Variety of protein sources and vegetable sources???

[SugarCheeseBread Junkie]

How important is it to eat a variety of protein and vegetable sources in the same day or from one day to the next? I eat eggs for breakfast every day so there is no variety there. As my veggie i usually have beets for breakfast. Haven't found many veggies that i like with breakfast except for spinach and tomatoes but i eat those for lunch or dinner,

Then when I buy a protein source for lunch or dinner I pretty much eat the same thing for a couple of days so it doesn't spoil. Same thing with vegetables. I eat a lot of salads and I put a lot of veggies in my salads but it is usually the same veggies - tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, jicama, sometimes mushrooms, strawberries, blueberries, avocado, and a sprinkle of almond slices. With the salad I will either have hard boiled egg, grilled chicken or beef as my protein.

I keep reading that I need eat a variety and I don't know if changing every few days is enough or do I really need to change from one day to the next.

[Susan W]

I think you are doing fine. I eat eggs every day...I never tire of them. If you start becoming bored, you could freeze some of your protein or meals (curry or stir fry for example) and that way you can have more of a variety.

[Tom Denham]

Eating the same thing for several days is fine. I make food in big batches and sometimes take 3 to 5 days to finish a roast or chili. However, I made a slow cooker chicken recipe with two whole chickens once and won't do that again. I got tired of chicken by the time I finished it.

The variety thing is not critical day to day, but is a good idea over time. I try to have fish, beef, and lamb regularly and chicken and pork occasionally. I switch things up with bison and duck every once in a while. I let my local farmer control a lot of my veggie variety. I eat what I get from the farm when it is in season. Greens grow most of the year, but there are seasons when I eat a lot of turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, etc. I try to achieve variety of colors with veggies - red, yellow, orange, green, white, purple, etc. But that is more by the week or month than by the day.

[SugarCheeseBread Junkie]

Thanks Tom and Susan! Tom, when you say you only have chicken or pork occasionally, why is that and how often is occasionally?

[Susan W]

Thanks Tom and Susan! Tom, when you say you only have chicken or pork occasionally, why is that and how often is occasionally?

Tom will give you his answer, but I will put my 2 cents in. It has been said that chicken and pork are not as nutritious as other meats. Tom is in this for the long haul, but I think for now, you should just focus on what is working for you and look into the facts about which meats are best if that interests you. I think it's The Perfect Health Diet that speaks of the different qualities of meats. To do a W30, you don't need to worry about that. I do have to say that since I heard that, I find myself focusing more on beef, lamb and seafood, but my W30 did not depend on that at all. Just my 2 cents.

[MrsStick]

Try roasting parsnips for breakfast. I was surprised at how sweet they can get.