Should you eat the same thing every day?
Who's eating the same thing every day? Raise your hands. Some experts say it's important to change up what you eat. But is this the full truth? We explore.
It's perfectly okay to have go-to healthy snacks but you don't want to stick with the same foods all the time because a well-balanced diet should include enough amounts of the dozens of nutrients your body needs. This is quite impossible to consume all of them without eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and carbs.
Some people find it easier to have the same grocery list week in and week out, that way they won't feel tempted to buy off the cuff (most likely unhealthy) foods. The honest truth is it's difficult to buy, stock and prepare lots of different types of food each day. There's a benefit to having go-to healthy foods you like and can get into the habit of eating.
Some people may experience such problems as indigestion, bloating, headaches, or fogginess from eating the same thing everyday.
One such benefit is it can minimize the number of food decisions made in a day. We tend to overthink food nutrition as it is. Sometimes being able to automate some of the food decisions throughout the day, get in a routine can help you eat healthier and make better choices.
The most important thing you can do is avoid habits that may make you nutrient-deficient not to eat the same thing 3 time a day.
Tips:
1. Have go-to breakfast and lunches: Try rotating 2-3 recipes to rotate their breakfast, lunches and snacks. From there, dinners can be varied since people tend to like more diversity in their dinner.
2. Vary your sides and snacks: Change up the veggies up in your omelets if you eat eggs every morning. Little differences can make a big impact. For weekly snacks, swap the type of fruit you eat or the side you have with your grilled chicken at dinnertime.
3. Make your own condiments: Change up your healthy fat sources and even consider making your own dressing for salads and sandwiches. It's easy and you control the ingredients, not to mention the amount of sugar and salt.