A couple of weeks ago it suddenly occurred to me that we’ve got it all wrong!  Although the supermarket appears to be filled with all kinds of new and different products, the fact is that most of the variety can be found in the produce department.  The rest of the supermarket (except for the dairy, meat and fish) is composed, for the most part, of soy, wheat, and corn.  Yes, the packaging is different and exciting, but the rest of it’s an illusion.

What kind of variety can be found in the produce department?  It’s endless!  Try the apples, apricots, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocado, bananas, basil, fava beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, bok choy, boysenberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage (green, red, Savoy), cantaloupe, carrots, Cassava melon, cauliflower, chard, cherries, Chinese apples, chives, coconut, corn, endive, eggplant, fennel, figs, garlic, grapefruit, grape tomatoes, grapes, green beans, honeydew, hot peppers, jicama, kale, kiwi, leeks, lemons, limes, lettuce (bibb, green leaf, red leaf, Romaine), Meyer lemons, mushrooms, nasturtium blossoms, onions (white, yellow, Vidalia), oranges, oregano, papayas, parsley (curly and Italian), parsnips, peaches, peas (sweet, Snow), pears (Bosc, Anjou, Bartlett), persimmon, pineapple, plantains, plums, pomegranates, pomelo, potatoes (red, white, Yukon Gold, russet), pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, rhubarb, rosemary, shallots, starfruit, strawberries, summer squash, spaghetti squash, squash blossoms, sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, tangerines, taragon, thyme, tomatillos, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, watermelon, yams, yucca, zucchini.

And that’s just the ones I could think of offhand.  See what I mean?  Eat  the widest possible variety of food that you can find, and eat a few more fruits and vegetables than you already do.

Got a favorite you don’t see here?  Send it in and we’ll add it to the list!