13 International Recipes to Add Variety to Your Diet

Traveling to a new place can help get us out of a rut — and it can do the same for our taste buds. While the benefits of eating the same thing every day are still being debated, far-flung flavors are increasingly popular. In fact, 81 percent of North American consumers reported being interested in trying new flavors from around the world, according to the Institute of Food Technologists.

Exploring new culinary frontiers from the comfort of your own kitchen does more than just save you the hassle of getting through airport security. Sampling different kinds of cuisine can also add variety to your diet, which can be a good thing for your health.

If you find yourself eating the same foods each week, you might be missing out on essential nutrients, potentially leading to nutritional deficiencies in the long run, notes the Cleveland Clinic. People who consumed a diverse diet, with 30 different plant-based foods per week, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, grains, herbs, and spices, had more diverse microbiomes than those who ate a more limited diet, past research found. Having greater diversity of bacteria in the digestive tract has implications for overall improved health as well as a lower risk of diseases such as diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and obesity, according to the BMJ.

Many foreign cuisines tend to be naturally healthier than the typical Western diet, which is generally heavy on red and processed meat and refined carbs, and skimps on produce and plant-based proteins. A lot of Indian dishes, for example, tend to be vegetarian and incorporate plenty of spices, beans, and lentils. Asian cuisines embrace seafood and fermented foods. A heaping pile of fresh herbs and a bowl of yogurt are staples on the Persian table. And of course, the Mediterranean diet, which features olive oil and other healthy fats, is renowned for being heart-healthy.