Variety is the Spice of Life Annette Maggi, MS RD, Senior Director of Nutrition, NuVal LLC

“Variety is the Spice of Life.”  I know it’s a corny saying, but I just couldn’t resist using it to kick-off this segment of “Expert Insights.”  Here’s why.  At NuVal LLC, we receive many questions about whether individuals should shoot for scores above a certain number – say 75 or 80, for example.  We’ve received suggestions that NuVal scores should range from 1-100 in every category of food.   We’ve also heard concern from health professionals that consumers will assume they should only eat foods in the high end of the range (again, say about a score of 80), and by doing so, would be avoiding food groups that contribute important nutrients to good health (meat and poultry, for example).

Based on these frequently asked questions and frequently heard suggestions, I wanted to provide NuVal’s thoughts on variety and a related term, balance.  First and foremost, NuVal is dedicated to helping consumers make more nutritious food choices no matter the eating occasion.  This is the design of our scores. We score all foods in the grocery store – national, regional and private label brands – and all foods across the nutrition continuum – marshmallows at a 1 and skim milk at a 91.  The benefit for you is that no matter the starting point, you can trade up for health.  You have the information you need to make a food choice with better overall nutrition quality. 

This said, we at NuVal LLC are clear that this powerful tool – nutrition GPS, if you will – does not replace the need for nutrition education or overall dietary guidance.  Yes, spinach scores a perfect 100, but if all you ate was spinach all day, every day, your health would suffer as you wouldn’t be getting all the nutrients that your body needs to function optimally.  The human body needs a variety of nutrients – calcium, fiber, protein, sodium, etc. – that come from the various food groups.  Making choices from these various food groups – VARIETY – and choosing the right amounts to eat from eat group – BALANCE -- are essential for good health.  While NuVal scores help you make the most nutritious choices possible within each of the groups, there are tools available to you that can help you build an overall eating plan.  These include the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.gov. 

Variety, Balance, and NuVal Scores – a powerful combination for building nutrition eating habits and a healthy life.