Meal preparation and planning can be a pain, and sometimes you end up making the same foods day-in and day-out.
We spoke to dietitian, nutritionist and spokesperson of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Isabel Maples about the health eating habits of having the same meal everyday.
Maples says eating the same meal everyday is not healthy and below are her reasons why.
- Variety is a cornerstone of good nutrition.
- Enjoying a variety of foods, day to day, season to season, helps ensure that we get the energy, vitamins and minerals we need for better health.
Eating different fruits and vegetables can help you live a healthy lifestyle.
- Choose a variety of foods within each food group. For instance, choose fruits and vegetables in a rainbow of colors, from purple to orange to red. But don’t stop there: include white and brown produce, too, including dried beans, lentils, potatoes and mushrooms.
- Mixing up your choices means a better balance of low calorie and starchy veggies. Different colored produce also supply different vitamins, like vitamin C for wound healing or vitamin A for better night vision.
- In addition, different coloured produce offer a variety of natural compounds, known as phytochemicals—including flavonoids, polyphenols and carotenoids--that help fight disease and help prevent aging.
Seafood can help moderate saturated fat.
- Choosing a variety of foods can also help us balance calories and minimize nutrients we get too much of. For instance, within the protein group, mix and matching choices can help moderate saturated fat, which lead to heart disease (and more). Sure, the protein group includes meat and poultry.
- But it also includes fish, seafood, nuts, seeds, lentils and soy. Mix up your choices for better health.
- Still, variety is not always a good thing. When it comes to tempting foods - ones that offer little nutrition for the calories they provide - more variety may might we eat more, studies show.
- So when it comes to snacks and desserts, fewer choices can help us cut down on calories, sugar and salt. Having a variety of desserts, for example, may make us want to try it all!