I try to eat a balanced diet everyday (the one with enough carbohydrates, calories, animal source protein, fat, vitamin, fiber, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and water). However, to keep my budget low, I usually buy the cheapest kind of food from the same category (such as chicken breast and egg for animal source protein, milk and peanut butter for fat, orange and banana for fruit, wheat bread and brown rice for whole grains, spinach and celery for vegetables). As the result, I would eat pretty much the same type of food everyday. The seasonings would be slightly different but the basic ingredients would be the same. Some people say that you have to add more variations to your diet even though you eat a balanced diet but I wonder how bad it is to eat the same type of food everyday.
Let's just be honest here and say that we all eat the same food everyday. It is pretty much already known that most people eat the same things in just different ways. You'd be surprised at how many different ways you can cook a certain meal.
I can't see how eating a balanced diet every day can be bad for your health, unless the argument is that you need to "test" your body once in a while so that it builds up natural defenses. Maybe that is how you protect yourself from the slings and arrows of life. But intuitively it sounds like a very sensible approach. Certainly more sensible than a daily diet of fast food and Krispy Kremes!
Eating the "same food" everyday can mean several things. For example, if you buy Lean Cuisine frozen meals for lunch every day, and happen to really love the Turkey Meatballs & Rigatoni one that has marinara sauce, carrots and peppers in it (I'm saying this from personal experience, lol) then I don't see a problem with that since it's a balanced low fat meal with vegetables and protein and vitamins. On the other hand, if that "same thing" happens to be a package of Ramen Noodles, or a bag of Cheetos, then yes, that is probably more of a problem. For many years I often at the "same thing" for breakfast - natural peanut butter and grape jam on whole grain bread and a cup of black coffee. I didn't have any ill side effects from it, in fact I was at one of my healthiest weights during that time. For dinner, I would often have a burger and fries or pizza, unless I felt inspired to make something else. I was on a tight budget since I had just moved out, but I would buy a 5lb bag of frozen fries and a large pack of lean ground beef, then form it into patties when I got home and throw them in the freezer. Then I would pop both the burger and fries in the oven when I got home from work. With the pizza, a local pizza joint sold their pizzas in our grocery store's freezer section, and they were actually low fat - just a dusting of Romano on them instead of a bunch of mozarella cheese. Plus they had bell peppers on them along with the sauce for my "veggies". I'd say for the most part, if it ain't broke don't fix it - but it couldn't hurt to introduce something different into your shopping list from time to time - just don't blow your budget trying to do so.
It can't be bad for your health, but variety is always good. Take breakfast, most people have the same breakfast every day and that works and then a sandwich for lunch. Again no harm done, it 's more about you eating what you enjoy as well as being a healthy diet. I know people that only eat the same food and it's better for them as there is no waste and they know they have no allergies to the food so sticking to what they know works for them.
I think that it is bad for your health if you are eating a limited amount of food groups, and only those food groups day after day. I do think that most of us do eat the same foods every day though, but it isn't so much about the foods themselves, than it is about what you are getting from those foods as far as nourishment, I think. If you are eating the same kinds of foods every day, but you are nourishing your body with the things that it needs in the process, then I don't think that it is bad for your health.
As you can tell from one of the responses here, people really have no clue what healthy even means anymore. Most people don't. Or they think if you add a vegetable to an otherwise unhealthy meal, it's magically become great for you lol. Or go to Subway.. apparently it's the picture of health hahaha. In these cases, eating the same thing every day is detrimental. The typical diet is cutting years off everyone's lives. If, however, you are getting all of your nutrients from actual foods, then there is no harm. You would need a pretty large variety every day though, to get everything you need. Are you sure you're getting everything? Either way, if it's whole foods you're eating, you're already better off.
I would say it all depends on how it makes you feel. Do you feel bored with eating the same things on a daily basis? Does it affect your appetite? People in third world countries, and also in many rural areas of the world, often eat a diet that solely consists of rice or corn flavored with a bit of meat and a few vegetables, and they are doing alright. I currently live in Latin America, and the diet here for most people is very basic. People here a resilient and tough. My partner's grandparents are in their 80's, and they are still working and have no trouble sleeping on a hard mat on the floor. It's all a matter of what you are used to.
As long as you are getting all the right nutrients and not too much fat, then I can't see a problem with eating the same foods daily. We usually do this anyway. Your body will soon tell you if it doesn't like eating like this.
Honestly, to my understanding, any type of foods eaten in excess will be harmful to one's body! Also, you truly are what you eat, as in you are affected physically by what you eat and it may also change your mentality too. I personally like to keep a well balanced diet filled with an assorted amount of meats, vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, fungus, and other humanly edible things. Also, in my opinion, the worst thing a human can do is choose a diet based only on their emotions, because such a diet will never be fulfilling and will stress one out more only.
