Is routine ruining how you eat? When we start eating healthier, we also have a tendency to stick with what we know works for us. But what about switching up your food routine? Why not have some more fun with it?!

Naturally, changing your diet drastically might not be right for you as each person’s case is different and it depends on a number of factors. The first important step is to pay attention to how you feel. If you have cancer or your body is still weak and trying to heal, then it might be important for you to stick to a regular routine. However, for a lot of us, it won’t hurt to switch up our eating habits and add different things that are still giving us the same nutritional value.

How about playing around with how you prepare your food? Maybe your body can only tolerate raw food or cooked food or only certain vegetables. That’s where juicing comes in! Some of those foods you can only eat a certain way or can’t tolerate at all, you may be able to still enjoy in juice form. Interestingly, when foods are juiced, we don’t have the same issues with them as when our body is trying to break them down through eating. So go ahead and give it a try! Juicing might be just the start you need to add more food variety to your diet.

One of the easiest things to vary each day is your morning smoothie. For starters, try a different protein powder. Alternate so you don’t just get too used to the same one everyday. Or maybe you use unsweetened almond milk in your shake. Then, start trying unsweetened coconut milk every other day. It’s something different but you’ll still be getting the essential fats that your body needs. Oh and be sure to go easy on the fruit.  Many people base their smoothies on fruit instead of vegetables and the smoothie ends up loaded with sugar.  Yes, even the good kind of sugar is harmful. Cancer doesn’t know the difference between good and bad sugar, it’s still sugar. 

The important thing about switching up your food routine is that it will bring more flexibility to your meals and give you back the freedom to eat with more variety when you are out. You can’t always carry around your shakes, juices and snacks. What do you do if you are going out to dinner with friends?

You’re going to have to eat something at the restaurant. Okay, they might not have gluten-free pasta at an Italian restaurant. So fill up on a salad and vegetables instead. Ask for dressing on the side or for them to hold the cheese. Be picky, speak up! Just don’t let your food limitations prevent you from enjoying your night out.

You don’t want to get to the point where your very survival depends on you having the same foods with you everywhere you go. That’s no fun! I remember when I first changed the way I was eating. I would take a ton of specific foods with me wherever I went. And that’s natural for the first six months or so, especially when your body has gone through something as severe as cancer. But if you’re still sticking to these habits after six months, then you might simply have a control issue with food and you may even be addicted to the foods you’re eating. Just remember to have fun, change it up and don’t let food dictate how you spend your time.

Try introducing some new foods to your routine this week and see how you feel. Be bold and try something you haven’t tried before. Browse the produce section at the health food store and see what you can come up with. Go ahead, get out of that rut!