Variety of food sources in your diet

[fathead]

what are your thoughts on the importance of having variety in your diets?

lets forget the aspect concerning how boring it may be, and for the hell of it even for your health. lets talk strictly for bodybuilding purposes and effectiveness (obviously if you're really unhealthy that may play a role in your results however)

so theoretically what is the difference between receiving your protein/carbs/fats from a single or multiple sources?

if all you ate for carbs was oats, or rice, or potatoes?

or only egg whites, or chicken, or beef?

i would think for a cutting diet it would actually be a lot easier to gauge or modify a diet if it was really restrictive in terms of food variety.

personally i tended to choose a carb/pro source for the day, and cook enough of it for the days meals (chicken and rice for example) and i would change what these foods were depending on how i was feeling (maybe swap to potato, or keep the rice but change to fish)

Ive been following the advice of a trainer recently who has me eating a really wide variety of foods EVERY DAY and the only drag is the insane amount of prep involved (the diet works well in terms of results)

so.... egg whites + oats 6x a day every day? thoughts?

[ubcpower]

eggs and blue berries only

[baza]

I used to be big on variety, big on 'whole' foods, etc., until I got in great shape last year, where 3 of 6 meals were from protein powder, 1 was from cottage cheese, and other two from chicken/beef. And carb was oatmeal 95% of the time, a rare sub from Subway or yam fries.
I just find oatmeal so amazingly easy to take, it's all I use. Half cup is about 40g of carbs, add enough water to soften it, and it takes like 3 spoonfuls to eat, and in one minute.
Though I usually have it in a shake with frozen fruit and protein powder.
This has been my diet for the last 6-8 months probably.

[Baconbits]

I eat the same thing every day. It's more convenient that way, as long as you are achieving your macros and getting enough essential vitamins and minerals from your food or through supplementation, it shouldn't be a problem. It makes shopping a lot easier, you know how much you will spend each week.

[baza]

Agree 100%

[Delt King]

The micronutrient intake would be the issue...a high quality vit and mineral supp could take care of that. Adequate fiber and omega 3's would be on the supplement list as well for optimal health.
Otherwise i see great benefits to eating the same things since less variables makes it easier to tweak your diet to achieve your desired result.

[baza]

Agree with that too.

[JonnyO]

One thing to consider is your body may develop an intollerance, where small amounts of a particular food may be fine for that person but when they introduce large amounts could lead to distress. I find sometimes I get this with protein powders, so I use a wide variety.

[steve_d]

eggs and blue berries only

that;s what my 2 yr old lives on - why can't we?!