How to be excited about food again
We’ve all been there. Maybe you got a bit too excited about something on sale and bought a lot of it. Maybe you are recovering from an eating disorder or chronic dieting. Or perhaps you just realized that nothing in your fridge sounds appealing or exciting. Food boredom can happen to anyone. It occurs when you’ve eaten the same things day in and day out. You probably still even like the food you’re bored of, but can’t bring yourself to eat it anymore. It’s time for a food intervention!
Expanding food options after dieting or eating disorders
It’s really important to allow yourself unconditional permission to eat. Sometimes that’s hard if you’ve had food rules, diet beliefs, or a strict protocol for eating. Whether it’s just from uncreative cooking or from an eating disorder or diet, I help guide many clients toward eating more food options and lifting restrictions. This helps keep food appealing and introduces more nutrients in the diet. It creates more satisfaction and joy with eating, which is essential. To learn more, explore our intuitive eating course.
It’s normal to be bored of eating
Especially if it is due to a diet or restriction of some kind. Even those that don’t diet or have an eating disorder get bored of the same old food. This doesn’t mean something is wrong, it just means it’s time to expand your idea of what you can eat!
Try these ideas to help you get out of your food rut:
- Give yourself extra time when grocery shopping. Go up and down every aisle, explore foods you don’t normally choose. Give yourself permission to buy anything that looks appealing or interesting. Many of us have set patterns and a usual list when we go grocery shopping. Set that aside and just look for foods that are new to you, or buy old favorites that were previously off-limits due to your diet or eating disorder.
- Grocery shop at a different store. Go to an entirely new store and shop all the aisles. Different stores have different products. You may discover something you love.
- Browse cookbooks, Pinterest, and blogs. Look for recipes that sound good and fit within your cooking ability. Buy the ingredients and make the food! You may find a new favorite meal to add to your blah rotation.
- Put a new twist on old favorites. Use derivatives of current meals and foods to make it feel new. Try a bagel or pita instead of bread for your sandwich. Use a different type of cheese with your crackers. Swap almond butter or sunbutter for peanut butter. Try a new brand of yogurt. Find a new vegetable as a side dish instead of your usual. Small changes can make things exciting again.
- Use herbs, spices, and sauces. Move over salt and pepper, there are some delicious spices that can make your dish appealing and amazing. Use truffle zest on eggs, dill on potatoes, a Thai peanut sauce instead of ketchup…you get the idea. Add flavor in creative ways to breathe new life into everyday meals.
- Copy your favorite restaurant meal. Is there something you love about that cafe or restaurant you visited? Could you make a similar meal at home? Use their menu for inspiration. I had avocado toast at a cafe that had amazing seasoning, a pickled egg, and sprouts. It was something I would have never thought of doing, but was easy to duplicate at home to make the meal more delicious.
- Bring back foods/meals you used to eat but don’t anymore. Is there something you used to eat that you haven’t had in a while? Bring it back! It’s easy to forget about foods or meals you had as a kid or even as an adult. Think about foods you loved (pre-diet, pre-eating disorder, or pre-boredom) and add them to your meal rotation again.
If you need one-on-one nutrition support to recover from dieting or disordered eating, we offer personalized nutrition coaching.
Don’t miss out! Get our free fueling guide!
Check out our amazing nutrition resources, including on-demand courses, free downloads, and webinar replays.
- Nutrition for Climbers
- The Ultimate Guide to Useful Sports Supplements
- Ditch Diets and Become an Intuitive Eater
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