Although it should really come under ‘dairy,’ there are just so many varieties of cheese with their own unique characteristics to explore.
Cheese is delicious, and it is one of the most versatile foods, featuring in everything from cakes, sandwiches, and cheese platters to pizza, pasta, and burgers.
Key nutrients: Calcium, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin A
Cocoa products
The most notorious cocoa product—chocolate—is among the very most popular foods in the world.
However, there is a surprising number of different cocoa-based foods available.
These foods range from typical milk and dark chocolate to brewed cocoa, cocoa butter, and even cocoa nibs, fragments of the whole cocoa bean.
Perhaps surprising to some people, cocoa is packed full of essential nutrients and contains particularly high amounts of fiber, magnesium, and various minerals.
Condiments are supplementary foods (often sauces or spices) that help to enhance the flavor of foods/meals.
Some of the most common condiments include ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard. That said, the ‘condiments’ classification can include everything from guacamole and red wine vinegar to sweet sauces.
According to recent sales data, mayonnaise is the most popular condiment in the United States, with annual sales worth $2 billion (2).
Lesser-common options: Macadamia nut oil, red palm oil
Key nutrients: Vitamin E
Dairy
Dairy is a wide-ranging food group that features everything from ghee to low-fat milk and protein-rich cheese. Thus, dairy foods can fit into a wide range of diets.
In this regard, dairy can have attributes such as low-fat (skim milk), high-fat (butter), fermented (kefir), and high in protein (whey).
Key nutrients: Choline, riboflavin (B2), selenium, vitamin D
Fermented Foods
Fermentation is the centuries-old, traditional approach to preserving food.
Cultures around the world all have their own fermented foods, such as kimchi (Korea), natto (Japan), sauerkraut (Germany), tempeh (Indonesia). These foods can be desirable in both taste characteristics and nutritional properties.
On the nutritional side, recent research has suggested that fermented food consumption may have some benefits.
For instance, biologically active peptides, which are byproducts of fermentation, may have various positive effects, including potentially lowering blood pressure (9, 10).
Many fermented foods around the world are made from soybeans, and there is a list of these foods here.
Flour is mainly used for baking purposes and thickening sauces. Most flours tend to be created from finely pulverized grains, nuts, seeds, or tubers.
Wheat flour is by far the most popular flour in the world, but over recent years, various options have increased in popularity.
Some of the most notable of these include almond flour and coconut flour. However, even flour made from insects—cricket flour—has increased in popularity recently.
Lesser-common options: Cherimoya, dragon fruit, durian, star fruit
Key nutrients: Potassium, vitamin C
Grains
Most countries tend to have a few staple grains that are a regular part of the average diet.
In much of the Western world, wheat enjoys the most popularity, but oats and rice are also common. In contrast, rice is the staple grain for much of Asia.
Whole grains tend to be associated with health benefits, including lower cancer, cardiovascular, and all-cause mortality (12).
They can also be a rice source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
On the other hand, diets containing excessive amounts of refined grains (such as white bread, flour, white rice) are often associated with negative health effects.
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that replacing refined grains with whole grains improves various health markers, including blood sugar, cholesterol, and markers of inflammation (13).
For anyone confused between refined and whole grains, here is a list of genuine whole grains alongside their nutritional properties.
Notable examples: Oats, rice, rye, wheat
Lesser-common options: Fonio, freekeh, sorghum
Key nutrients: Magnesium, manganese, phosphorus
Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices can add a lot of flavor to home-cooked foods and thus make a healthier way of eating more enjoyable.
The word ‘herb’ tends to be used to describe leaves of a plant (e.g. basil, rosemary, and thyme), whereas spice refers to other parts of the plant, such as turmeric (root) and cumin (seed).
Herbs and spices are also extremely rich in vitamins, minerals, and various bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols. However, since they are used in relatively small amounts, they don’t contribute a large proportion of essential nutrients to the average diet.
Lesser-common options: Grains of paradise, nigella, sumac
Key nutrients: Variable depending on variety, but usually high in manganese and potassium.
Legumes
The word ‘legume’ refers to the edible fruit or seeds of species in the Fabaceae family of plants (14).
Some commonly consumed foods within the legume category include chickpeas, edamame, lentils, peas, and soybeans.
Interestingly, legumes can have varying nutritional properties, with some being high in fat and protein (soybeans) and some being very low in fat and high in carbohydrate (adzuki).
Long-term observational research and controlled human trials both strongly suggest that legumes positively impact human health (15, 16).
