Why is eating the same daily menu bad?

I keep reading people's reply's on different post saying you shouldn't eat the same things daily. Why not? I pretty much eat the same menu daily with a little variety on occassion. My nutritionial needs are being met. Am full and satisfied. And am continuing to lose weight at a rate of 1-2 lbs weekly. Am just curious.

Daisy, I think it's a personal preference.  I eat the same breakfast everyday.  Why, I like it.  I don't think it's bad.

ME too day in and out! But im not sick of it, I look foward to it!  I think people will say that its kinda depriving ourselves and eventually we will binge...thats a guess though...thats what my trainer used to tell me...he said it woudl take to much will power to stay with in the same meals....Nah...not if you enjoy it.  But I am curious if theres another reason too....

I think it's just a matter of how quickly you get bored.
If you've got a good set of meals and aren't easily bored, you don't have to switch it up often. But, for maximum nutrition, I WOULD make sure to switch things up a little so you can, over the week, get ALL the Vitamins and Nutrients you need :)

I also eat the same breakfast every day...reduced sugar apple cinamon oatmeal with skim milk, sliced fresh strawberries and ground flax seed....I look forward to having it...I've tried other foods but I just wasn't satisfied.

I also have the same protein shake for dinner every night followed by a whole grapefruit...It's how I like to end my day.

Lunch does vary but it's always some kind of chicken or fish with lots of fresh vegetables....

It just makes eating alot easier if I don't have to keep coming up with new ideas for meals...I had to do alot of menu planning when I was raising my kids to keep them eating new things...They're grown, I cook what I like!

I've lost 18.5 lbs since 1/2/07...slowly but surely!

Unless it's an exceptionally phenomenal menu, you probably aren't getting all the vitamins and minerals you need by eating the same thing every day.  Sooner or later you will develop a deficiency somewhere. 

Also, if you eat something 'weird' every day there is a small chance you could store up a toxic level of some mineral or micronutrient. 

Metabolism was my favorite class.  :) 

EDIT:  The thing is, even if at first glance it looks like you eat the same thing every day, you probably really don't.  Example: the weekends.

Well, I do like to think I have a great menu. :) Nothing weird in it.

I know I occassionally eat different things, but for the most part it stays the same. I do change things up if I've run out of milk ie,,, instead of cheerios, eat oatmeal, and on the weekends I work, I take soup for my dinner. Overall, it pretty much stays the same. 

 I was just wondering if there was a logical reason behind the posting replies I was reading.

Thanks to all who answered. It's nice to know I'm not the only one. :)

Some advice to daisylove.

I recently restumbled upon a site I like, Nutritiondata.com

Go ahead and find out how phenomenal your menu is. Will you get all the vitamins and minerals you need from it? :) Only one way to find out and that's find out how many vitamins and minerals you're actually getting from your daily menu.  This site can help :)

I don't think it's bad to eat the same menu everyday but I heard that your body may adapt to that diet and that you could eventually have trouble eating anything else, like how long-time vegans get sick when they try to eat meat for the first time. Also, the boredom factor is sure to kick in one day.

I'm okay to it adapting to a healthy lifestyle. :) Already find that I get sick if I eat something with grease or alot of fat in it. My body just isn't use to it anymore.

The eating pattern is one I've had for years. When I was eating bad food, I generally ate the same crap day after day. I always chalked the eating pattern up to my OCD.

the only thing I can think off is to avoid a plateau.  Plateaux are usually referenced as a state where your body has gotten used to a way of eating and exercising.  The advice often given to break a plateau is to up your calories and change up your exercise routine.

I would assume that changing up your meal plan would also work.

Can't back this up with any research, these are just my ramblings =)

Bigtwinky, your ramblings make sense. I haven't hit a plateau yet, but do see the sense in shaking things up at that time to give the body alittle jolt.

Am going to check out the site H gave me. If I'm not meeting my nutritional needs per that site, will change my menu to meet it, but then I'll probably just start eating that same menu daily.  It's just a big circle for me. :)

It's probably impossible to get all your nutrients in by eating the same foods day in and day out.  What you eat on a weekly basis should vary -- there are so many nutritious, delicious foods out there.  It's fine to eat the same breakfast everyday (I do it too), but you should try to vary at least one meal of the day.

bigtwinky said what I was gonna say - :-)

I was tending to eat a very similar diet each day (especially breakfast, lunch and snack) - and for 10 months, it worked great. But I have hit a MONSTER of a plateau ('bout 3.5 months of maintaining high 160s here, down from about 215lbs) and my nutritionist decided to shake things up - for example, high-fiber cereal with berries and flax seed a few days a week instead of a protein-rich white omelette with cheese and veggies.

Otherwise, take a multi-vitamin to make sure you're covered, and if you are eating pretty balanced, you are fine. That's just my humble opinion.

**Note: I have been doing this "shake up" for about two weeks, I will let you all know if it works! ;-)

Just want to say thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate the info and the insights.

I was watching a show with Dr's Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen, authors of " You the Owner's Manual" and "You on a Diet" and they stated that you SHOULD eat one meal the same every day. They said that statistically people who eat at least one meal the same every day loose more weight. Of course, the are referring to a healthy meal! The books are pretty interesting if anyone is wondering, they both have pretty much the same concepts. For the record, I eat the same breakfast every day, have been since November 2006, no boredom here.

Hi, I just had to reply because I eat the same breakfast: weight control oatmeal and an orange, same lunch: tuna sand on whole wheat bread and a spinich salad. Same snacks in the afternoon: yogurt,nonfat, 100 cal popcorn, and a banana.  Then for supper I mix it up because I cook for the family. But after the actual meal, I eat yogurt and have a fruit for evening snack and a toast with 1 T p butter. This is what I have every day. Except when my husband wants to go out to eat or an occasional mcdonalds salad. My dietician says that my eating is good, I am eating all the proper nutrients, and I asked my doctor about the tuna everyday and he said it wouldn't hurt me. So I guess if I had to dream up new menus to eat everyday I would be thinking about food even more than I do!! and that's not good, so I'm sticking with my eating plan. take care linda

Good nutrition comes from a wide variety of food.  Blueberries, for example, are full of phenolics and flavonoids, which are very good for your health.  Sweet potatoes and cantaloupe and carrots are full of vitamin A.  Almonds have been shown to be beneficial to weight loss, so have Omega 3?s.  Just getting the right amount of a few vitamins and a good ratio of carbs/protein/and fat is only part of the story.  The world is a bountiful place, and eating a wide variety of foods makes it easier for your body to get all the nutrition it needs. 

Another angle to this might be in regards to this being a true lifestyle change and not just a temporary dietary habit to shave off a few pounds.

Over the course of your life you will encounter many different types of food, so being exposed to as many of those combinations as possible as often as possible will give you a basis for learning and understanding portion control and nutritional balance.

I think it is a more holistic approach to eating. You will know more about how your body reacts to the occassional high calorie day, which we all stumble on eventually.

And finally, you will simply know more about food and what goes into different flavors which will make you more empowered in preparing your own meals.

That's my two cents -jf-

There are a few foods that I eat almost everyday, but my fruits and vegetables I like to switch around a bit. On Fridays, I plan my next weeks meals, so I know what to buy at the store, and I use these two websites as guides. (The first one I got from Lollipopfairy, and the second one was posted in a thread a few months back.:)

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-alime nt/choose-choix/index_e.html

I know if I get out of my routine, i.e. not going to work or weekends, and I start eating out of my normal core meals I am screwed up!  Mmmm, planning weeks in advance just doesn't get it for me though.  As long as my snacks stay within 100 calories...I say surprise!