Food has always been considered one of life’s greatest pleasures, but if we admit the truth, it’s pretty exhausting work to think about what, how, where and when to eat every day. Whether you love to cook or not, it’s probably not easy to think of new things you want to eat every day – and that’s certainly true if you have kids, a busy schedule or a budget that doesn’t. not allow you to splurge at the restaurant. meals or deliveries every evening.
And that brings us to the obvious solution that many of us unknowingly adopt – simply eat the same thing all the time, without putting too much thought or effort into it. Although such a decision greatly facilitates our task and diverts our minds to worry about more important issues, it can also harm our health.
When you eat the same things every time, chances are you just aren’t getting enough of what you need to maintain your health. So why is this happening and how do you fix it? Here are three main reasons you need to understand.
1. Your “good bacteria”
Year after year, people have a better understanding of how gut bacteria affect health. As you may have heard, many refer to these bacteria as the “second brain” because they function and communicate with each other in a way that closely resembles how the human brain works. Additionally, studies show that the balance of bacteria in the gut can affect many aspects of health and even mental state and cognitive abilities.
When you eat the same foods all the time, it is difficult, if not impossible, to have a positive effect on the variety of good bacteria in the gut. And that’s especially true if your regular foods aren’t exactly the healthiest choice at the supermarket. And according to some experts, this situation can even have a negative effect on the immune system and increase the risk of various diseases.
2. Vitamins and minerals
Every child understands the importance of eating fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods, in order to get enough vitamins and minerals in the body. Official guidelines recommend eating five-color fruits and vegetables, lean meat, leafy greens, grains, legumes, and a long list of other foods that aren’t always on hand in the fridge or kitchen cupboards.
To fill this gap, you may prefer to take supplements that will allow you to continue eating junk food without feeling guilty, but in practice, studies show that taking these supplements is much less effective than eating healthy food. So yeah, when you eat the same thing every time, you might be getting a lot of that particular component that your body needs, whether it’s chicken breast, cheese, avocado, banana, eggs or any simple salad with cucumber, tomato and onion. . But in practice, you also need to think about what you’re not getting from your regular meals and how you can make up for it.
3. General balance
Balance is an important issue, but it is also very individual. For example, some people find it difficult to lose weight, even if they don’t eat much throughout the day. Others won’t feel full after a heavy meal and will want to snack more and more afterwards. An imbalance can also manifest itself in a tendency to get sick more than others, usually weakness, difficulty concentrating, chronic fatigue and a long list of other factors.
When you eat the same thing every time, certainly if it is a poor and unhealthy diet, which does not provide the body with the important components, this can increase the risk of deficiencies, not only in vitamins and minerals, but also in proteins, fibers or even carbohydrates and fats. Each of these ingredients, in too large a proportion, can harm our health, but if we don’t have enough of them, it can harm just as much and sometimes much more.
Ultimately, just as evolutionary studies have shown that people with more diverse genetic backgrounds are at lower risk for various types of disease, so too when it comes to nutrition – diversity, novelty and abundance have broader and more powerful health benefits.
So it’s true, even if we know what is healthy and good for us, it’s not always easy to cook varied and hearty meals every night, when we’ve “done” after another exhausting day at work. , but if one understands the importance, one will plan ahead and think outside the box. It could help prevent illnesses and medical issues that are sure to be distressing, painful, and much more costly later on.