A varied diet: meals with a fusion of tastes and ingredients

The coronavirus pandemic has brought about a fundamental change in our eating and cooking habits. As a result of lockdown and not being able to eat out in restaurants, we have had to learn how to cook for ourselves, and to do so several times a day, often for the whole family. At the start of the pandemic in particular, this brought us a lot of pleasure. Suddenly, the Instagram feeds of friends and relatives were full of home-made sourdough loaves, home brews and self-inspired gourmet meals. We started to eat more healthily, discovered new cuisines and tried out new recipes.

But the longer the pandemic lasts, the more bored we seem to be of cooking and the less joy it brings us. People are even talking about “cooking burnout”. The initial euphoria has worn off, the restaurants are still closed and continually buying take-aways is getting too expensive. We no longer enjoy talking about food and cooking and our eyes roll if we see yet another home-made sourdough loaf on Instagram.

This boredom means that we are increasingly cooking the same dishes over and over again. We can’t be bothered to put in the effort. We want fast results that please everyone. The healthy eating we all embraced at the start of the pandemic is becoming a distant memory.

There are lots of ways of easily adding variety to our cooking habits. And this is what we want to present to you today:

• Herbs:
  Herbs are much more than just garnishes. They are packed full of nutrients, are healthy and have their own taste profile. So they can enrich simple meals. Various herbs can also add new flavours to a standard recipe, thereby bringing variety to your diet.
   
• Spices:
  The same applies to spices. Here in Switzerland, we love our salt and pepper, and at best cook with a shop-bought mix. But there are lots of different spices, which can all enrich a meal in their own particular way. Just a pinch of the right mix of spices can take you to a new world and transform your cooking.
   
• Methods of preparation:
  Do you always boil your potatoes? Why not roast them for a change? Like to cook your red cabbage? How about eating it raw? Do you fry your chicken breast in a pan? Ever thought about steam-cooking it? The way in which we prepare our ingredients has a huge impact on the subsequent taste experience. So let’s get creative and try some new or different methods of preparation.  
   
• International cuisine:
  The best tip I have for overcoming your culinary cabin fever is to regularly seek new inspiration. It may take a little more effort, but it’s well worth hunting out new recipes in your cookbooks or trying new cooking blogs. Trying international cuisine may also encourage you revamp your tried-and-tested recipes: Why not add various fermented vegetables (Korean: kimchi) to your fried potatoes? 
   
• Colours:
  Wherever possible, try to eat a rainbow of colours. It’s not a coincidence that fruit and vegetables are all different colours; these colours tell us a lot about the type and availability of nutrients in them. 

A varied cuisine is also crucial from a health standpoint. The more different foodstuffs we consume, the more different nutrients we absorb. Our bodies rely on a wide range of nutrients and they are therefore key to our health, well-being and productivity.

Further reading

• HuffPost Life
  external page Pandemic Cooking Burnout Is Real. Here's How To Cope This Thanksgiving.
   
• Thrillist
  external page Nine Reasons Why You Need To Eat A Varied Diet
   
• WHO / Europe
  external page Nutrition - Benefits of a balanced diet
   
• Connor, DeYoung and Silvia (2016)
  external page Everyday creative activity as a path to flourishing