Your brain is lazy. (Everyone’s brain is lazy.) It wants to lie there like a lizard in the sun instead of actually working. That’s one of the reasons why you make the same old meals week after week when you could try a new recipe every night for the rest of your life and still not get to the end of all the cookbooks on your shelf. To give your brain a kick in the pants, go ahead and try something new. If you eat a lot of Italian, make something Thai. You’ll more fully engage your brain figuring out a new recipe, working with different ingredients, and learning new cooking skills and techniques. Plus, eating a variety of foods prepared in a variety of ways helps make sure your brain is getting the whole range of micro nutrients it needs.