Seeking Health

As a nutritionist, people often ask me what I eat. And usually the answer surprises them and embarasses me. You see, the truth is, my diet is pretty simple, predictable, repetitive and, well, boring. And that, surprisingly enough is one of the keys to my success in maintaining a trim figure.

It's really difficult to follow a diet and get results from it is when we are trying to eat different meals all the time with new and novel ingredients and recipes. People that tend to get the best results with their diet have a pretty consistent program in place. That means that what they’re doing every day is predicable. It’s incorporated into their routines. Those who wake up and ask themselves “what am I going to eat today?” have less chance of becoming successful.

I think it makes sense to make some of your meals predicable, and what others might call ‘boring.”

That means eating some of the same meals over and over and over again.

It may only appear boring to other people, but it has to be enjoyable for you. The meals that you’re going to eat over and over again should be tasty. They should be the sort of meals you never get tired of eating.

What are some of the benefits of eating the same meals over and over again?

1. It’s easier. It’s easy to stock up on the ingredients, always buy the same things, make the same recipe, and prepare it in advance. It’s just easier to know that what you’re going to be eating is, to some degree, predicable.
2. You can get health benefits. Why? Because if you carefully design those meals to be consistent, you can eat roughly the same number of calories, include certain foods that are very beneficial for health (like blueberries and flax seeds) that you would normally eat only occasionally.
3. You eat less. Variety leads to over-eating. When we have more options, we eat more. When we’re in front of a buffet we eat more then when we have only one option. When something is new, it’s exciting. A dog will prefer a new kind of dog food than the old one simply because it’s different, and will eat more of it as a result.
4. It’s less expensive. When you’re eating the same foods, you can make sure that you’re including foods that are less expensive and therefore you have less waste. You can include ingredients that are cheap and it’s just easier planning that way.
5. It becomes a habit. When you always eat the same things, it’s just part of your life.

So, how do we keep the consistent diet enjoyable? There are certain meals of the day that can be repeated over and over again.

The most obvious one is breakfast. Breakfast should be simple. It should be the same thing pretty much all the time. Why? We don’t expect breakfast to be exciting. We just want to eat some food to get our day started. Lunch could also be a fairly predictable affair.

Dinner is where we seek some variety. If we eat the same dinner meals over and over again, we’re going to get bored. Only a very few people can do it. However, you can still rotate some of the same dinners that you prefer and let’s say once or twice a week introduce something new; that way you’re eating something different every day. If you want to make it even simpler, use that system and make your lunch simply leftovers from dinner.

What are some good examples of meals that I personally like, and are simple, nutritious and made easily?

Breakfast

I essentially eat the same breakfast almost every day and have done for the last 6 or 7 years. I also have one alternate breakfast I use when I'm camping or away from home without my blender. Essentially two or breakfast meals are:

The Green Smoothie:My lovely man, Michael, makes my smoothie for me every morning. Essentially, he rotates about five different greens, adds bananas oranges, pineapple and kiwifruit, plus any other fruit we have, adds some green superfoods, and voila - breakfast every day of the week.

The Oatmeal Breakfast: I eat this on mornings when I'm camping or away from home. I like the oatmeal breakfast because it keeps my energy sustained for a long time and it’s also very cheap and easy to prepare. I mix in some date paste for sweetness, frozen berries (that way they thaw in the oatmeal), and I top it off with flax meal and cinnamon. Simple, delicious and very sustaining. When I do have oats for breakfast, I always also eat some steamed greens of some sort. I really try to incorporate greens into every meal.

To see how I eat for a whole day, watch "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA3XPxvyJ48" target="_blank">What I Eat Wednesday".

If you would like some help with your diet, consider getting a Nutritional Audit.

And, if you need help losing weight, contact me to make a time for a free Forever Slim Strategy Session and check out the Eat More to Weigh Less program.