Is a variety of plant foods important, and what does “a variety” mean?
Yes. Having a variety of different plant foods is an important part of healthy eating. There are different types of plant foods – vegetables and fruits; pulses, like beans or lentils or peas; and cereals and cereal products, like rice, pasta, or bread. Having “a variety” means that over a period of time – say, a week or a month – you would have some of each of them. It also means having a variety of types within each category. So for vegetables, you might aim to have green leafy vegetables like cabbage, or root vegetables like carrots, or soft fleshy vegetables like courgettes (zucchini) or aubergine (eggplant), or salad vegetables like tomatoes. One way to think of this is to try to have lots of different coloured vegetables. It is equally good to have different types of pulses and cereals (preferably wholegrain). Try to take advantage of the different varieties of foods at different times of the year.