As a nutritionist, I’m all about championing diet diversity.
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I → ’m → diversity
Eating a wide variety of foods, particularly plants, equals a broader mix of nutrients.
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Eating → eat → nutrients
It’s obvious, really.
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It → ’ → ?
It’s the same message renowned food scientist Tim Spector has become well known for with his ‘30 plants a week’ approach to supporting gut health.
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Spector → ’ → health
On top of that, 2026 analysis across the UK, US and Chinese cohorts found that healthier plant-based diets were associated with lower mortality rates.
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diets → find → rates
Research from the American Gut Project has also linked greater plant diversity with a flourishing microbiome, adding to the growing evidence that what we eat, and the variety of our diet, plays an important role in supporting long-term health and longevity.
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eat → link → health
That said, deciding what to eat can feel more complicated than ever.
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deciding → say → what
With conflicting advice on social media, a constant stream of new foods and ‘must-try’ influencer-led ingredients vying for our attention, it’s easy to see why taking some of the choice out of eating is appealing.
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taking → conflict → choice
I understand the merits of a somewhat repetitive diet pattern - a trend that’s been dubbed the ‘mono-style diet’, which focuses on rotating stock meals rather than cramming in as much variety as possible.
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which → understand → variety
Benefits of the ‘mono-diet’
Eating the same foods on repeat is hardly a new concept.
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Eating → eat → repeat
Victoria Beckham, for example, has spoken about sticking to a small repertoire of familiar foods (in her case: grilled fish, steamed vegetables and avocados).
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Beckham → speak → case
So, in an age when we’re bombarded with advice about the latest superfood, miracle ingredient and must-try diet, could having less choice actually make healthy eating easier?
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eating → bombard → choice
“It reduces what psychologists sometimes call ‘decision fatigue’”
Jordan Haworth, a gastrointestinal physiologist at the Functional Gut Clinic, agrees that a mono-style diet can have its perks.
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diet → reduce → perks
“One advantage is that it reduces what psychologists sometimes call ‘decision fatigue’.
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psychologists → reduce → what
This is where the quality of your choices gets progressively worse the more decisions you have to make.
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you → get → decisions
So, if for example your first two meals are consistently predetermined, you’re less likely to reach for the convenient, energy-dense option at night.
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you → predetermine → night
A ‘boring’ diet could work particularly well for people who benefit from having a set choice of repeat meals and foods that they know work for them.
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they → bore → them
“For example, someone with acid reflux may benefit from having a small repertoire of meals if they know they don’t trigger symptoms.
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they → benefit → symptoms
Similarly, for sufferers of IBS following a low-FODMAP diet, short-term predictability can make symptoms easier to understand and manage,” continues Haworth.
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Haworth → follow → diet
And this simplicity could have a useful knock-on effect when it comes to weight loss.
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it → have → loss
A recent observational study published in the journal Health Psychology found that participants who ate the same healthy foods every day lost more weight than those who varied their diets.
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who → publish → diets
Downside of eating the same foods on repeat
Dr Flora Bailey, a GP and metabolic health specialist, points out the pitfalls.
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“The downside of eating exactly the same foods every day is that you can develop nutritional blind spots without realising it.
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you → eat → it
A meal might be perfectly healthy in isolation, but relying on the same small group of ingredients long term can mean consistently missing other important nutrients such as iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, folate and vitamin B12.
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relying → rely → iron
You may also be getting a much narrower range of plant fibres which could compromise health,” she says.
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she → get → health
One simple way to boost the nutritional value of your streamlined go-to meals is to think about how you prepare your carbohydrates.
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you → boost → carbohydrates
“Cooking and then cooling starchy foods such as potatoes, rice and pasta increases the amount of resistant starch they contain.
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they → cook → starch
Resistant starch is handled differently by the body than readily digestible starch, and has benefits for blood sugar control and gut health,” explains Dr Bailey.
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Bailey → handle → control
A chilled potato salad, pasta salad or cooked, cooled rice that’s then reheated are simple ways to put this into practice.
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that → cook → practice
If you’re eating the same meals on repeat, texture can be an easy way to keep things interesting without having to completely change what’s on your plate.
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what → eat → plate
It’s also thought to play a role in how satisfying a meal feels.
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meal → think → role
“Texture is another overlooked factor.
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Texture → overlook → ?
Foods that require more chewing naturally slow the pace of a meal, which can help with recognising fullness,” explains Dr Bailey.
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Bailey → require → fullness
Try adding crunchy or chewy elements to your usual meals, such as raw vegetables, toasted seeds, nuts or wholegrains, to make a familiar meal feel more satisfying and encourage a slower pace of eating that supports weight loss.
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that → try → loss
You can keep meals predictable without making them nutritionally repetitive
You can keep meals predictable without making them nutritionally repetitive.
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them → keep → meals
Blending several ingredients into one meal is an easy way to introduce more variety while keeping your usual routine intact.
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Blending → blend → routine
Your gut microbes also love spices, so use things like cinnamon, which has been shown to support metabolism and blood sugar regulation,” says Haworth.
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Haworth → love → metabolism
The Aporia
