Folks are always fascinated by what we dietitians eat, as if we are some kale deities who aren’t prone to cravings, overeating, undereating, and other nutrition missteps. We are just like you, but I tortured myself with a Master’s degree + worked in a hospital! I also probably love dogs more than you do.
In the interest of satisfying curiosity, here’s what a Monica/Essence Nutrition couple of days of food look like. You should know that #eatlikemonica wants you to pick up my healthy habits, but not necessarily replicate my patterns. Every single individual has unique nutrition needs – that’s why DIETS DON’T WORK (and neither do diet books – sorry you wasted your money there!) Your perfect way of eating 1) does not exist because 2) perfection can never be a word applied to food. There is only your BEST and most ESSENCE way of eating; and of course, investing in a dietitian consult is the only way to know!
#EATLIKEMONICA’S DAY:
Breakfast:
- Justin’s Classic Almond Butter (nope, I don’t portion it. I’m an Intuitive Eater [READ THE BOOK] so I know exactly when I’m full)
- 1 banana or 1 cup papaya, mango, or ANY fruit I have available
- Sprinkle of ground flaxseed
- 1 cup Nespresso coffee + Califia Farms unsweetened vanilla almond milk + cinnamon + turmeric
Post Work-Out Snack
- 1 WHOLE MILK (you heard right) Organic Stonyfield Farms yogurt + 1 teaspoon Manuka honey
Lunch
- ½ avocado + 1 scoop tuna made with greek yogurt + mustard + assorted raw veggies + olive oil + salt + pepper
- 1 cup lentil soup or white bean soup – Amy’s!
- (I’ll sometimes do 2 organic hard-boiled eggs or salmon or another type of fish. I’m NOT anti-poultry, but I really only enjoy chicken when it’s fried, so, I usually don’t eat it!)
Snack
- Fruit + dark chocolate (Theo’s, 85%) + overnight oats (see my MUESLI recipe) or some other vegan confection from my favorite DREAM TEAM stores (see blog)
Pre-Dinner Snack
- Kombucha (GT’S Synergy, Gingerade, half a bottle) + some spoonfuls of sauerkraut + raw veggies (It’s basically PROBIOTIC O’CLOCK)
- Sometimes, hot tea (any flavor, they all have antioxidants!)
Dinner
- Cooked vegetables (usually something like roasted broccoli with Za’atar spice blends cooked with avocado oil)
- Either grass-fed tenderloin steak or grilled fish, or sometimes eggs if I didn’t have them for lunch
- Brown or white (yep. Hate to burst your bubble here – the fiber content isn’t that different and since I eat whole grains all day I am entitled to white rice. Plus, my fiance is Latin and it’s against his religion to eat brown rice) rice, quinoa, sweet potato, squash, or another type of beans (canned, again, because WHO HAS TIME TO SPROUT BEANS?!)
- Sometimes, when I’m feeling like I need grilled cheese, I’ll do:
2 slices Ezekiel toast + organic, grass-fed cheese + sliced tomato + avocado + pepper + spinach; toasted in my toaster oven or grilled in a pan in avocado oil) - If I’m doing sushi, it’s a big ginger salad + I eat everyone’s YELLOW ginger (the pink stuff isn’t real) + any roll with only fish + veggies (sometimes I’ll have rice, sometimes not, but I NEVER do fake crab, cream cheese, or tempura, and I avoid ALL the sauces because they are all salt/sugar/chemicals)
- Pizza night: I eat fresh pizza from Miami’s finest pizzerias: Lucali, Ironside, Proof, etc. and I’ll have 2 slices of veggie pizza with every imaginable vegetable topping + cheese, and a side of cooked vegetables or salad with olive oil
Dessert
- Fruit, cacao nibs, or an occasional vegan truffle ball I’ll make using almond butter, cacao powder, poppy seeds/chia seeds, honey, and cinnamon + rolling them into little 1 inch balls + keeping in the fridge
See? #eatinglikemonica is way more “normal” than you think. I don’t make green smoothies, usually, I don’t make / eat acai bowls (they’re expensive!), and I’m not vegan. Let’s chat more about YOUR best day of food!
Essentially Yours,
Monica