Hello! I am very curious about whether you can make a healthy diet with only a small variation of fruits/vegetables. If so, what would be the ones that you have to eat for the nutrients in order to stay as healthy as possible? This question is assuming you already ate enough calories to supplement this
the huge variety of answers should make it clear. there is no single correct answer.
It is absolutely possible to live on a smaller diet, or humans would not be around. Note that many times when humans do so they are also eating carbs, meat, organs etc. that will supplement those nutrients lacking in fruits/vegetables.
there is not a single plant you can eat to gather all necessary nutrients, to thrive humans are designed to forage and find variety where possible.
Don’t forget that even in a modern enviroment, with supplemented nutrients in foods, most people are lacking in nutrition. This is because food items with nutrients not in supplementation aren’t consumed enough. If you don’t consume actively supplemented foods, issues with lack of nutrition in our modern diets would probably be a much bigger issue than people realize.
So while survival and even a life without significant health issues may be possible… if healthy diet defines as a diet not lacking in nutrition in some way then:
no, it is not possible to do so.
P.S. also consider that even if a single food item contains a nutrient, that doesn’t mean it should be a sole source. Even if you created such meals they could get out of hand fast: 12 cups of beans and 2 whole cabbages plus 6 carrots plus 7 apples for one meal doesn’t seem too viable, for example.
Getting all your colors is essential.
Blue/Purple: Blueberries, Plums, GrapesRed/Orange: Strawberries, Raspberries, Tomatos, Oranges, some ApplesYellow/Green: Bananas, Lemons, Leafy greens, Peppers, Apples
Dark leafy greens are nature’s multi-vitamin! Potassium, magnesium, vitamins A, C, K, B9, calcium, and more. Can’t go wrong with eating them every day. If the taste is a concern, I put a fist full in my daily fruit smoothies and barely if at all taste them. Especially when it’s a very sweet fruit like mangos.
However, eat the rainbow! Every fruit and veggie has something the other doesn’t so the more different kinds you eat the better.
This will vary by person. There is no single correct answer. What works for me may not work for you.
I had a Food Sensitivity Test done by my ND and discovered several foods I was eating did not agree with me. I feel much better now!
The most essential fruits and vegetables are the ones you like to eat and it’s encouraged to eat the colors of the rainbow.
There is no correct answer - variety is the spice of life, and I personally believe the essential ones are a variety, which is almost an oxymoron in itself.