Monotonous Dieting Is Associated With Potential Dangers

But not everything is roses with monotonous diets. More than potentially boring for the people who try to embrace them, monotonous diets can have an actual impact on their health. As mentioned above, if monotonous diet is not balanced in nutritional terms, it holds a big potential for inducing malnutrition.  

The Recommended Diary Allowance is the amount of a given substance that our bodies need every day to function properly. Naturally, if we are ingesting less than this amount of nutrients, we are jeopardizing our health.

Finally, there is also evidence suggesting that monotonous diet can interfere with sleep patterns. In a very curious study from the University of Pennsylvania, each individual's daily dietary intake was compared with his or her sleep patterns, in an attempt to verify if a relationship between food variety and quality of rest existed.

Individuals who slept the least tended to be short on protein and carbohydrates, along with nutrients like iron, zinc, and selenium. The mechanisms behind this effect? No one knows for sure so far.

For some, restricted diets are not an option but an obligation. Patients with renal impairment undergoing haemodialysis cannot consume certain foods due to their medical condition. Within these restrictions, there is still some dietary diversity among patients and some are more capable of balancing the rules with their nutritional needs better than others, while adjusting to the lack of appetite that is typical of renal disease. One recent study sought to identify if there was a relationship between nutritional intake and monotony in chronic haemodialysis patients. The findings were quite interesting: diet monotony strongly correlated with nutritional intake, i.e., patients with monotonous diets were ingesting less calories and less protein which is not at all a positive effect. However, patients with monotonous diets had a good appetite for several high-protein foods that they were not eating. Helping patients to identify and increase the intake of these foods may both enhance diet variety and improve nutritional status, thus helping to battle poor nutrition in this patient population.

Diet should be tailored to suit your health and lifestyle

Monotonous diets seem to be both good and bad. It all depends on your health status, physiologic characteristics and on what constitutes your diet.

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Nonetheless, if you are looking to adapt your meals for a special purpose, be it related to your weight, a medical condition or simply as a part of a healthier lifestyle, it is always a good idea to consult a certified nutritionist. Health issues, life situation and a number of other factors will be taken into account to build a meal plan that fits your particular needs.