Are You in a Dietary Rut?
By Sara Butler
Are you uninspired in the kitchen lately? Are you bored of eating the same foods all the time? You may be in a dietary rut! Worse, you could be missing out on some very important nutrients! Many people rely on the same, easy or prepacked foods all the time. Here’s why you may be stuck and how to get out of it to embark on a culinary adventure!
How to Tell
You’re the best judge as to whether or not you’re in a dietary rut. To professionals, the definitions vary too. One nutritionist may view a rut as eating the same thing three days running, while another may look at it as eating the same foods for a month or more. It’s not a subject that’s been widely studied. The truth is that if you’re eating the same thing each day for breakfast or lunch, that’s not necessarily a bad thing for your body. As long as you’re getting the nutrients you need to be healthy. The real problem is psychological because the same thing over and over can just be boring.
Dietary ruts are probably quite common, so rest assured you’re not alone.
How to Break Free
If you think you need to spice up your eating habits, then a little change can go a long way to give you variety. You can easily spice up your meals by:
- Making vegetables a star - Try to have two vegetarian meals per week and experiment with spices along the way
- Ask a friend - Ask someone you know to give you some ideas for new foods to try. This will help you to create a community around your eating habits and might help you learn a few new tricks along the way
- Cook in bulk - When you make something new, make enough to freeze or put in the refrigerator for later. It’ll help you stay on track and not fall back into old eating patterns.
- Go to the farmers market - Check out your local farmer’ market for some new foods you may not have tried before.
Life is busy and that makes it so easy to fall into habits and patterns without realizing it. Change things up from time to time and try new things -- in and out of the kitchen. That will keep you from getting into ruts in every aspect of your life!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Dallas, Tex.