What I Eat in a Day
And how to find what works best for you
When I first started eating “healthier”, I did what every magazine told me to do: cut calories. While I lost weight initially, countless 100-calorie snack packs and protein bars with one carb (yet 16 grams of sugar alcohols) later, my digestive system was a mess. Bloating and constipation became daily issues, which in turn made me tired and irritable. Despite working really hard, I just didn’t feel good.
It forced me to take a step back and look at the quality of the food I was eating. It was only when I started to understand how the nutrient content in food impacts every critical process in our body, that I was able to look at food as fuel; not the reason for unwanted weight. And when I focused on eating foods that made me feel good, it led to better physical results than ever before.
It’s been a process of researching, trying, evaluating, fine tuning and re-evaluating to find what makes me feel good, and it still continues today! This came full circle my first day at IIN when we learned about bio-individuality, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all diet.
Each person’s nutritional requirements are completely individual based on a variety of factors, including their current state of health, activity level, age, gender, genetic predispositions, lifestyle, physical environment and personal preferences. And these differences in our anatomy, body composition, metabolism and cell structure not only influence our overall health, but the foods that make us look and feel our best.
So while it might be disappointing that your perfect six-pack-abs diet probably isn’t sitting in the magazine on your coffee table, I hope its comforting to know that if you’ve struggled with health or weight issues in the past, you’re not “broken” or incapable. You just haven’t found your optimal way of eating yet.
That’s why I’m a big fan of “What I Eat in a Day” posts. They’re an opportunity to see different philosophies and how to translate them into everyday habits. Use it as part of your information gathering — take bits and pieces, try them out for yourself and evaluate the impact. A food-mood journal is a great tool to help throughout this process!
WHAT I EAT IN A DAY:
My days look different based on my schedule — some days I have early morning meetings or late evening events. Some days I train in the morning (6:00 am), while others I train at night. Some days it’s a cardio boxing class, some it’s lifting weights, others it’s a walk outside. But at the core, I stick to a few principles:
Eat mainly whole, colorful, nutrient-dense foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, lean protein)
Minimize processed foods and sugars (anything not in it’s original state)
Drink plenty of water (I have about a gallon a day)
No counting calories or macros (practice intuitive eating to make it a lifelong lifestyle)
Below is an example of what a full day of eating looks like for me when I do an intense, one-hour cardio boxing class after work. Happy eating, all!
IMMEDIATELY UPON WAKING:
Glass (or two) of warm lemon water
The absolute first thing I do in the morning is drink a full glass of warm lemon water (am I a broken record yet?). Check out Cleveland Clinic’s 7 Reasons to Drink Lemon Water First Thing — it’s one of the simplest things that you can do to improve your health!
BREAKFAST (7:30 AM):
Green Smoothie, Two Farm Fresh Eggs & 1/2 Avocado
On days that I work out after work, I still like to get my blood pumping with a walk or a 15 minute HIIT workout. Otherwise, I have a hard time snapping out of the morning fog and feel lethargic for a good part of the day.
Immediately after, I have a hearty breakfast. I was an oatmeal faithful for years, and still love a good bowl for breakfast (my go-to is our Blueberry Banana Power Oats Recipe). Lately, I’ve been experimenting with Kimberly Snyder’s food combining rules in her book Beauty Detox Solution. The idea is to eat specific combinations of food that can be digested optimally and will therefore, preserve energy for other essential bodily functions. It’s a really interesting concept, and one that I’ve slowly started to integrate into my diet with the Glowing Green Smoothie (a single batch lasts in the fridge for 4 days). Twenty minutes later, I have two farm-fresh eggs plus 1/2 avocado with Trader Joe’s EBTB seasoning.
This is part of my trial and error process —it’s been about a month and I definitely feel more alert, and mentally I like knowing that I started my day with spinach, celery, herbs and other powerhouse nutrients. I’ll be sure to report back on my progress!
MID-MORNING (9:30 AM):
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee with Lion’s Mane
If you’re a coffee fan, you gotta check this stuff out. I was looking for a way to reduce my caffeine consumption without giving up my beloved coffee. This strikes the perfect note, and has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including increased energy and brain function and a stronger metabolism and immune system.
I now wait until 9:30 am to have my first cup of coffee to better align with our body’s natural circadian rhythm, and that small change has big difference in my stress and energy levels. Read more here: Why You Shouldn’t Drink Coffee First Thing in the Morning, and When You Should Instead.
LUNCH (12:00 PM):
Kitchen Sink Salad
Lunch is almost always a big salad full of different vegetables, seeds and lean protein. It’s not hard to make a salad for lunch everyday, but the key is to make it taste good! This one has a little bit of everything — greens, watercress, sautéed swiss chard (leftover from the night before), sprouts, quinoa (there is a big bed underneath), red cabbage, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, hemp, chia and flax seeds and a big dollop of hummus. I love using hummus on my salads instead of dressing, definitely give it a try!
Andddd if I’m feeling like a need a little *something* after lunch, I munch on cacao nibs or have a piece of dark chocolate (>70% cacao).
SNACK (3:30 PM):
Hot Tea or Coffee + RX Bar
RX Bars are a great afternoon snack. Made with just a few simple ingredients like dates, egg whites and nuts, they’re one of the cleanest protein bars on the market. These two are my favorite flavors — Chocolate Sea Salt and Coconut Chocolate. I have then about 90 minutes before training to get fueled up without feeling weighed down.
IMMEDIATELY POST-WORKOUT (6:30 PM):
Whey Protein + Greens
Post-workout, I drink a scoop of protein (I use Life Source’s Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate, highly recommend!), a scoop of greens powder and water. It’s been huge in refueling after a tough workout and takes the edge off my post-workout hunger, so I’m not ravenous when I get home (and reach for anything in sight).
DINNER (7:30 PM):
Oven Baked Salmon + White Bean Salad
Post workout dinners usually include a big dose of protein (fish, turkey, chicken, edamame) and complex carbohydrates (sweet potato, beans, wild rice). Check out this awesome White Bean Salad Recipe by one of my favorite’s, Crowded Kitchen. It’s packed with flavor from fresh herbs and capers and is filling without being heavy.
I aim to finish eating at least 2-3 hours before bed, and within 12 hours of breakfast, to reep the benefits of intermittent fasting and stay in tune with my natural circadiun rhythm.
PRE-BEDTIME (8:30 PM):
Ginger Tumeric Tea
I finish the day with a warm, caffeine-free Ginger Tumeric Tea, like this one by Rishi. It’s a soothing way to decompress (versus a glass of wine!) will help kick dessert cravings.
