Variety is the spice of life. It’s what keeps things interesting and exciting and makes us look forward to each new day. The same is true when it comes to your diet. Eating the same foods every day can be bland and make mealtimes boring. When you find ways to make your food different and exciting, your meals will become an event to look forward to. Plus, you will get more nutrients and can greatly improve your health.
By eating a balanced diet filled with various foods, you get a wide range of nutrients to keep you healthy. These nutrients help regulate the many functions of your body, keep your immune system boosted and give you all the energy you require to power through your busy day.
Plus, when your meals are exciting and interesting, you will enjoy them more. The flavours will taste better, and eating will become something that not only nourishes your body but nourishes your soul as well.
Here are nine helpful tips on how to add variety to your diet:
1. Try a new food each day
Experimenting with new foods is a great way to add variety to your diet. There are so many different foods available that are tasty and filled with nutrients. Explore your grocery store’s aisles and select items that look interesting and appealing.
Not only will you learn something new about the foods available, but you will also learn new cooking and prepping techniques as well.
2. Use a meal delivery service
Prepared meal delivery services are helpful in so many ways. Not only do they take the hassle out of cooking, but they also use fresh, wholesome ingredients and interesting recipes. A delivery service can introduce you to new foods while providing healthy and nutritious meals.
3. Switch up your sides
If mashed potatoes are your go-to side dish, try switching it up! Instead of the same old thing, try creating a cauliflower mash or a baked sweet potato. You could make a grain dish or use your imagination and do something different with vegetables. Many options are available for side dishes that can help complement your main dish while adding new colours and flavours to your plate.
4. Shop for new ingredients
The grocery stores you shop in can play a significant role in the types of foods you eat. When you shop at the same store every week, you are bound to select the same foods. To add variety to your diet, try switching up where you shop. Scope out different grocery stores, bakeries, and farmer’s markets to get a broader selection of other foods and enhance your meals with new flavours.
5. Add sauces to your diet
Nothing can spruce up a bland dish faster than a sauce. Sauces spread, and condiments can completely transform a meal. They can be both savoury and sweet and can be added to almost any food you can think of. Along with adding flavour, they can add interesting texture to your food.
6. Add color to your diet
Color can tell you a lot about your food. It can show you how ripe fruits and vegetables are and can indicate a food’s level of freshness. Adding a rainbow of colors to your plate ensures that you get a wide variety of different vitamins and minerals, making your meals more appealing.
7. Try new recipes in your diet
One of the best ways to add variety to your diet is to try out new recipes. There are thousands of different recipes, with multiple different variations that you can try to switch up your usual meals and create something new.
Taking a cooking class, searching recipes online, or learning a new cooking technique allows you to broaden your skills in the kitchen. It also makes you more comfortable trying new things and will help you enjoy your food more, knowing that you created it yourself, from scratch.
8. Add spices to your diet
There is no simpler way to change a dish than by adding new and exciting spices. Spices add flavour and depth to any type of food, and many have added nutrients and healing properties. Plus, when you try different spices, you expand your palate and find even more flavours that you like.
9. Try out a new kitchen gadget
There are so many exciting kitchen gadgets available. Instapots, slow cookers, air fryers, and dehydrators have changed how meals are created. They have reduced the amount of time we need to spend slaving over the stove and have given us access to unique and tasty ingredients.
Trying out a new kitchen gadget can help add variety to your diet by allowing you to cook with foods that you may otherwise have shied away from. Plus, it keeps cooking fun and enjoyable!
