Many of us are creatures of habit and we tend to buy, cook, and order the same foods over and over. One reason is due to taste preference. Another reason is ease and comfort. I know that when I grocery shop, it’s sometimes hard to think about expanding my options because I’m so used to buying the same types of foods again and again and again. It’s easy to buy what we know we like. However, a little diversity not only brings about more variety of flavors, but it also adds to our nutritional status by increasing our vitamin and mineral intake naturally. Here are some quick tips to get out of that food rut and add a little more diversity in one’s life:
- Tired of the same old snacks every day? Try rotating your snacks on a weekly basis. First pick 4 different snacks. Eat one snack on week one, the next snack on week two, the next snack on week three, etc. This way, you can change things up and not get bored.
- Tired of the same dinner options? Pick just 1 new, simple recipe to prepare each week or every other week to expand your repertoire.
- Tired of the same vegetables or fruits? Think about your colors. By eating a rainbow of fruits or vegetables, you can optimize your nutritional status and really boost up that immune system. Try to eat one fruit or vegetable from each color of the rainbow each week. For example, this week eat tomatoes, oranges, yellow peppers, broccoli, blueberries, and purple grapes.
Remember: to get out of that food rut, we need some variety. Simple changes will add to our taste buds and to our nutritional success.
Sarah Koszyk, MA, RD, is a nutrition coach who cooks with love and loves to eat.
