Get Out of That Eating Rut! Choices Are Limitless

If you feel like you’re always eating the same old thing, you probably are. When it comes to food, we tend to be creatures of habit.

“Many people resort to lowest common denominator eating,” says Lisa Licavoli, a registered dietitian and owner of Newport Beach-based Concepts in Nutrition. “We rely on the same foods over and over again. Most Americans have a selection of just 10 recipes that they use on a regular basis.”

Some common foods you may recognize on your grocery list or in the products you buy include potatoes, wheat, corn, dairy products, eggs, beef and chicken. “These foods are a small fraction of the 20,000 items found in the average grocery store,” says Licavoli. “If you aren’t trying new foods, then you’re missing out on a lot.”

The first commandment of nutrition is to eat a wide variety of foods.

“This is important because there are phenomenal healing properties in food, some of which we haven’t yet identified,” says Licavoli. Eating many different types of food ensures adequate nutrient intake. It also protects you from developing sensitivities to foods and eating too much of any one food that has been tainted.”

There are a couple of reasons why we are preoccupied with the same recipes, including a need for the familiar during a time of rapid change. “Many people today comfort themselves by doing regressive eating and having familiar foods from childhood, such as meat loaf,” says Licavoli.

Another reason for our eating the same foods has to do with America’s agricultural history, she says.

During the 1960s, the United States improved agricultural technology, which led to several high-yielding crops, including corn, wheat and rice, says Licavoli.

“These crops were and still are planted on large sites and harvested in mass quantities. This may have made America the bread basket of the world--but a very limited one.”

Here are some ideas to broaden the gastronomic horizons:

* Eat more fruits and vegetables.

The best way to immediately add healthy variety to our diets is to eat more fruits and vegetables, says Susan Kishiyama, a registered dietitian who teaches nutrition at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

“At the beginning of the semester, I have my students record what they eat,” she says. “Most of them consume a lot of fatty foods like red meat, fried chicken and french fries, and very few eat an adequate amount of fruit and vegetables.”

Kishiyama’s findings aren’t unusual. A 1991 survey conducted by the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the National Cancer Institute found that more than 40% of Americans eat two or fewer fruits and vegetables daily. Health research groups and nutritionists recommend eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Because of the state’s year-round growing season, Californians have access to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that other parts of the country rarely see--such as mangoes, papayas and kiwi.

For the best buy and taste, take advantage of seasonal fruits. Right now, those include tangerines, grapefruit, pineapples and strawberries. In a month or two, there will be an abundance of fresh plums, apricots, peaches and cherries.

To fill daily vegetable requirements, Kishiyama suggests making a salad with dark green leafy vegetables and adding at least two other vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, squash, peppers, jicama, turnips, cucumber and celery.

* Expand grain horizons.

Although the United States produces a lot of wheat-based products, there are actually many ancient grains available today that are nutritionally superior to wheat, says Licavoli.

Those include spelt, which is higher in protein and iron than common wheat and tolerated well by wheat-sensitive individuals; kamut, which is also higher than wheat in protein, magnesium, potassium and zinc; quinoa, which has the highest protein content of the vegetable kingdom; teff, which is high in iron and calcium; and amaranth, which is higher in iron and protein than wheat and supplies all the essential amino acids.

Although these grains aren’t grown as abundantly as wheat in the United States, some can be found in flour form and you’ll find all of them in a variety of products. When shopping, check ingredient lists for these grains in cookies, animal crackers, hot and cold cereals, breads and pastas.

When baking, instead of just using white or wheat flour, try other types such as soy flour, oat flour or rice flour--all of which can be found at health food stores and gourmet shops.

Other interesting grain additions to your menus include millet and barley, which Kishiyama says go well in soups. Wild rice is also good in casseroles and makes a flavorful side dish.

* Protein alternatives.

The American Heart Assn. recommends eating no more than five to seven ounces of meat a day. For those wanting to follow that guideline or simply explore tastes, there are a number of other protein choices.

One large group of protein foods low in fat and high in fiber and nutrients are inexpensive dried beans and peas. There is a wide variety available, all with their own distinct taste.

Among them are pinto beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney and red beans, lentils, lima beans, navy beans, split peas, soy beans, white beans, black beans, black-eyed peas and split peas.

Bagged dried beans are inexpensive. Some even come with recipes and seasoning packets. Canned beans that have been precooked are also an option, but be aware that they are often high in sodium.

Use beans to make inexpensive nutritious soups and chili; add them to casseroles or top salads with them. They can also be used in side dishes or made the star of the show by topping brown rice with them or rolling them up in tortillas and serving with salsa. Beans can also be used to make vegetarian burgers.

Another meatless protein that’s not widely used in this country is tofu. This is a white crumbly food, made of soybeans, that resembles cheese. The great thing about tofu is that it takes on the flavor of whatever you’re cooking, says Kishiyama.

Tofu works as a meat substitute in stir-fries, spaghetti or casseroles; it can be creamed and used in place of higher-fat cheese in such dishes as enchiladas, manicotti, lasagna and ravioli.

Licavoli makes nutritious “custard” pies with tofu. To prepare her banana tofu pie, take two cartons of firm tofu (the type that doesn’t need to be refrigerated) and place in a bowl. Add three ripe bananas, one teaspoon of vanilla, two teaspoons of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sweetener, like sugar or honey. Blend this together and then spread into a pre-baked pie shell. Cook at 350 for one hour. Such in-season fruits as strawberries, apricots, peaches and nectarines or even canned pumpkin can be substituted for bananas in this recipe.

* Keep a food diary.

Before adding new foods to the diet, it’s a good idea to see what’s being eaten now. The best way to do this is to create a food diary in which everything you eat in a two-week period is listed and a note made of how you feel after each meal.

“Food diaries are beneficial for a number of reasons,” says Licavoli. “They show nutritional weaknesses and repetitive food plans, which will help you see where meal diversity is lacking.”

Once you know what you’ve been eating, take a look to see what areas could be improved and then come up with a plan to begin incorporating a wider selection of foods.

* Start slowly.

Avoid overwhelming yourself or your family with a bunch of new foods all at once. “Start out with reasonable goals like incorporating one new food into your diet each week,” says Licavoli. “Wait to add new foods until you’re comfortable with your latest additions.”