Are You Falling into a Food Rut?

Well, maybe ‘rut’ is the wrong word - maybe ‘groove’ is better. ‘To be in a rut' implies boredom from being stuck in the same old routine, whereas ‘to get into a groove’ signifies an easier, positive spin on a fixed routine. Semantics aside, sometimes it makes all the difference in how you personally see a particular situation. Your choice: food rut or food groove…or something else entirely!

What exactly am I talking about? It’s not like I don’t thoroughly enjoy the food that I eat, but it’s more about doing the same thing over and over again to a point where maybe it isn’t so enjoyable anymore. When life gets busy, meal planning becomes a bit more of a challenge - not only fitting it in to my schedule, but also thinking creatively. Many of us, when we’re short of time and inspiration, tend to grab the same recipe book and use the same ingredients we keep in our cupboards, and rotate through them. Sometimes when I head to the grocery store, I feel that the experience of buying food becomes less and less exciting - you look down at your cart and always see the same items as the previous week. The grocery list never changes. I always buy the staples: egg whites; Ezekiel bread; Greek yogurt, cottage cheese; some sort of carb such as quinoa, brown rice or sweet potatoes; and a protein like ground turkey, chicken or salmon.

Don’t get me wrong - routine can be great. We are creatures of habit and we aren’t naturally inclined to want to stray too far from what is comfortable and familiar to us. Trying out a new recipe can be daunting. We end up throwing in the towel and saying, “This healthy eating thing is pretty boring” rather than bothering to build in the time in our lives to try one new thing. When we find ourselves with the mindset that ‘routine is boring’, it might be time to bring a bit of adventure into the kitchen. As a trainer and nutrition consultant, I find it rather funny when clients say to me “I am so tired of eating the same thing all the time!” Yet somehow, they never get bored of eating the same unhealthy snack foods that are not in line with their health and nutrition goals. However, I think this just speaks to the lack of time we set aside to meal plan as well as our mindset around our overall health and fitness goals.

One thing is for certain: us humans love convenience. But when it comes to our health, convenience isn’t always the way to go, as we tend to pick up ready-made and fast foods, which are usually high in fats, sugar and sodium, and it limited in the vitamins and minerals we need. Likewise with eating the same healthy foods over and over again. In turn, we run the risk of developing hypersensitivity to these foods.

This very scenario happened to me around the time of my first photo shoot when sweet potatoes were my go-to carb. I thoroughly enjoyed them, as I really didn’t grow up eating sweet potatoes and I discovered so many different ways of cooking with them. But by the time the photo shoot was over, my body did not want to see another sweet potato. Oh, and the bloating! This forced me to look at other carb options, since sweet potatoes just weren’t working for me anymore (well, for a good 6 months, anyways). That’s when I discovered a whole new world of all kinds of alternatives: oats, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, lentils, beans, and amaranth and root vegetables, etc.

I didn’t always eat a low gluten diet – over time I found that I do better in terms of energy and ease of digestion when I eat a low-gluten diet. Although there are more gluten-free options now in grocery stores and restaurants than even a few years ago, there are also so many great recipes out there, which really forced me to look at other options for cooking rather than what conveniently comes in a box or a can. I encourage others to try other carb options to give yourself the opportunity to experiment and change up your normal go-to carbs, and see how your body feels when receiving nutrients from other foods that you typically don’t include in your diet.

So, how do I get out of the food rut and incorporate more variety into my diet?

• I typically eat the same thing throughout the week, due to my hectic schedule. However, I rotate my food schedule each week. I choose foods that are easily interchangeable.Take chicken for example: BBQ chicken can be added to a pizza, put in a wrap or thrown into a salad.On the weekends when my schedule is more flexible, I try out new recipes or experiment with ingredients.

• I subscribe to all kinds of food blogs and follow Guru’s on Facebook for recipe ideas and tips. I love Against All Grains to name one. I save the ones I like so that I can try them out later. I aim to try at least one new recipe or cooking tip each week.

• I stick to foods that I like (and want to eat) and make tweaks from there.No one likes feeling like they are missing out on their favourite foods or that they’re on a strict diet.I always find it is better to ask yourself “What do I to have?” vs “What I have?” and go from there.

• I surround myself with people who like trying new things too, and we share recipes and ideas we’ve had success with.

• Meal planning and preparation is non-negotiable for me; it is like an appointment I’m not allowed to miss.I set time aside on the weekend to not only plan my meals, but to prepare the bulk of them as well. This might include pancakes for the morning, high protein muffins, chili’s or lasagnas to name a few and of course chopping up all my vegetables.

• I take time to choose ‘treats’ that I thoroughly enjoy, but I select healthier alternatives. For example, I would much prefer to savour some delectable dark chocolate with peanut butter or a rich caramel instead of devouring a Kit Kat bar.

Eating and food is social and meant to be enjoyable. The word “diet” gets a bad rap because it is perceived as boring and just a bunch of tasteless food. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you feel it is then maybe you’re in a food rut?! ;)