When I discover a song I love, I make it my soundtrack. Whether it’s a new Taylor Swift bop or an old-school classic by the Beatles, I repeat that tune until I finally tire of it weeks or months later.

The same holds true for morning and mid-day meals. While I vary my dinner menu — whether I’m cooking at home, dining out, or ordering in — I have a tendency to have what some are calling a "hyperfixation meal" for breakfast and lunch. Lately, that’s been an egg bite, a couple chicken sausages, and a cup of Greek yogurt with berries after my workout, followed by air-fryer chicken and veggies with some sauce from my condiment collection for lunch.

Turns out, I’m far from alone with this lather, rinse, and repeat routine: "I often find myself in food ruts, especially on busy days when I'm rushing around. It's just easier to stick to my go-tos," admits Molly Bremer, M.S., RD, a San Francisco-based registered dietitian and founder of Mosaic Nutrition.

Mackenzie Burgess, RDN, a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian nutritionist and recipe developer at Cheerful Choices, has been there too — especially around noon.

"Lunch is where most people hit a wall because we're usually deep in work mode and not thinking about what to make," Burgess says. (A likely reason why most Sweetgreens and Cavas across the country normally have rows and rows of grain bowls and salads lined up on their counters everyday around 12:30 p.m.)

Although this is easy, it’s not exactly exciting. And I’ve been beginning to wonder if I might be doing a disservice to my health by veering away from more variety. Ahead, we’re diving into the science behind hyperfixation meals, and are dishing up an answer about what might be the smartest strategy for you.

What Are the Benefits of Eating the Same Thing for Breakfast and Lunch Every Day?

Burgess, Bremer, and New Jersey-based registered dietitian nutritionist Lauren Harris-Pincus, RDN, founder of Nutrition Starring YOU agree that there are some "pros" to this routine.

Reduced Decision Fatigue

Eating the same breakfast and lunch can be a helpful strategy for people with ADHD, older adults or anyone carrying a lot mentally or emotionally, as "meal structure can decrease cognitive load," Bremer confirms. A "capsule wardrobe" of sorts for breakfast and lunch also streamlines grocery shopping, so you need not wander aimlessly searching for what you might make for these meals.

Better Budget Management

Not only does this short and sweet grocery list save you time, but it also can save you money, since you won’t be adding several extra items to your cart that you might not end up using. Plus, if financial savings are a priority, it’s easy to incorporate affordable ingredients into your hyperfixation meals. (We’re looking at you, beans and oats.)

Potential Nutritional Advantages

If you get in the groove with well-balanced, produce-forward meals that offer a mix of carbohydrates, fat and protein, "you can hit your macronutrient and micronutrient goals without a ton of work," Burgess tells Food Network. For those with history of or ongoing restrictive disordered eating, such as anorexia nervosa or orthorexia, having a few different options for these meals can help make it less stressful to eat, "just as long as the routine isn't reinforcing restriction," Bremer says. "For example, I typically recommend that clients have at least three to five options to choose from and intentionally rotate through for breakfast and lunch."

Possible Weight Loss or Management

Eating similar items for breakfast and lunch allows folks to prevent a case of the "hangries" while sticking to a calorie level that aligns with their goals. Compared to peers who ate a different menu daily or went light during the week and splurged on weekends, those who have a more balanced calorie intake across the week showed more success while taking part in a weight loss program, according to new research. "Meal consistency may reduce overeating by limiting taxing food decisions," Burgess tells us.

What Are the Drawbacks of Eating the Same Thing for Breakfast and Lunch Every Day?

Despite those perks, there are some cons that come along with the uniformity, the dietitians also note.

Nutritional Monotony

"Each food provides a variety of nutrients, and repeating meals over and over may limit the scope of micronutrients you consume," Harris-Pincus says. "For example, the colorful pigments in plant foods like blueberries, cherries, and broccoli each have compounds with unique health benefits. If you eat two apples per day and no other fruit, you are missing out on these powerful benefits." As a general rule, Harris-Pincus urges her clients to check the following boxes at each meal to promote balanced blood sugar, strong energy levels, and the body as a whole: 20 to 30 grams of protein, 8+ grams of fiber, and at least one fruit or veggie you haven’t already eaten that day.

Inferior Gut Health

By sticking to the same sources of produce, protein, carbs, and fat, you might be shortchanging the good gut bacteria that’s hanging out in your GI system. Science shows the more diverse your diet, the more diverse your gut microbiome. "This is important because maintaining a healthy gut supports everything from digestion to immunity to mood," Burgess says.

The Possibility of Future Aversions

Just like I need a long and serious break from that song after playing it ad nauseum for weeks, certain diners might get the "ick" about poached egg avocado toast after a certain amount of time of eating it daily, even if it does have some legit nutritional benefits. "Taste fatigue is real," Bremer confirms.

Tedium

Depending on the individual, eating the exact same things without much variety could also lead to flavor boredom. Burgess verifies that "this might strip away some of the joy of eating."

The Expert’s Verdict on This Strategy

As you can see, the upsides and downsides are fairly evenly split, which inspired me to cut to the chase with the dietitians. "Are hyperfixation meals a bad idea?"

Not necessarily, they concur. "Consistency can be useful as long as the chosen meals are supportive of overall health," Harris-Pincus says, adding that "a well-constructed and nutrient-dense breakfast or lunch may help establish consistency and remove a barrier to meeting nutritional needs." This is especially true for the following populations:

• Anyone who is time-constrained
• Those who work multiple jobs
• Individuals with certain conditions, such as ADHD
• Caretakers
• People who lack easy access to frequent grocery shopping
• Those who are aiming to lose or maintain weight

"The catch is that your go-to meals need to be balanced, with protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals," Burgess says. (If you're not sure where to start, a dietitian can help you build a rotation that's personalized, nutritionally-complete, and is enjoyable enough, so you can actually stick to it.)

Bremer encourages her clients to treat each meal, and any ongoing patterns, as experiments during which they can collect data, almost like they are scientists in a lab.

"In this case, that might look like eating the same balanced breakfast and lunch each day while varying dinner and snacks for a month, then observing what impact, if any, those changes have on energy, sleep, and other health outcomes," Bremer explains.

Whether you’d like to ease out of a rut or are now seeing the potential appeal of the routine, Bremer recommends writing down a handful of options for breakfast and lunch in your Notes app, so ideas are always at the ready come mealtime or while stocking up at the supermarket.

If you ask Burgess, the ideal solution is a recipe template that you can customize each week. Take a power grain bowl, for example. "One week it's salmon, broccoli, and peanut sauce; the next it's ground beef, tomatoes, and cilantro lime. Both share the same structure, but offer a totally different flavor profile and nutrient mix," Burgess summarizes. "This is a great way to maintain consistency without the monotony."

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