How can this be applied to nutrition? While there is some benefit to eating the same things every day (primarily b/c it promotes consistency/compliance), by choosing a completely different option you are breaking some of those comfort feelings that come with such consistency. For example, perhaps you eat 2 eggs with peppers and onions and 1/2 avocado every single morning for breakfast because it is balanced, satisfying and sets you up to be full throughout the morning. This is great!
But what happens if you a) are out of eggs, b) wake up late and don't have time to prepare or c) are on the road and don't have access to these foods? Trying to be "good" and passing on the carbs you enter into the morning feeling empty and weak. The morning progresses and as you work through your "to-do" list you become even hungrier. Your stomach is empty and constantly reminds you how "off your routine" you are. It becomes distracting. You pass another Dunkin Donuts....slowing...but continue on. What happens next varies, you cave and grab something at a drive through that is, at best, damage control, but does not provide nutrition or satiation. Are you derailed? You certainly don't feel in control and this is typically where most report "falling off the wagon" and throwing a whole day's worth of clean eating down the drain, planning to resume tomorrow.
How can you prevent this? Clearly the first step is to prevent a), b) and c) from ever happening--but that is unrealistic 100% of the time. An alternate strategy is to practice dealing with changes in plans and in the most basic sense--hunger. Many of you have conducted juice fasts and learned quickly how you aren't as hungry as you thought you'd be. Simply picking one day each week to either juice fast all day, or at least in the morning, is a great way to change up your routine and practice dealing with the different sensations your body gives you. If you don't juice, you can simply fast until a set time on a given day and then eat something pre-planned. Example: Normal Egg Breakfast is at 8:00 a.m. post-workout, drink 1L of water after workout and wait until 10:00 a.m. to have a smoothie with protein followed by typical lunch at noon. Simply postponing your meal two hours makes you more adaptable to change and less susceptible to losing your mind and wanting to eat everything in sight.
I challenge you to practice that one day this week and report back!