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TL;DR: Food ruts, especially in the summer, can really suck. My best advice? Lean into 'shiny object' syndrome' to invite yourself out of it. And pretty please, be nice to yourself.
open the fridge + stare into the abyss
Is that you, rubbing those dehydrated brain cells together trying to make a meal out of the contents of your fridge?
It's the season of the food rut: when food just doesn't feel exciting to prep or eat.
Summertime ushers in the food ruts like New Orleans potholes [that is to say, abruptly and frequently]. The combination of heat, humidity, and stress can do that to you. Sprinkle in a little neurodivergence and you might really feel stuck in a food rut!
I'm sharing bite-sized ideas for breaking you out of a food rut, aka The Nothing-Sounds-Goods.™️ Scroll on to check them out!
You may want to checkout my Hydration Helper below if you’re in a water rut.
how to escape a food rut
If you're expecting me to say something cliché like "the only way out is through," you are only 50% right.
Let's get the annoying part out of the way: food ruts happen, they are frustrating, and they can feel like they're sabotaging any effort to eat nutritiously.
And also, food ruts are temporary.
If you are feeling bored or low energy with food lately, embrace a bit of Shiny Object Syndrome and invite yourself to try some of these tips:
00. Call it out! Point the finger! I'm serious. Start by naming that you're in a food rut and identifying why. Shout it out loud, say it under your breath, scream it into the abyss. Let's start with quiet or loud acceptance.
Drop nutrition for a moment. Yep, still serious. Your dietitian pal's number one piece of advice? Stop trying to make every meal "healthy." This extra pressure is making it so much harder to get out of your rut! It's not forever, and it's not all-or-nothing.
Reinvigorate an old favorite. Think about your favorite meals from different eras of your life, from childhood to grad school to before you had kids. Maybe it was one you made religiously or one you ordered regularly. Invite yourself to bring it back to life! See #1 if your diet gremlins just got loud.
Invest in a new sauce. Be it a new dressing, a fun hummus, a flavored nut butter, a different brand of chili crisp, or another bizarre Trader Joe's spread [how do they just keep coming up with these things?], starting with a sauce can get you feeling excited about food again. You'll wonder, "okay, so what goes well with this?" and the magic unfolds.
Experiment with one new ingredient. Yes, just one, my friend. Really go broad here. Our brains are quick to go "okay, new fruit or veggie" which is fine, but what if it was... a new cereal? a new type of cheese? a new frozen pizza? a new yogurt? This is the ultimate Shiny Object Syndrome tip, and I swear by it. Be drawn in, don't overthink it, and bring it on home. See how it goes.
Take yourself to a different grocery store. My favorite way out of a food rut? A visit to the farmers' market and/or an international supermarket. Even if you buy nothing, going to visit might be enough to get you excited about the possibilities. This is such a romantic solo date; I adore it.
Play Google-Assisted Chopped. Type three ingredients you have into the Google search bar, followed by "20 minutes easy recipe." Set a timer to scroll for 5 minutes and invite yourself to try a new recipe with less guesswork.
Start with a snack. All this talk about preparing exciting meals; why not start small with a snack? Rather than pressuring yourself to make a new and improved meal, you can lower the bar and focus on a snack instead. Again, it's not forever, and it's not all-or-nothing. This is a fair starting point!
Remember banana splits. You know there's an entire dessert centered around bananas, right? Bananas, ice cream, and all the fixings come together in perfect harmony. Often, we get stuck in food ruts because we divorce fun from food, enjoyment from nutrition. What if your way out of a food rut that's devoid of produce is adding strawberries to your ice cream? Pairing a clementine to your cheese snack?
Phone a friend. Get out of your head! Text a friend or lay it out in the group next: "food sounds awful lately. What's something fun you've made recently?" Getting together with folks to eat together is also comforting. Be open to receiving help while you're down in the food dumps.
Re-establish the goal. The further and further we get from consistent, adequate, and enjoyable nutrition, the more we tend to tell ourselves, "no, that doesn't count" or "no, that isn't good enough." Quit moving the goalpost further from where you are and lower the bar. Not every meal will be 10 out of 10. Start with where you are.
And, one more time with feeling, it's not forever and it's not all-or-nothing 💙 You won't always open the fridge and stare into the cold abyss.
okay, now for a little refresher.
check off your hydration!
at the heart of hydration is, of course, water. electrolytes like sodium and potassium play a major role, as well! instead of chugging plain water and having to pee all day, incorporate this checklist into your routine to add a boost to your hydration efforts.
Need a little support? Join our group coaching program Strong and Sturdy or for 1:1 support, work with one of our registered dietitians for nutrition counseling.
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