It’s easy to fall back on tried and true recipes, especially during phases of life that are high-stress and results-focused. Sometimes when the chaos of a trying time lifts, we realize we’ve been eating the same thing for so long that we’ve grown bored. This realization often couples with worry that incorporating new meals and recipes might result in us giving up some of those healthy food habits we’ve finally managed to sort out. This article explores some of the ways you can discover new and interesting recipes while sticking to your dietary choices. (Image Credits: Andrea Picquadio/Pexels)
Don’t Be Afraid to Look Outside Your Own Culture
This can be one of the biggest impacts ways of finding new and interesting meal ideas. All around the world, humans have developed cooking and eating cultures that differ from your own. There are thousands of herbs and spices you’ve probably never heard of that you could easily incorporate into your daily meals. Beyond this, herbs and spices have been proven to be some of the healthiest, most healing-focused elements you can incorporate into your meals. There are entire flavors you haven’t encountered before. By searching for foreign recipes, you are bound to stumble across something new and exciting.
Mix And Match
Beyond this, don’t be afraid to mix and match different cultural vibes within your meals. Take, for instance, the spicy jalapeno Mexican wonton recipe from Stephanie at www.momdot.com. You might be surprised how well Indian cuisine goes with Mexican cuisine. Or how well French and Vietnamese food complements each other. Don’t be afraid to combine things that you’ve not seen combined before.
Find Lifestyle Blogs Which Align With Your Philosophy
There are countless ways people think about life, food, and health. By seeking out those who look at eating in the same way you do, you’re likely to discover some new recipes that suit your lifestyle and habits. Someone who supports intuitive eating is not going to present the same recipes as someone who is a fitness guru. Someone raising six kids in the countryside won’t recommend the same meals as a university student in a big city.
A person who believes in a paleo-approach to life won’t offer the same meal suggestions as someone following a religiously-garnered diet. Find your philosophical tribe and see what recipes they’re offering up. This approach also really helps those who tend to get stressed about meal planning. If you’ve got a few easy principles to stick to, suddenly, the chaotic world of choices doesn’t seem so overwhelming.
Swap Out Just One Thing
If trying new recipes doesn’t fit easily into your schedule, or you have people at home who aren’t so keen on trying new things, consider swapping out just one element of a regular recipe for another. There are so many more fruits and vegetables than you could ever imagine. It is estimated there are over 300,000 edible fruits and vegetables for humans, yet across the world, we manage to eat only 200. Pick up one of those strange fruits you’ve never tasted the next time you’re at the grocery store and see how it fares in your smoothie. Try including a new vegetable in your regular pasta sauce or stir fry. See what happens.
What Next?
With the above approaches in mind, you’re well on your way to discovering some new and exciting recipes that are also well suited to your current diet and lifestyle. You don’t have to sacrifice those healthy habits that you’ve developed to have something new on your plate.
It is also important to pay attention when researching food online. Always take a moment to do your due diligence. Ensure that the studies cited are strong and actually support the health claims. If you need to be convinced of the importance of this, take a moment to research the bribes the sugar industry used to get scientists to claim that fat was actually what was making people unhealthy. Many still believe this corrupt myth to this day. It is sad but true. Part of our digital lives that corporations have now learned how important health is to people and will use this to sell food items that are not actually good for our families or us.
And of course, as with any food or diet choices, always listen to your body. Just because someone else online eats it and is fine doesn’t mean you should ignore discomfort or energy levels. Everybody is different, as is every gut biome. So make sure that you are paying attention to the messages your body sends during and after eating something new.