You got it down! The perfect meal to get the exact amount of nutrients you need to meet your daily requirements. For example, you meal-prepped for the entire week and have the same menu on repeat. But, is eating this “healthy” meal going to lead to problems down the road eventually? Is mixing up your diet necessary to stay on top of your health? Let’s dive in.
When it Comes to Eating Healthy, Variety is The Spice of Life
When people go on a “clean eating” kick, the first thing they normally do is either meal prep, or build unlimited salads and eat those every day, along with the same breakfast of something like Greek yogurt, overnight oats, etc. Those are all healthy foods, yes, but the reason you should have more variety in your diet is to give your gut bacteria more diversity, this will keep your weight in check.
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Friendly Bacteria Are Asking You to Mix up Your Diet
When you have a limited number of healthy bacteria in the gut, it can cause some issues with your weight and immunities.
Say you eat spinach and eggs every day for breakfast, the good bacteria that thrive on those foods will flourish and continue to grow. That’s great news, right? Well kind of, but what about the good little guys that thrive on strawberries and oats? Those might get overtaken after time and be wiped out altogether. Not good!
Various strains of gut bacteria can affect our health in many ways, that’s why it’s important to eat a wide variety of healthy foods. Can’t you just take a probiotic? Well, you can, but those are not going to help you build up certain friendly bacteria in the gut. Probiotics sold by companies are made in a lab and patented as proprietary strains, they do not give you the variety of good bacteria in abundance that a diet filled with fruits, veggies, fermented foods, cheeses, etc., can.
So branch out a little. Keep your go-to meal, and find a few others that meet your needs. Mix it up, and keep your gut happy.
