5 Tips for Diversifying your Daily Meals

by karen on July 19, 2018

This guest post was written by Erica Foote, BS Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics from the University of Nevada, Reno.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re in a rut of having the same meals day after day, then you’re in good company. It can be extremely difficult, particularly if you’re short on time, money, or energy (or all three!) to decide what to have for breakfast before scrambling out the door, to prepare a satisfying lunch, or to plan your dinners for the week ahead. The following are a few simple tips that may help you to expand your culinary horizons to new, nutritious, satisfying meals:

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1. Search for in-season and on sale goods using the ads from your local grocery store.
See what food items are currently on sale or in season, and then gather some recipes to try out that incorporate those food items. Recipe blogs, cookbooks, and family and friends are all great resources.

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2. Try out a meal delivery service.
Karen wrote a great article about some of the services available, complete with a thorough chart explaining differences between many of the popular options. You can view that article here. Meal delivery services can be a helpful tool to push you out of your comfort zone and guide you step-by-step in creating a new dish. Many meal delivery services also provide fresh, seasonal produce as well as food items that may not be as easily accessible at your everyday grocery store.

3. Get inspiration from restaurants and stores that offer fresh, balanced meals.
For example, I absolutely love the “premade” salads found at stores like Trader Joes, but they unfortunately are quite expensive. Instead, I take a look at their ingredients and am able to recreate them for a more reasonable price. Regarding restaurants, you don’t even necessarily need to dine out to get great meal ideas! Take a look at restaurant menus online to get general inspiration for menu pairings. Then, you can either search for similar recipes, or, if you are already an adept cook, ad lib a meal using your newfound inspiration.

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4. Explore the bulk/bin section at the grocery store.
The next time you go to the grocery store, take a look at the grains and legumes offered in the bulk/bin section. These items tend to be cheaper than their packaged counterparts, and many stores offer a wide variety of eclectic options.
** If you have any nut or gluten allergies, I advise against shopping in the bulk bins due to the possibility of cross-contamination.

5. If you’re short on time, snack plates are a versatile on-the-go option.

Choose an item from each food group, and play around with different combinations. Need some suggestions to get you started? A few ideas to mix-and-match are below. Please note that the categories aren’t mutually exclusive. For example, greek yogurt is a good source of both dairy and protein. The idea is not to be obsessive, but rather to ensure your body is receiving a balance of food groups to fuel your body adequately and provide it a meal that is both mentally and physically satiating.

While there’s nothing inherently “wrong” with having the same meals routinely (as long as you are getting a good balance of food groups), there are a few perks to diversifying your meals. Firstly, switching things up allows you to discover new, nutritious foods. For example: perhaps you have never tried Brussels sprouts, or have bad memories from your childhood of ones that were mushy and poorly prepared. Trying new recipes allows you to discover (or rediscover) different foods that you enjoy. Secondly, enjoying variety within food groups makes it more likely that your body will receive a diverse assortment of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Finally, I find it far easier to be mindful of my hunger when I switch up my meals. When you eat the same things day after day, you tend to eat on “autopilot” instead of really staying in touch with your hunger. Please note that if you are struggling with an eating disorder, you may not be able to rely on your hunger cues (yet)… However, variety may benefit you nevertheless, allowing you to break out of your comfort zone and give your body the nourishment it needs to repair.

No matter who you are or what you struggle with in your eating habits, diversifying your daily meals may be a tangible step towards a healthier diet.

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Karen Fisher, MS, RDN, CDE is a dietitian in Reno, Nevada, happily promoting the benefits of healthy foods at her nutrition consulting firm, Nutrition Connection.

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