Meat refers to the flesh of animals used for food.
The most common options in countries like the United Kingdom and the United States include beef, chicken, lamb, and pork.
However, different options that might be considered unusual in these countries enjoy popularity elsewhere, with kangaroo and rabbit being notable examples.
All varieties of meat offer an excellent source of protein and a variety of essential vitamins and minerals. However, observational research has suggested red meat might slightly increase the risk of certain health conditions.
Key nutrients: B vitamins (especially B12), iron, selenium, zinc
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are unique in that that they are neither animals nor plants. Instead, they have their very own category – fungi (17).
Around the world, people use mushrooms in various dishes due to their taste-enhancing ‘umami’ properties. Furthermore, they offer a distinctive and broad range of common and lesser-common nutrients for very few calories.
Mushrooms with UV exposure (whether from natural sunlight or UV lights) are also a significant source of vitamin D (18).
Not all nuts are botanically true tree nuts. For instance: almonds and pine nuts are technically seeds, and peanuts are legumes.
However, the foods that we refer to as ‘nuts’ tend to be a rich source of nutrients and phytonutrients. In addition, most nuts are also a significant source of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the existing evidence demonstrate that nut consumption is strongly associated with reduced all-cause mortality (especially cardiovascular mortality) consistently across multiple long-term observational trials (19, 20, 21).
Lesser-common options: Baru nuts, hickory nuts, pili nuts
Key nutrients: Copper, magnesium, manganese, vitamin E
Oily Fish
While oily fish belong to the broader ‘seafood’ food group, their intake is recommended by numerous health authorities for their omega-3 content.
These authorities include the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the American Heart Association, and the UK’s National Health Service (22, 23, 24).
In addition to its omega-3 content, oily fish tends to be an excellent source of other important nutrients, including protein, vitamin B12, and selenium.
Plant-based proteins are not a unique category, and they merge with other types of food, such as legumes and nuts.
However, there has been a rapid increase in plant-based protein products on store shelves in recent years, so it is important to categorize them accurately.
Some of the most famous of these products include branded items like ‘Beyond Meat’ and ‘Quorn,’ both of which market several products as ‘meat alternatives.’
While ‘processed foods’ sometimes get a bad rap, the truth is that most foods have been processed somehow.
Cheese is processed, pure tomato paste is processed, and foods like guacamole and peanut butter are processed too.
In this regard, it is worth pointing out that minimally processed foods don’t have the same association with poor health outcomes as ultra-processed foods do.
Key nutrients: Variable depending on the original food source
Seafood
This umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses shows that fish consumption is consistently associated with improved health outcomes across a wide range of studies (25).
However, it is not only fish that provides beneficial nutrients: a range of seafood (including shellfish and sea vegetables) does.
Shellfish like crab, lobster, mussels, and oysters provide a broad range of vitamins and minerals alongside protein for very few calories.
Additionally, sea vegetables like the different varieties of seaweed are a rich source of minerals, particularly iodine.
Key nutrients: Copper, magnesium, manganese, selenium, vitamin E
Ultra-processed Foods
As previously mentioned, there is a difference between ‘processed’ and ‘ultra-processed’ foods. Whereas the former can be as simple as cheese, guacamole, or tomato paste, ultra-processed food contains a wide variety of refined ingredients.
According to the NOVA food classification system, ultra-processed foods are “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, typically created by series of industrial techniques and processes (hence ‘ultra-processed’)” (26).
These food products are typically made by multi-national food corporations and include packaged foods like potato chips, candy, donuts, etc.
Recent research by Kevin Hall and his team has demonstrated that ultra-processed food consumption may cause weight gain (27).
In this randomized controlled trial, two groups of participants consumed either an unprocessed or ultra-processed diet, with calorie-matched meals that participants were told to consume “as much or as little as desired.” Interestingly, the group consuming the ultra-processed food menu consumed approximately 500 calories more per day, which led to weight gain.
Thus, it would seem a good idea to base a healthy diet around whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible.
Notable examples: Cheetos, Mars confectionary, donuts
Key nutrients: Variable, but generally not a healthy source of nutrients.
There are hundreds of different vegetable varieties to explore, so there should be something for everyone regarding taste preference.
The most common vegetables include foods like broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, and potatoes.
Nutritionally, the vitamin and mineral content of vegetables varies somewhat depending on the specific variety. However, most vegetables offer a good source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium for few calories.
Michael works as a nutritionist in a community setting and holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition. He is a Registered Associate Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition.
