Eating same thing day after day

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daniwilford
daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I eat the same nutrient dense foods day after day. Blue berries, carrots, red leaf lettuce, oranges, bananas, beans, cabbage, fish and others. I love these foods, I feel great and am losing weight. Should I work harder at more variety or just continue to eat my favorites?

Replies

  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    Why change something that works for you? You appear to be making healthy choices and enjoy what you eat so carry on. You would only need to change if you are bored or there is a food that you feel will be beneficial to you in some way.
  • jpaulie
    jpaulie Posts: 917 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Don't fix it if it ain't broke. :)
  • goaliesmate
    goaliesmate Posts: 49 Member
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    Best advice I have ever seen is that to ensure a balance of nutrients 7 different foods should be eaten at every meal or 21 different foods over a day - that includes herbs and spices which are excellant sources of micronutrients. Makes it easier to eat a portion from each of the different colours for fruit and vegetables. If you always eat the same thing sooner or later your body will cry out for the missing nutrients. Or your body will start to suffer from malnutrition and you will show signs of illness.
  • CandiedCarrion
    CandiedCarrion Posts: 94 Member
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    As long as you're getting all your nutrients, and feel good about it, why change what's working for you?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I have the same breakfast, lunch and snacks every single day. Dinner is different most everyday, unless I'm having left overs.
    Are you hitting your macro's consistently? Protein, fat, carbs etc
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    I'm not sure what your overall diet is like, but the foods you listed are high in carbohydrates and severely lacking in protein and dietary fat which are the 2 most important macronutrients. When it comes to the food you're consuming for your diet, the order of importance in my opinion is as follows

    1. Total Calorie Intake
    2. Macronutrient Intake
    3. Micronutrient Intake

    You seem to be focusing on micronutrient intake as being the most important, when in fact it is not. However, as I said I do not know what your overall diet looks like and I could be completely wrong.
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
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    Nothing wrong with eating the same thing over and over... Now, whether those are the "right" things, who knows, lol...
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I eat the same things over and over! Once in awhile if I have more calories to spare I'll add something extra to the dish. If I love it, I figure it's fine.

    One thing I did notice was being low on some micronutrients. Because I was eating the same thing so often, the problem kind of persisted for quite awhile and I felt fatigue along with some other symptoms. I'd say as long as you're getting all the nutrients you need, no problem.
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    AJ_G wrote: »
    I'm not sure what your overall diet is like, but the foods you listed are high in carbohydrates and severely lacking in protein and dietary fat which are the 2 most important macronutrients. When it comes to the food you're consuming for your diet, the order of importance in my opinion is as follows

    1. Total Calorie Intake
    2. Macronutrient Intake
    3. Micronutrient Intake

    You seem to be focusing on micronutrient intake as being the most important, when in fact it is not. However, as I said I do not know what your overall diet looks like and I could be completely wrong.

    My list is not complete, I meet or exceed all my macros except carbs, get 30 grams of fiber. I can see and track those in MFP. I am more concerned if there are things that are not tracked, that might have an impact.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    daniwilford wrote: »
    AJ_G wrote: »
    I'm not sure what your overall diet is like, but the foods you listed are high in carbohydrates and severely lacking in protein and dietary fat which are the 2 most important macronutrients. When it comes to the food you're consuming for your diet, the order of importance in my opinion is as follows

    1. Total Calorie Intake
    2. Macronutrient Intake
    3. Micronutrient Intake

    You seem to be focusing on micronutrient intake as being the most important, when in fact it is not. However, as I said I do not know what your overall diet looks like and I could be completely wrong.

    My list is not complete, I meet or exceed all my macros except carbs, get 30 grams of fiber. I can see and track those in MFP. I am more concerned if there are things that are not tracked, that might have an impact.

    If that's the case, then you're doing a great job, the only thing I would add is that the default protein goal that MFP gives you is notoriously lower than you really need. Try and shoot for 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I try to vary my diet, but some things are so good and healthy that I just eat them all the time, like berries. I eat berries just about every day, lol.

    You should do whatever you want to do, IMO. :) Eat what you like, vary when you want.
  • AnnaFortner2015
    AnnaFortner2015 Posts: 4 Member
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    You can also explore new recipes with the same foods. Like cooking your fish with blueberries or putting them in your salad by portion. Add a little something extra once in a while. I use lemons on top of my fish when I bake it in the oven. I also put a long pan about 1" deep under it with water whenever I coom any meet in my oven. It makes any if at all fat drip right off of it to make it a lot more leaner. There are lots of things you can try in the kitchen and I find it fun and helps burn more calories as I'm cooking.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I tend to think there's some benefit to eating a variety of foods, especially veggies and fruits, as they have different combinations of micronutrients. I don't think it's necessary, though, and if you think about it probably there have been plenty of times in human history where the staple foods were quite limited and people did fine because people really are pretty resilient and adaptable to what's available. So since you are eating an overall healthy diet that meets your macros and other goals, I think that's enough.

    My guess is that as seasons change or after a while you'll find yourself wanting more variety or just switching things up a little anyway. And if you have a routine that you are enjoying, that makes it easier for lots of people. (My love for variety is probably in part just a justification for the fact that variety makes it easier for me.)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I don't necessarily eat the same thing day in and day out, but throughout a given week I pretty much eat the same stuff from week to week
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    Nothing wrong with it as long as you're enjoying your food!

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