A Day of Eating in the Life of This Dietitian
In our eating disorder, we attempt to manipulate the body. In recovery, we learn to take care of our bodies. But what does that look like, exactly?
My clients sometimes ask me tentatively what I eat in a day. I’ve found it useful at times to share this, not because I’m in any way superior in my eating, but because it can be reassuring and freeing. I don’t eat “perfectly.” I eat everything I like and follow my body’s cues to the best of my ability. How I eat is not how you need to eat. This is simply what works for me and I’ll tell you why. I don’t subscribe to any trends. I subscribe to my body. And I subscribe to science.
First and foremost, listen to your body before anyone else’s advice. Check in with yourself and explore your hunger and fullness cues. Notice your craving. Even with this advice, questions about what’s “healthy” will arise. With all the mixed diet messages surrounding us, it might help to summarize some of the basic points.
Let’s break it down. First, there are macro and micronutrients. The macronutrients are the “big” nutrients and include carbohydrates, proteins, fats (also known as dietary lipids), and water. The micronutrients are the “small” nutrients required by your body, including vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, Potassium, Calcium, Vitamin D, Iron, etc.
There is no such thing as a bad macro or micronutrient. You can have too little or too much of something but none of these are “fattening.” In this way, there’s no one food or type of food that’s fattening. It doesn’t matter if you eat a brownie or a kale salad—your body breaks down all food the same way. For carbohydrate, this is glucose. For protein, it’s amino acids. And for dietary lipids, it’s glycerol and fatty acids. This video gives a simple demonstration of digestion.
To meet our nutritional needs, it’s important to eat a varied diet and eat several times throughout the day. My preferred prescribed meal pattern is three meals and two to three snacks per day.
So, what does a typical day of eating look like for me? Here’s a list of various meals and snacks I choose from each day:
Breakfast:
Bircher Muesli
Smoothie Bowl
Two eggs with shredded cheese, half avocado, with Pepper Plant Hot Pepper Sauce, a large slice of sourdough and 1 cup Lifeway Strawberry Kefir
Waffle with strawberries and whipped cream
Yogurt with granola and fruit
Toast with PB and a smoothie with some kale
And for me, always a couple of good mugs of morning coffee with milk
Lunch:
Salad from the farm: 3 cups of mixed greens with at least 2 T of homemade dressing, some type of cheese, nuts, seeds, and protein. Usually, I add some rice or quinoa or a hearty piece of buttered bread, or wrap it all in a tortilla
Curried chicken salad with crackers
Homemade veggie quiche with salad
PB and J when I am in a rush with a side such as string cheese and carrots or chips
quesadilla with refried beans, avocado, sour cream, and salsa
Afternoon Snack:
Homemade trail mix
A bar and fruit
Toast with peanut butter and honey
Yogurt with chia seed and strawberries
Coffee Frappuccino with whipped cream
A fruit and a couple of dark chocolate squares
Brie with Triscuit crackers and honey
Bliss balls
Apple or banana with peanut butter
A couple of servings of Pita chips (sometimes with 1/2 of an avocado)
Dinner:
Steak or mashed potatoes with 1 cup or more of buttered mashed potatoes, buttered veg
Chicken, butternut squash, and kale curry
Tofu enchiladas with black beans on the side
Cheeseburger and a side salad
Pasta Bolognese and a piece of garlic bread
Pizza and salad
Orange chicken with vegetable fried rice
Chicken and dumplings
2 tacos with La tortilla factory tortillas, ground beef or turkey, cabbage, onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa
Salmon, artichoke, and roasted potatoes
Macaroni and cheese with a chicken sausage on the side and usually buttered broccoli (the vegetable my kiddo will actually eat)
Burrito with beans, eggs, cheese, squash, avocado, salsa and sour cream
Snack:
1 cup ice cream with 1 T of chocolate sprinkles and 1 dark chocolate square
A small piece of flourless chocolate cake or brownie square with 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream
6 oz Trader Joe’s whole milk Greek honey yogurt with a dark chocolate square and a few strawberries
handful of chocolate-covered almonds and a bowl of strawberries with whipped cream
This way of eating will provide roughly 80-100 gm of protein, 25-35 gm of fiber, ample potassium, and adequate calcium and Vitamin D from the three or more servings of dairy and greens. For me, it supports easy digestion, energy, and satiety
If you need help with meal planning, reach out to a dietitian who specializes in creating well-balanced meals plans. Your meal plan should be individualized and specific to your health needs and your preferences—there’s truly no one size fits all.
While everyone's needs are different, the common ground is variety, structure, and honoring your body.