While most of us have heard about different celebrities following a strict diet, not many know what effects eating the same foodstuffs every day can have on our bodies.

Many believe that consuming a wide variety of foods helps the body gain the various required nutrients. However, studies have a different answer. So, what’s the truth? Well, let’s find out.

Repeating the Same Meals Can Be Beneficial to the Body

According to the guidelines of Sedlacek Treatment Center in Iowa, having the same meal every day can make caloric counting much easier and reduce the mental load of planning. It can also help since keeping track of the daily intake becomes easier.

In addition to this, the guidelines also said, “A meal repeat can be a safety net when you’re too busy to get creative with healthy foods.”

Marcia C. de Oliveira Otto, Ph.D, also agrees with Sedlacek Treatment Center's guidelines. She said, “Selecting a range of healthy foods, which fits one's budget or taste, and sticking with them, is potentially better at helping people maintain a healthy weight than choosing a greater range of foods."

On the contrary, what comes with eating different foodstuffs daily is decision fatigue. It happens when you have a wider variety of choices.

According to the research by Hollie A. Raynor and Leonard H. Epstein of Buffalo University, a greater dietary variety is often associated with fat and increased body weight. The Sedlacek Treatment Center guidelines support repeating the same meals in such cases, as they can help lose the excess weight.

One of them states, "If you tend to eat more when you have more choices, then meal repeating might work in your favor.

So, it seems like having the same food daily has its own benefits, but not without any drawbacks.

The Downside of Repeating Same Meals Daily

The Sedlacek Treatment Center guidelines may have highlighted a few benefits of repeating the same meals every day.

However, they also say, “Studies have shown that your gut requires many different foods to achieve a healthy balance. The good bacteria in your gut rely on a variety of foods to grow and stay strong,” which is certainly a downside of this practice.

A major concern is the gut microbiome. Studies suggest that beneficial bacteria thrive on diverse foods, meaning limited variety may weaken digestive and immune function.

"A variety of foods will keep your microbiome fine-tuned so it can work for you," says Marissa Lippert, a New York-based chef, nutritionist, and founder of AM//PM. "Keeping it varied will give you more energy, plus help with detoxification and digestion."

On top of that, having the same meal every day takes the charm out of life. It becomes monotonous and boring, so variety matters a lot.

So, which one do you prefer, repeating the same meals daily, or going for different foods?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Souvik Roy