Do you tend to regularly shop in the same aisles of the grocery store?
Do you typically buy and eat the same foods on a weekly basis?
Do you eat the same fruits, the same brands of yogurt, the same type of bread and the same source of protein pretty much…every week?
Eating is habitual. It’s so easy to fall into a routine and feel weary about straying from familiar foods. I get it. As humans, we like what we like! But in the discussion around health and wellness, switching it up can be one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to optimize your nutritional health.
Let’s first look at some common reasons why variety might be lacking in your diet*:
Trying new and unfamiliar foods might feel like more trouble than its worth.
You might suffer from disordered eating and find that sticking with “safe” diet-y foods helps keep you “on track” and offers you a sense of control over your body and food intake.
You grocery shop based on calorie and macronutrient** content in food, rather than the overall nutritional quality of food. When focused on dieting and weight loss, your mind isn’t usually on food variety.
Food insecurity and financial constraints are a barrier for you.***
You simply, don’t know that it matters.
Switching it up is good for whole health and self- care, for both your body and mind! Our bodies prefer variety over sameness. We need all foods, not only for proper nourishment, but for pleasure and flexibility. That doesn’t mean that you are unhealthy if you can’t eat a certain food or food group for a medical reason, but it is a mistake to think that good nutrition is only about calories, macros and weight/physical appearance. (not by any fault of your own, diet culture is to blame for misguiding the public on these things).
Switching it up does not mean overhauling your shopping list, drastically changing how you prepare your food, or purchasing overpriced health foods. It can be as simple and effortless as doing the following things:
Switch Up: Color, Size, Variety
Literally: grab a different color, a different size or a different variety of the same fruit or vegetable you always buy. Let me give you some examples.
Do you always buy plum tomatoes?
Okay, grab heirloom this time.Do you always buy romaine lettuce?
Okay, grab red leaf lettuce, spinach or kaleDo you always buy baby carrots?
Okay, grab whole carrots.
Want to go a step further? Go for the colorful bunch that includes purple, white and orange carrots.Do you always buy white potatoes?
Okay, grab purple potatoes, russets, or yams.Do you always buy granny smith apples?
Okay, grab jazz, honey crisp or pink lady.
Want to go a step further? Purchase the apples that have the deepest color.Do you always buy black beans?
Okay, grab red or white kidney beans, lentils or chickpeas this time.Do you always buy brown rice?
Okay, why don’t you try kamut, quinoa or farro?
There is truth the sentiment “eat the rainbow”! Switching up the color, size and variety of the foods you buy will give your body all of the nutrients it needs, without necessarily needing a daily multivitamin. This is because, not all foods – even from the same variety – are created nutritionally equal.
For instance:
Red cabbage has 6 times more antioxidants than Savoy cabbage
Smaller, redder tomatoes have more lycopene than large, pale beefsteak tomatoes
Purple carrots have more antioxidants than orange carrots
White cauliflower has more cancer fighting properties than red or green varieties, but the red and green varieties have more antioxidants.
Wild blueberries (usually found frozen) pack a greater antioxidant punch than regular blueberries
Interesting, huh? I mean, how cool is food?!
Switch Up: Cooking Method
Some nutrients in foods are heat sensitive (destroyed by heat) and some are heat stable (not destroyed by heat). You don’t have to worry about knowing all of the food science ‘deets’ here - that’ll just drive you nuts. Just try to include both cooked foods and raw foods into your diet. This also will come down to preference, some people enjoy food better cooked, some people enjoy food better raw. In this case – always choose what satisfies you. There’s no right or wrong!
Switch Up: Type/Brand
Simply choosing a different brand or type of the staple items in your kitchen is another effortless way to treat your body to more variety. Different types of grains, breads, proteins and dairy can not only offer nutritional variance, but keep your taste buds happy with new textures and flavors you might have been missing out on.
Let me give you some examples:
Do you always buy quinoa?
Okay, why don’t you try kamut, farro, or brown rice? (don’t be intimidated – they all cook the same!)Do you always buy rolled oats?
Okay, why don’t you try oat bran, steel cut or instant?Do you always buy whole grain bread?
Okay, why don’t you try English muffins, wraps, mini bagels, sourdough or ciabatta?Do you always eat grilled chicken?
Okay, why don’t you try fish, shellfish, plant based proteins from beans/legumes or a sirloin steak every once in a while?Do you always buy almond milk?
Okay, why don’t you try regular milk, soy milk or coconut milk (unless you have food allergies/intolerance)
Switch Up: Temperature
Frozen fruits and vegetables have just as much (and sometimes more) nutrition than fresh. Also, the convenience and shelf life of having frozen foods available can save you a lot of time and stress when you need it most.
Incorporate frozen foods into:
Smoothies
Oatmeal
Homemade jam (this is way easier than you think!)
Bake in muffins
Casseroles
…Or, simply use for a rainy day when you’re too lazy to cook.
As you can see, there is so much health benefit to making simple tweaks to how you choose and prepare food – none of which focus on limiting your calorie intake, but rather improving your nutritional well-being.
So let me ask you: when was the last time you switched it up?
What might you switch up first?
Footnotes
