of what many folks consider food today is no longer whole food at all. Instead, it has been altered, stripped down, and broken apart so completely that the original nutrients and fiber are largely gone. In their place are additives and fillers. Food like this does not support health or good condition.

For many readers of this column, the food on your plate once came straight from the garden when you were a child. As food preservation and safety techniques advanced, so did the rise of highly processed, food-like products. These products are designed to stimulate our taste buds and brain chemicals, signaling us to eat more and want more. Over time, they have crowded out the vegetables and fruits that once filled so much of our plates.

It is no surprise, then, that we now see so many people struggling with declining health. The healthiest eating patterns all include large amounts of fruits and vegetables. These foods are foundational, not optional. I will spare you the scientific details, but medical research and cultural studies repeatedly show the same pattern: the more fruits and vegetables people eat, the lower their risk of many chronic diseases—especially high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Locally, many of us eat only one or two servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Yet data show that people who choose five or more servings experience greater health benefits, and personally, I recommend aiming for eight or more.

So perhaps it is time to take another look at your plate. Are you eating off a plate, or straight out of a bag? Take-out and packaged foods rarely include the whole fruits and vegetables our bodies need to thrive. A practical first step is simply to add more colorful plants. How hard would it be to bring a bag of apples to work each week? The old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” still holds true. Add extra vegetables to your sandwich, pasta, or tacos. And always, order a salad.

Every plant contains different phytonutrients, each offering unique health benefits. You might imagine that eating a wide variety works like a superpower, thanks to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These “rainbow” foods support cell repair, healthy growth, and proper gut function. Try to include many different fruits and vegetables each week. If you challenge yourself to eat more than 15 different kinds, you may even discover something new.

While there may seem to be barriers, adding more produce to your meals is often easier than you think. As you fill your plate with colorful plants, they naturally crowd out foods that provide calories but little else. If you want to improve what your body receives from food, choosing unaltered fruits and vegetables may be the simplest first step—the low-hanging fruit on the path toward better health.