A Daily Diet That Allows Me to be My Best
/A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how cutting out added sugar transformed my body and life. The post was incredibly popular with all of you, with lots of views, shares, and questions (in case you missed it, you can read it here). Thus, I would love to share the changes I made in the rest of my diet that have allowed me to put my very best food forward each day.
As I mentioned last time, I worked with an incredibly talented (and affordable) nutritionist, Karen Kelley (Check her out by clicking here. She works over the phone and through apps, so you can work with her from anywhere you may live). As I also mentioned last time, one of the very first things we did was straighten out my consumption of carbs, protein, and fats. In order for this to be as helpful as possible for all of you, I will use www.choosemyplate.gov, the latest efforts and info from the USDA on food and nutrition. I will sprinkle the changes I made for myself provided by my nutritionist based on my age, sex, activity level, and goals. This is what www.choosemyplate.gov recommends I should eat each day based on my personal stats (go to the site and get your own recommendation!):
My nutritionist would mostly agree, with some tweaks. She would recommend the following servings (1 serving is approximately 1oz):
- 3-4 servings of Grains
- 3-4 servings of Vegetables
- 2-3 servings of Fruit
- 2 servings of Dairy
- 9 servings of Protein (that’s right, 3.5 more ounces than what www.choosemyplate.gov recommends, so move those grain servings over to protein )
- 2 servings of Healthy Fats (Avocado, Olive oil, etc.)
When I first received this guidance, I followed the above daily guidelines EXACTLY the way they were laid out. It wasn’t easy, I had to revamp my entire way of eating. I had to plan meals way ahead of time. I was always aware of the eating choices wherever I went. The first few months felt as if all I thought was food and organizing my next meal. Here are some major changes I made in what I ate:
- Grains:
- I was eating way too many of these. I thought Oatmeal for breakfast, crackers for midmorning snack, sandwich for lunch, another mid-afternoon snack (healthy chips?), brown rice for dinner with a protein, and another late night snack was all A-OK. And I just described a good day. There were definitely days were I would have a breakfast sandwich for breakfast and have a couple of slices of pizza at night (both “healthy” versions of the foods). The result of consuming so many grains were many, but to begin with, I just wasn’t hungry for the other good stuff that was out there: the protein, the veggies, the fruits.
- I wasn’t eating the right grains. According to www.choosemyplate.gov grains are divided into 2 subgroups, Whole Grains and Refined Grains. I mostly ate Refined Grains (the white rice in sushi, the white bread in the sandwich, the white flour in the pizza), stripped from important components, especially fiber. www.choosemyplate.gov recommends that at least half of the servings be whole grains…today, that’s mostly what!
- Vegetables and Fruits:
- I wasn’t eating any of these at all! Especially the veggies, I could go a whole day without eating anything green, red, or orange. Today, this never happens. By mid-afternoon I am craving something green on my plate. One great thing about cutting out added sugar is that fruit tastes very sweet for me again…A piece of it serves as a great dessert.
- Dairy:
- Sometimes I would get it, sometimes I wouldn’t. It was so hit and miss. I now have a new love affair with cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt :)
- Protein:
- I sometimes would go days without having a healthy intake of protein. Not anymore! I’ve learned to value protein, whether animal or plant based protein. I know there are many different opinions on animal vs. plant base protein, and I try to balance both of these in my consumption. I now include roasted chicken cutlets in salads and as sides all of the time (will post the easiest recipe EVER to do is soon!). I roast salmon at least once a week, and I’ve fallen in love with eggs all over again.
- Healthy Fats:
- We’ve been told to stay away from fat, that it is our enemy. Well there are some great healthy fats out there with some pretty wonderful benefits (e.g. great source of energy, improves reproductive health, brain functioning, among much more). I’ve increased my intake of nuts, avocado and have embraced the fat in cheeses and eggs.
I got some incredible results! Here are just a few:
- My body got leaner and tighter. I lost 8% of my body weight just following these guidelines, despite the fact that weight loss was not my objective, as it was just to learn to eat healthier.
- I felt stronger, especially when exercising and on the tennis court.
- I was satisfied more often and less hungry throughout the day. For me, there is nothing worse than sitting in a meeting while starving. OK, maybe sitting through a meeting while starving and freezing.
- I not only felt more like myself, but I also looked more like myself. You know those moments when you look in the mirror and you feel like you don’t look like yourself? Try incorporating all of these food groups in one day, in these portions, consistently and you will feel something completely different!
Here’s what a typical day looks like for me (more meal pairings and recipes to come!):
- Breakfast:
- Scrambled egg
- 1 piece of toast
- Cheddar cheese
- Small orange or a few mandarins (love mandarins!)
- Mid-morning snack:
- Nuts, fruit, small protein shake (depending on how hungry I am I will pick one or two of these)
- Lunch
- Big salad with lots of greens, veggies, and protein
- Mid-afternoon snack
- Cheese and crackers, Peanut butter and crackers, nuts, fruit (depending on how hungry I am I will pick one or two of these)
- Dinner
- Protein (chicken, salmon, etc.), a whole grain (farro is amazing, check out my recipe for farro salad here), and a side of veggies or salad
- Fruit as dessert
- Mid-evening snack
- I usually don’t need one after eating all of the above, but if I do need one, I just eat whatever food group I haven’t eaten (Greek yogurt with a bit of homemade granola on top is delicious)
So there you have it. I hope this is helpful as you begin to take a closer look at your diet. At the beginning it is hard to change habits, and I recommend you do it slowly. When I started, if my friends and I went out for pizza I would order a big salad and have just one slice of the pie (vs. two to three slices in the past). Eventually you get used to the changes and start craving all of the food groups. I’ve often found myself craving that piece of fruit because I haven’t had any all day.
I promise you these changes in your diet will be well worth it. I would absolutely love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts. If you enjoyed this post, share it with your friends and family!
Lots of love,
Judith
