Are You Stuck in a Food Rut?

Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters.  - Nathaniel Emmons

Okay, I admit it.  I've been stuck in a bit of a food rut lately.  While I'm making healthy choices, eating the same old thing day in and day out does not make a balanced diet. 

Why is food variety so important?  Well besides making eating more interesting, varying your food choices within each food group is important for several reasons.  First, foods from the same group contain different nutrients.  For example, while strawberries are high in Vitamin C, cantaloupes are rich in Vitamin A.  You miss out on nutrients if you keep eating the same foods over and over again. 

Secondly, there is no guarantee that a food is entirely free of contaminants that could be harmful in excess.  This is especially evident as everyday it seems we're hearing about food recalls, such as the eggs contaminated with salmonella.  This is was also evident in my previous blog post where I wrote about the Consumer Report's testing that discovered ingesting three servings a day of certain protein powders resulted in getting high levels of toxic heavy metals.

Third, variety is the spice of life.  Sometimes just changing up how you prepare your usual food makes eating nutritious meals more exciting again.

Here are some tips on how to bust a food rut:

1.  Challenge yourself to try a new fruit and vegetable each week.

Always reaching for an apple or banana?  Try some fresh figs or cherries - both of which are now inseason.  Challenge yourself to purchase a fruit that you may have never tried before, such as an Asian pear, papaya, or star fruit.  Tired of the usual broccoli and asparagus?  Stir fry some baby bok choy in sesame oil or buy a bag of shredded broccoli cole slaw and add your own peanut dressing.  Challenge yourself to fill your shopping cart with produce that represents every color in the rainbow. 

2.  Watch a cooking show, buy a cooking magazine or go online and try a new recipe. 

I know when I get stuck in a rut, I love to buy a new cooking magazine to get some new ideas.  Those beautiful pictures inspire me to make a new dish.  I also love watching many cooking shows on TV (and so do my dogs.)

3.   Pick a different protein.

Tired of chicken again?  Try other lean cuts of meat such as pork loin, flank steak, or lean ground turkey.  Try some new games meats such as bison (buffalo), which has become very popular. I've also tried ostrich burgers which are leaner than chicken and pretty tasty.   Eaten so much canned tuna that you feel like you could swim in the sea?  Try canned salmon or crab meat instead.  Are you a vegetarian or vegan or not a fan of animal protein?  Beans and lentils are a good source of protein and high in fiber.  If you eat beans frequently, mix up the kind you buy.  Use black beans in chili, pinto beans in burritos, or garbanzo beans in a Greek salad - the possibilities are endless. 

4.  Spice it up.

Just changing the herbs or spices in a dish can make it taste completely different and also help to lower sodium as you use less salt.  Some of my favorite fresh herbs are thyme, basil, rosemary, and cilantro.  Use dried herbs and spices to make a dry rub for your meat.  We created one for beef that included equal amounts turmeric, ground orange peel, dried oregano, coriander, and a dash of salt and pepper.

5.  Buy some new equipment.

I just purchased a more powerful new blender and already feel inspired to try out some new vegetable smoothie recipes.  Investing in a set of quality knives will make chopping easier and more enjoyable.  Other helpful equipment includes a slow cooker, counter or stove top steamer basket, and food processor.  What can't I live without?  My hand blender.  Instead of having to pour hot soups into the blender to puree them, I just plug in my hand blender and blend away right in the pot I cooked in.  So much easier!

Check back on my blog this week for more easy tips, recipes, and product suggestions to help you bust out of your food rut.