I was listening to NPR this morning and they were interviewing Mary Roach, science writer and author of Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal. Apparently, the alimentary canal is the tube from the mouth to the rear. In the book she covers topics like…
- How much can you eat before your stomach bursts?
- Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself?
- Can wine tasters really tell a $10 bottle from a $100 bottle?
- Why is crunchy food so appealing?
- Can constipation kill you?
(source)
The book sounds really fascinating and kind of gross. Anyway, one of the things that she discussed in the radio interview that caught my attention was that the average American only eats about 30 different foods over the course of the week. She said this definitely changes if you are traveling and eating outside of your home a lot but for most of us, 30 is the average.
So I decided to try and make a list of the foods that I almost always eat in a week (based on what I ate last week) to see how many I come up with. Interesting exercise, huh?
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Lettuce (iceburg, romaine)
- Apples
- Sweet potatoes
- Broccoli
- Leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard)
- Eggs
- Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans)
- Nut butters (peanut, almond)
- Sunflower seed butter
- Tomatoes (all varieties – cherry, whole, canned, sundried)
- Dried cranberries
- Cheese (parmesan, goat, goat gouda, feta, muenster)
- Tortilla chips
- Nut Thin crackers
- Hummus
- Artichoke hearts
- Beets
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Greek yogurt
- Oats
- Granola
- Bread (sourdough, cinnamon raisin, wheat)
- Soup (varies)
- Peppers (green, red, roasted)
- Salsa
- Brussels sprouts
- Pork
- Beans (black, chickpea, etc)
- Citrus (oranges usually)
- Salmon
- Cantaloupe
- Pasta
- Celery
- Frozen yogurt
- Popsicles
- Kiwi
- Strawberries
- Pumpkin
- Mushrooms
- Basil
- Toaster waffles
- Bars (Kind, Luna, etc)
- Tempeh
- Tofu
- Edamame
Annnndddd….I think that’s all I’ve got. I didn’t know if I should separate out different types of cheeses, greens, tomatoes, etc. so I lumped them together. I also didn’t include beverages or condiments, seasonings, oils, etc.
So I’m above average but I still feel like I’m a pretty simple eater these days. I try to be creative with my meals but I know that I can be repetitive…especially with breakfast and lunch. And I’ve been so busy with work that my dinners are pretty formulaic too. Usually protein (chicken, salmon, pork) + starch (rice, quinoa, sweet potato) + veggie (broccoli, kale, brussels sprouts, mushrooms). I have said this a million times but I would LOVE to get back to trying new recipes on a regular basis.
I think I’m probably not alone in this. It’s really easy to shop and quickly prepare food when you know what you like to stock your fridge with. And we are just creatures of habit. It would be interesting to know where other people are with their number of foods. Anyone want to count for comparison? Or just tell me in general…do you typically buy and eat the same foods on a regular basis?
And check out the Gulp Quiz in the New York Times to see “how intimately you know your innards.” 
Hope you’re enjoying the weekend!
I eat:
bananas
strawberries
blueberries
yogurt
lettuce
cole slaw
cauliflower
carrots
apples
peppers (red and green)
tomatoes
mushrooms
beans
peanut butter
cocoa
soy milk
wheat puff cereal
and drinks, coffee, tea, water
Without a doubt, every week includes:
fruit: strawberries, apples, pears, applesauce, oranges, grapes
veggies: broccoli, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms
gluten-free cinnamon raisin bread
peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter
larabars
plain Greek yogurt
turkey bacon
egg whites/eggs
tilapia
lean ground beef/turkey
cheese: parmesan/asiago/goat
I would love it if you did a post on tofu! I tried it the other day and I think I would like it if I knew how to better prepare it. (All I did was cook it with no stick cooking spray and add garlic salt-it was only okay..)
It’d be interesting to do this one week and figure everything out! I think I probably eat more variety than the average person. I do definitely have a lot of staples throughout the week, but I think I like to mix it up at least once in a while.
I basically eat the same foods every day and if I switch things up it simple means I change the combinations and/or cooking methods/marinades lol. Steel cut oats, berries, greek yogurt, coffee, skim milk, peanut butter, apples, bananas, a very wide variety of vegetables, avocado, chick peas, black beans, dark chocolate…oh and tomato sauce, part skin mozz cheese and ezekial bread…yep that’s my overall shopping list. I am sure I am forgetting something!
Wow, that’s a really interesting exercise. I’m a creature of habit, so I definitely stick to the same foods, meals, and snacks from week to week. Hey, I know what I like. 🙂
I completely agree with you about being busier meaning less experimental in the kitchen. I feel like I have been doing very lots of small variations on simple meals lately. It is what works for me to eat clean foods but I am thrilled when I can make time to make something more creative.
I like this, I lose sight of the fact that I could probably be eating a more optimal diet when I operate out of routine – tallied it up and I eat about 35 foods a week. Definitely will be racheting that number up as the weather gets warmer and I crave more produce.
I tend to eat the same meals over and over and over. The funny thing is that I am constantly reading cookbooks and looking at cooking/food blogs yet I still eat the same things. I guess I like to think about making new foods rather than actually making them.
I eat a lot of the same ingredients all week, but have gotten pretty crafty at making different recipes with them. We use lots of leafy greens, brown rice, quinoa, bell peppers, and tons of beans. Mix it up with different spices, add some chicken here and there, and you can get a good variety of meals with a few healthy ingredients.
I was sent that book to read and haven’t gotten to jump into it yet, though I do think it will be an interesting read!
Now I kind of want to count my foods. I have no idea because I often just have a bite of random foods for a snack. Sounds like fun though!
I listened to this interview on NPR as well, and found it pretty fascinating. Although I tend to change things up a little when I restock on groceries, I definitely have my staples that I eat each week.
I definitely eat a lot of the same things every week…ok, day! I think if I was a better cook I would eat more diverse meals (sigh), but even when I go out to eat, I always order the same things!