Is it possible to eat the same thing every day.
But is it really OK to eat the same foods every day?The benefits of eating the same thing every day
After making dozens of decisions throughout the day — what clothes you're going to wear, what workout you're going to sweat on, what task you're going to do first at work —the idea of choosing what to cook for dinner can be uncomfortable. When the meal is already planned, it means that you need to make one less choice. Automation can be very useful to relieve stress, get rid of guesswork, and not feel overwhelmed by so many decisions during the day.
For some people, the daily consumption of the same products is not a choice, but a necessity. For example, people who don't have enough access to food may have to make do with the limited amount of ingredients available to them in a small neighborhood store. The same goes for people who don't have access to resources (think kitchen equipment) or the time needed to prepare new dishes every day.
The Pitfalls of eating the same thing every day
However, there are several potential drawbacks to eating the same foods daily. Firstly, following a pre-determined meal plan every day may not satisfy you emotionally.
This lack of emotional satisfaction is also likely if you follow a pre-established meal plan that was not created specifically for you and, in turn, does not take into account your cultural needs and dietary preferences. If the food does not meet the needs, then you will have a deficit mindset and you will feel that you are in this deprived state. Then when you have to eat something new, you will start to be afraid: "Oh no, I broke the plan!". Therefore, the flexibility of nutrition is very important.
Equally important, eating the same foods day after day can limit the effects of different nutrients. If you eat the same thing over and over again, you get the same nutrients over and over again. Let's say you drink a smoothie with mango slices, spinach leaves, almond milk, protein powder and Greek yogurt. Every morning. The drink will provide you with several useful nutrients, but without regular changes in ingredients, you will not be able to get the full range of trace elements — even if you take multivitamins. There are not only vitamins and minerals in food — they contain other phytonutrients, antioxidants, chemical compounds, many of which have not even been identified yet, and all of them will play a role in providing us with everything we need for optimal functioning.
You probably won't develop a nutritional deficiency if you drink the same smoothie or eat the same bowl for lunch most of the day. Of course, if many years have passed, and if you eat the same foods and don't change — even if it's six months or a year — you may encounter some disadvantages. For example, you can change your favorite sandwich to include seasonal ingredients, for example, replacing Roman salad with cabbage or tomatoes with beetroot, which will help diversify your nutrients. If you do eat the same foods every day for more than six months, you can talk to a qualified nutritionist to make sure you are meeting your nutritional needs.
How to diversify food if you eat the same thing
If eating a limited amount of food causes you emotional dissatisfaction or you are worried that you are not achieving all your nutrition goals, know that you do not need to say goodbye to cooking.
To be sure that you can diversify your diet when you want it mentally and physically, stock up in the kitchen with the ingredients necessary to prepare five to ten of your favorite dishes. Having these essentials always at hand, you will be able to prepare a nutritionally balanced dish that will satisfy your craving for it without much thought. Then, once or twice a month, try a completely new but simple recipe with a few unfamiliar ingredients. If it hits the spot, make it one of your main meals and add it to the rotation.
You can also diversify your nutrient intake without giving up your cooking routine by changing some of the ingredients you normally use. If you always add broccoli to a roast, try replacing it with other seasonal vegetables available in the store. At the grocery store, challenge yourself to bring a different type of food to add to cheese or Greek yogurt as a snack, so if you always do it with blueberries, alternate them every week. If you are constantly cooking with spiral zucchini, try pumpkin spaghetti for a week, chickpea pasta. Keep alternating all the alternatives on the supermarket shelf. All of them will give you nutrients, and their preparation will not take much time.