It sounds like you're eating a wide variety of food in a day so I wouldn't worry too much about getting all the necessary nutrients. If you were only eating a limited type of food over and over again, then you'd run into malnutrition and its associated symptoms.
It's normal to eat the same types of food but doing so on a daily basis is a tad bit unhealthy. I understand why people would recommend variation. Just imagine if you're eating food with around 900 grams of sodium everyday. Unless you regularly detox, you will lose only a fraction of the sodium you've consumed in a week and those remaining in your body will accumulate until they reach a point where it's difficult for you to get rid of them. I would say the same for the meat you eat everyday. Protein may give you energy but too much of it, supposing you consume it everyday, may increase your chances of getting arthritis.
It sounds like you have a nice variety of foods that you eat every day, it seems like you pay attention to all your categories of foods like your vegetables, fruits, proteins and carbs. I say if it's working for you don't change it if you're not able to right now. It really doesn't matter if you eat the same foods every day If you're getting all your nutrients, carbs, proteins and vitamins. I say keep doing what you're doing If you're happy with it. If your circumstances change and you can afford something else, I don't think your body will mind that either.
Eating one food everyday can't be healthy. There are simply things you body won't get. Even vegetarians need to care how they eat because they need to replace meat with other food so your body doesn't weaken. If you don't wanna spend a lot, you don't have too. Noddles are cheap and you can change it up with different sauces and stuff. You can make meatballs, tomato sauce, mustard sauce, carbonara.... there are a lot of options out there. You could eat noodles every day, as long as the noodle itself isn't the only thing on your plate, you should be fine. Same with other products. You can eat meat everyday, but to be healthy, you should include also some vegetables, rise, potatoes, noodles, salads or other stuff so you have some diversity while eating.
If it is not healthy, your body will tell you. The one probable health disadvantage of sticking to same food is that you might not get all the micronutrients you need -- if you only ever eat bellpeppers, for example, you might have good vitamin C, but you'd lack other essential vitamins and minerals that are only present in different foods. For example, chicken is awesome -- it is lean, white meat, easy to cook and versatile, good source of proteins, cannot say something against chicken. However, fish presents you some nutrients that are only found in fish (great source of omega3 and fatty acids, etc). Just take note of whether anything changes with you. Check out the course Food for Thought on Edx.org, it's great at explaining what a good diet is, what to trust from food research, etc.
I think as long as your whole daily meal is balanced and complete enough then it would be safe to eat it everyday without variation. The only reason to vary your meals is for taste and completeness but if you are already able to make it balanced throughout the day then I suspect it would be safe to repeat it over and over everyday.
It depends on the amount and the kind of food that you eat every day. Anything too much is always bad for the healthy. Now however healthy the food that you eat, if you eat it too much every day, then it's like you are drowning yourself as you don't give it enough time to not get metabolised by the body properly. On the other hand, if the food that you are eating is already unhealthy, it's another case, because you are giving your body the something that's detrimental for it to be healthy.
There are some amazing responses here and thanks all who also share your experiences as well. They gave me a little bit more assurance on my lifestyle choice. By the way, not only I eat the same type of of food everyday but I also buy them from the same place as well. I buy all of the ingredients either from Walmart or Safeway. Usually, Walmart has lower price (duh!) but Safeway's fresh products are surprisingly cheap as well. I know their chicken breasts are cheaper than Walmart's (at least in my place). In the end, I usually buy chicken, eggs, oranges, and spinach from Safeway and the rest from Walmart. I have never had a problem with getting bored of what I eat because my seasonings and cooking methods vary from day to day as well. Sometimes I even use Asian and Indian seasonings (and they taste good). Oh, of course once in a while I go out with my friends and eat outside. I have been living with this lifestyle for more than one year and so far, there hasn't been any major problem yet.
Well, I suppose that would depend on what you eat every day. If, by some miracle, you have a set plan for the day that includes all of the food groups, in perfect proportions, plus all necessary vitamins and minerals that you should eat - then surely it would not only be healthy, but actuallyideal for you to eat those foods every day. It would get a little bit boring, though. I think that many people eat similar things but cooked in different ways. I know that I have a lot of rice, pasta and noodles for example, but I will just do them in a slightly different sauce to make them different each day. Most people have made 8 meals that they cook well and enjoy, and just cycle them round to fill their whole diets, changing on the occasion to include a meal out or perhaps a takeaway as a treat, or something like that.
As long as it's balanced and all good for you, eating the same thing every day isn't detrimental for you. Variety is the spice of life though, so changing up your diet a little can be good for your happiness as well as your stomach.
