When my daughter was in first grade, she decided that the only food she wanted to include in her diet was macaroni and cheese. Getting her to eat anything else was a constant battle. So, I took her to the grocery store and let her pick out fifteen boxes of macaroni and cheese. I told her she could eat macaroni and cheese for breakfast, lunch and for dinner everyday until all the boxes were gone and then she could decide if she enjoyed her diet. All was well for the first couple days. She ate macaroni and cheese for breakfast, packed a bowl of macaroni and cheese in her lunch box, and ate the same thing for dinner. By the third day, she was sick of it, and begging for something different. On the fourth day, I gave her a choice between macaroni and cheese and a green salad for dinner. She ate the salad with gusto.
That story illustrates one of the biggest problems people face when going on a diet. Unlike most other species, humans require a great deal of variety in their menu. Too often the biggest obstacle to maintaining a diet is boredom. Those rice cakes were fine a couple times, but now they taste like cardboard. Carrots and apples are tasty, but you can only eat so many before your taste buds rebel. And once the rebellion begins, it’s almost impossible to stay motivated for your diet.
The best thing you can do to keep your diet motivation is to mix it up, expand your horizons, and try new things. Apples are wonderful fruits, but don’t forget about the plums, pears, mangos, grapes, melons, etc. Carrots make a nice crunch when you bite them, but so does sliced jicama and a handful of nuts.
Perhaps the most overlooked way to spice up your diet is the spice cabinet. Sprinkle your food lightly with different seasoning and surprise yourself. A little nutmeg on your meat changes the flavor to something completely new. Or add a little dill to your steamed carrots and lemon juice to steamed broccoli.
If you want to stay motivated to continue you diet, then step out of the dieting rut and give your mouth new flavors. Avoid repetitious snacks and meals that offer no variety. Feed yourself bling, not bland.
