6 Healthy Ingredients You Can Add To Pretty Much Any Dish

Once you finally figure out how to cook a meal, you want to show off your skills and make it over, and over, and over again. But eating the same foods every day isn't just boring, it could actually be depriving your body of important nutrients.

"A wide variety of ingredients allows a diet to be more balanced," says Hayley Kurtz, RD, co-founder of Ma Vie Nutrition. "Different types, colors, and textures of food provide a multitude of nutrients." No single food or food group can supply all the nutrients you need, which is why dietitians often tell you to "eat the rainbow."

"Studies have shown eating a well-balanced diet and incorporating foods from all food groups can help promote optimal health and protect against chronic disease," Kurtz says.

Don't worry: You don't have to learn a new recipe or master a new cooking technique. You can add these tasty, nutritious ingredients — hand-picked by dietitians and doctors — to basically any of the meals you're already making. You're also one step closer to have a fancy, refined palette — or at least faking it.