Food Rut

Do any of you experience food ruts? I do... and I feel it is not an uncommon thing! 

In my humble definition, nutrition rut = a state of eating that is characterized by eating the same foods (or types of foods) repeatedly - say, more than 5 days in a row.

Ok, so probably a vague and obvious definition - sorry - I'm a nutrition/dietetics major not an English major :P

But regardless- I feel that I fall into food ruts, oh all. the. time. 

Sometimes I get hooked on sandwiches and have them 3-4 times a day for 2 weeks. Or cereal, granola like I'm experiencing right now... I could have a bowl of granola for every meal. Is this bad? Since I'm very interested in nutrition I've wondered this for awhile... but obviously not worried enough to stop my habit :)

I guess I'm a person of habit so it really does not bother me to eat the same thing over and over if it is something I really enjoy! But am I doing my health more harm than good? 

I've done some research... bad idea-things aren't looking in my favor :S

This is what I've found: 

First-the pros:

-limited food choices can be a good thing for dieters, as studies have shown that too much variety can lead to overeating... (but I'm not dieting so this piece of information didn't pertain to me personally)

-If you're someone that is stuck for time, it reduces stress and time if you just make the same thing for dinner every day

-If your food choices are fairly healthy, and you are easily tempted by unhealthy choices, or just skipping meals, eating the same things over and over can help ensure you are getting at least adequate amount of nutrients

And now-the cons:

-First and foremost, eating the same foods over and over will limit the variety of nutrients you consume. Eating a wide range of foods will give you different vitamins and minerals and help you get all the nutrients that are out there, making it harder to have a deficiency in one area

-Sensory satiety is when you feel full, or satisfied after eating; after you eat the same things over and over the amount of that food that is needed to reach a feeling of satisfaction will go up. Meaning, if you have chips everyday for an afternoon snack, you will begin to want more and more to satisfy your craving because your tastebuds have become so accustomed to the taste and texture

So the conclusion: 

mmmm.... probably not gonna change my habits. Ok, no... I am going to try and try is the key word here- I am going to try to only have whatever food I'm having an addition to at the moment once a day (wow, that still sounds like a lot) But regardless, I'm going to try to only have it once a day and at night. 

Why at night you ask? Well, if I make myself have other foods throughout the whole day and tell myself I can have my 'obsession' for a nighttime snack, maybe I will start not wanting the food, since I've satisfied myself with other food throughout the day. I'm not sure if it will work, but it is worth a try...

If any of you have a desire to get out of a food rut - look at this website! 

What do you think? Do any of you have food ruts? Do you think they're bad? Good? Let me know! :)