The food pyramid, that triangle shaped guide to healthy eating, has been in existence since 1960s. But according to Dr. Eric Braverman, director of the Place for Achieving Total Health (PATH Medical and the PATH Foundation) in New York City, it may be too simplistic.
"The food pyramid gives people only a general idea about the different food groups and what they individually consist of," says Braverman, who is also a clinical assistant professor of Integrative Medicine in the Department of Neurosurgery at Cornell Weill Medical College. "It does not go into any detail about how to combine different foods to get more nutrition without getting too many calories."
Braverman believes that the selection of the foods we eat should be based on what he calls a "rainbow diet."
"Different colored foods have different pigments in them, which have antioxidant value and anti-aging benefits," he says. "The daily diet should also consist of teas and spices, which help with adding flavor to the food, increase nutrient density of the meals and could also have medicinal benefits."
But going beyond a rainbow diet, Braverman also thinks that most Americans are suffering from dysnutrition -- the disease of excess. Braverman says it happens in even the most developed countries when food is plentiful but the overall diet is based on eating the wrong balance of foods.
"The typical American diet that is high in simple carbohydrates -- white flour, white salt, and processed food -- is aging us," says Braverman, author of "Younger (Thinner) You Diet."
"We are getting all the bulk without the nutrients, plus adding to our propensity for developing real food cravings. So whether you are a vegetarian or an omnivore, you can start to reverse aging by simply choosing to eat the right foods to keep you full of vim, vigor and vitality."
The easiest way to make sure you are getting more nutrients into every meal is by choosing foods loaded with spices, Braverman says, because every time you flavor meals with herbs or spices you upgrading your food without adding a single calorie.
