No Variation in Diet-Can this be healthy?

[mama1803]

While surfing the web over the weekend, I came across a blog (which I can no longer find) written by a woman who said basically that she has simplified her cooking and grocery shopping by eating the same exact foods week after week after week. She said that she can do a weeks worth of grocery shopping in 20 minutes due to the fact that she buys the same things every time she is at the store, thus eliminating the need to search for sale items or think about what she is going to cook for the week. This method also ensures that her grocery budget doesn't vary by much because she is buying the same things in the same amounts every single week. And because she already knows what she will be eating from day to day she doesn't waste time pondering what to cook or how to cook it or looking through the pantry for something to cook.

A few people posted comments that this sounded boring and not very healthy. She replied back with a comment that said that if she ate only healthy food, then how could this practice be unhealthy?

I didn't post a comment because I couldn't articulate what I wanted to say but this doesn't seem very healthy to me. I guess I believe that we need somewhat of a variety to get all the nutrients our bodies need.

Does anybody else eat this way? Any thoughts?

[Thalia the Muse]

I can't imagine living like that. But I really like food!

there are a couple of things that seem potentially unhealthy there to me -- for one, there's no way you can eat seasonally, with good fresh ripe fruits and vegetables. Either she's buying everything frozen, or stuff shipped out of season, or just not eating much produce. The other is that I think eating a wide variety of foods ensures that you're getting all the nutrients you need -- it's not that there are certain magic "healthy" foods that are automatically good for you, you need a bunch of different things for differnt nutrients and benefits. If you eat a wide variety of basically good things, you don't need to concern yourself with supplementation or accidental deficiencies.

[Ruthla]

I can see this both ways.

On one hand, many people eat very unhealthy things because they don't have time to prepare proper meals. Eating the exact same foods, week in and week out, may end up being more balanced than having take-out a few time a week, fill up on starches at another meal because you can't think of what to make until you're too tired to prepare anything but toast, etc. It also sounds like she has 21 different meals planned for the week, not the same exact food every single day over and over again?

OTOH, it doesn't sound as healthy as eating fresh produce in season and varying your foods with what's on sale, what's harvesting this week, etc.

[treemom2]

I can't imagine living like this, but then again I can't imagine living like those who do biweekly shopping or monthly shopping. . .I just can't understand the concept. I enjoy shopping daily or at least every other day, searching out the best local produce for the day, the best fish/meat for the day, etc. . . Sure, we have some staple foods (bread, dairy, nut butters, grains, condiments) that we buy in advance. . .but to buy and eat things, the same things, week after week with no variation. . .blech!

[mama1803]

Originally Posted by Thalia the Muse

The other is that I think eating a wide variety of foods ensures that you're getting all the nutrients you need -- it's not that there are certain magic "healthy" foods that are automatically good for you, you need a bunch of different things for differnt nutrients and benefits. If you eat a wide variety of basically good things, you don't need to concern yourself with supplementation or accidental deficiencies.

This is exactly what I was trying to say!

[greeny]

I dunno.

Our grocery list from week to week is essentially the same. It does vary depending on the season and availability of fresh fruit/veggies, but other than that it's very similar every time. We buy the basics (for us), like milk, eggs, meat (usually chicken, but lately beef because my iron is low), bread, fruit, veggies, peanut butter.

We usually add some other extras once we're at the store, but our staples are mostly the same.

[noobmom]

Well, there are plenty of poor people and other cultures in the world who eat essentially the same thing every day/week. Not to say their diets are necessarily the epitome of healthy, but they certainly are sufficient for survival. The amount of day to day variety we are accustomed to is a pretty modern construct. My tendency is to say that if she is in fact eating healthy food, then I don't see a problem with it. It would be better to at least vary her fruits and veggies with the season, but honestly, I buy some things year round--like bananas and broccoli.