Healthy Living
Thursday, December 3, 2009
6 Reasons to eat the same thing every day
user
I admit it. I'm
lazy in the kitchen. The idea of cooking something new every
night for only one or two people seems like too much effort.
Sure, if I'm cooking for a big dinner party I'll be
motivated to cook up a storm, but for just me or me and my husband,
the inspiration level isn't so high. As a result, we tend
to eat the same thing five days a week or so. This may sound
boring, but the more we do this, the more I like it.
Here's why:
- It Makes Shopping Easier and More Cost
Predictable: Eating the same foods every week allows you
to budget properly for groceries
and in the end, makes shopping faster and easier. Every
Sunday when I food shop, it takes about 20 minutes, because at this
point, it has become very systematic. I know what I want and
I don't even need to make a list. I get in and get out
and always spend within $5 - $10 from week to week.
- It Makes Weight Loss or Maintenance a Lot
Easier: Whether you want to maintain weight or lose
weight, eating consistently the same things can make reaching your
goals a lot easier. Finding healthy foods that you enjoy and
entering them into tools like FitDay.com can help
you learn what will give you an optimal breakdown of calories, Fat, Protein,
Carbs, fiber, and vitamins and minerals. This
gives you a successful eating 'formula', which means you
will never have to count calories or nutritional recommended daily
allowances again. You know what works and repeating the
formula most days will help you to reach your goal without a lot of
time and thought.
- Knowing Your Body: Eating the same foods helps
you understand your body and how it reacts to foods. When you
eat new or atypical foods, you will be able to hone in on what
foods make you feel too full, gassy, not full enough,
etc. Further, it will also give you insights into how your
body reacts to chemicals, preservatives and spices. If you
eat healthy most of the time, your body will expect that, and so,
if you throw it a curve ball, it will let you know whether or not
it likes it. For instance, if you don't usually have
caffeine or drinks with a lot of sugar, you may find that when you
do, you get jitters. I know personally, if on a rare occasion
I eat fried foods, my body will feel awful within an
hour and sometimes into the next day.
- It Makes Cooking a Lot Easier: I use whole
foods or ingredients and don't try to get overly
complicated. Breakfast usually consists of a half or a whole
grapefruit, a whey protein shake and a cup of coffee. Lunch
always includes a huge salad and some sort of protein, usually an
egg-white omelet. On
Sunday nights, I tend to whip up a big batch of baked or grilled
chicken (changing up the spices or sauces from week to week), which
I can reheat the rest of the week and pair off with another big
salad for dinner. Lastly, I'll have a couple of
well-balanced snacks (nutrition bars or a
Greek yogurt parfait) in between meals. All of
this is pretty much routine and as a result, it is very easy and
saves time.
- Greater Appreciation for Off-Days: Having a
routine for meals makes dining out or those times you do get
creative in the kitchen all the more meaningful. New dishes
and flavors have much more significance and tend to taste extra
scrumptious.
- Healthy Behavior on Off-Days: If you find the
optimal 'formula' from #1 above, you will have a good
baseline for when you don't eat the same foods. You will
become very accustomed to how much of what kinds of foods you need
and will be able to use that as a guide for the days you
digress.
Trust me, I'm not implying that this is the only way to eat,
but it sure can simplify things and make navigating healthy eating
a lot easier. If you have kids, this way of eating, I
understand, is challenging. But remember, spices, seasonings and
sauces can make a simple food like chicken, seem quite different
from night to night.
Do you eat the same foods often? Have you found any other
benefits to doing so?
Related Topics:
Related: wellness, nutrition, healthy living, healthy diet, health foods, grocery shopping, food shopping, diet
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Posted by Marisch Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:14am PDT
It's very efficient, but not healthy. I learned that the expensive way!
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Posted by Candyf Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:02am PDT
I lost about 40 pounds this way. It is hard to diet, maintain proper nutrients an find food that didn't irritate my stomach. So instead of figuring out everyday what to eat I did it once, and then made small variations. substitute an apple for a pair, or vegetable soup for tomato soup. it doesnt have to be exactly the same.
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Posted by Alicia Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:05am PDT
Yea that's definitely not a healthy choice, like they say too much of a good thing can be bad for you. For example what if your favorite meal is a fish dish, you are trying to tell me that eating this meal everyday is better for you! WRONG! You can not eat fish every day because of the mercury levels in the fish. Honestly it just sounds like another lazy person steering anyone who will listen in the wrong direction. And I mean really, who's boring enough to eat the same thing everyday!
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Posted by Michelle S Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:40am PDT
I use the same menu every week for dinner, except for Saturdays which is a "free day". We love it for all the reasons stated above in the article. And if we get sick or something, we change it. Easier, cost-effective, less time-consuming.
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Posted by Left Coast Willis Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:07am PDT
If your total menu is from a limited list, you run the risk of possibly depleting your body of certain nutrients, such as trace minerals. If a nutrient is not readily available in your "short list diet", how will you know? Developing a disease process or "syndrome" would be a good indictation that maybe something was missing. A varied diet gives you a better chance of avoiding this situation. Additionally, I would be careful taking the same multi vitamin year after year for the same reason. Not only would the vitamin nutrient list be the same, but your body over time would absorb it less as it becomes familiar with and less sensitive to the daily multi. Exercise routines work similarly too, right? Variety and moderation in all things seems to make the most sense.
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Posted by J D Mon Jun 29, 2009 8:22am PDT
This approach has worked for me for a very long time. Numbers 1, 2 and 4 are my main reasons why and number 5 is an added bonus. There is nothing unhealthy about it and it doesnt mean I dont try new things occasionally.
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Posted by j Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:58am PDT
Unbelievable.
This person should not be giving nutritional advice.
Eating only the same things over and over is one of the unhealthiest things you can do.
The key is moderation and variation.
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Posted by catluver42 Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:01am PDT
I can understand eating maybe the same type of foods every day but not the exact same thing. I love variety. I seriously would not care to eat if it were the exact same thing every day. I'll make exceptions if I were poor or living in another country. I've been poor and lived on the same thing every day until receiving some money. My husband eats the exact same foods every day for breakfast and lunch but dinner is always different. I have never read the comment section to an article where the author responds to the opinions before. While interesting, I have to agree that Brett needs to realize that these are only opinions..negative or positive and not necessarily cause to be pushing us to agree with her.
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Posted by Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:57am PDT
I'VE NEVER BEEN THAT LAZY. VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE. I'LL LOOK FOR YOUR NAME IN THE DIVORCE COLUMN. WHAT A PATHETIC IDEA.
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Posted by Samantha Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:49pm PDT
I disagree with this concept...Your body craves variety! You can still be healthy and eat a variety of foods. If you eat the same thing everyday your body stops responding to those foods. You almost become immune to the nutrition. Have you ever eaten a meal and still felt hungry. Your body is craving a nutritent your body isn't receiving.
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