A boring diet may help you lose weight

iStockphoto

A boring diet may help you lose weight

Let’s all admit something to each other right now: Healthy eating is hard work. It just is. Maintaining a healthy diet requires planning, forethought and preparation. What exciting new dish will you prepare tonight that will please every family member? Sure, there are plenty of healthy recipes to inspire us, but who can remember those when you’re standing in the produce aisle wracking your brain for an inkling of an idea as to how to prepare okra. So maybe you skip the more exotic veggies and fall back on your old dinner standbys.

Well, here’s some good news for those stuck in a healthy eating rut: Eating the same thing every day may be the secret to maintaining your health and your weight. Toronto Star nutritionist Theresa Albert writes that some health and weight-loss experts are now extolling the virtues of eating the same foods every day. That may seem to go against nutritional advice that a varied diet is the key to eating healthfully, but the idea behind eating monotonously is that we have way too many food options. So much choice causes us to want to eat something other than what we’ve already eaten. This is called sensory-specific satiety, and it means that even if you’re full on a dinner of stir-fry, you’re still going to want to eat ice cream for dessert simply because it’s different.

The solution, writes Albert, is to limit your options. Always eat the same sort of healthy meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but change up one or two elements to keep things interesting. For example, if you eat a healthy salad for lunch every day, switch out the protein to add variety. Just make sure your meals are balanced and contain all the nutrients you need.

While there is some comfort in monotony, a diet like this can get, well, boring. Like, mind-numbingly, watching-paint-dry boring. And when you’re really bored, you run the risk of demolishing an extra-large pizza in one sitting, just for kicks. And that’s why experts warn against restrictive dieting.

Do you find it easier to eat the same thing every day or does switching things up help you maintain your healthy weight?

More on Shine from Yahoo! Canada:
Make flavour-packed soup in minutes
The health benefits of sea vegetables
6 ingredients you don’t need to buy

Diet and Weight loss with Bill & Sheila