An authentic week of eating
Choosing to be mindful of what we eat is not disordered eating. Let’s just start there!
Nutrition for energy and focus
Nutrition for medicine
Nutrition for hormonal balance
Nutrition for a lean body and great hydrated skin
Nutrition for mental health
Nutrition for joy
I try and keep all of these things in mind when I am deciding on my days nutrition. I roughly plan out the day the night before. Having some structure and being prepared are key to making healthy choices. Don’t wait until your starving to blindly look for a food fix.
I may ruffle some feathers when I say that today we are too quick to cancel hard things. It’s not easy in today’s society to eat well. A majority of the grocery store is packaged processed foods. Organic is too expensive for too many americans and drum roll……body acceptance has gotten a little questionable 😳
Most disease is a repercussion of inflammation in our bodies. We have a lot of power to control that by what we eat. I lost my dad 18 years ago to diabetes so taking care of my body is close to my heart. I’m 46 years old and not ashamed to admit that you wouldn’t guess that. DOES IT TAKE EFFORT? Of course it does. The way I feel mentally and the energy I have to show up for myself and children on a daily basis is the driving force behind my nutritional choices……my physical appearance is a biproduct of this!
What a typical week looks like for me………..
My diet does not fluctuate too much from what I’m sharing from week to week. Consistency is key!
disclaimer…we are all bioindividual. Each of us should have a unique diet. Our bodies will tell us what is working!
Credentials… I have bachelors degrees in Biology and Psychology from the Univerisity Of Colorado and have certifications to be a licenced nutritionist from The Institute of Integrative Nutrition. In addition I am a mother of 3 with a lifetime of experiencing what works and what doesn’t.
Please keep in mind that my body and hormones at 46 are individual to me but I feel that my nutritional habits could be beneficial to anyone feeling fatigue, discouraged with other diets /lack of results and hormonal imbalances.
First thing you read when you google the concept of eating less…
Eating less does give you more energy for one simple reason. The more food you eat. The longer it takes your body to break it down, digesting food is one of the most taxing jobs your body has to do in terms of energy consumption.
Now visualize this concept and throw in heavily processed foods your body doesn’t recognize or foods that aren’t necessarily “bad” but you’ve noticed make you lethargic or give your blood sugar a roller coaster ride. I cannot tell each of you what these foods are but chances are you already know and if not then start making a mental note of how you feel after eating.
If you are on social media then I’m sure you have seen a lot of “ What I eat in a Day's” …. things to keep in mind because I see girls eating a heck of a lot of food throughout the day to have the bodies they do.
Age matters!! Younger people will typically require more calories but everyone is different.
They’re endorcing products
Using food for content but they don’t eat that way normally
I see a whole lot of snacking going on. I firmly believe in giving our bodies adequate time between meals to fully digest and use for energy.
the past few weeks I have been in between homes and living in a hotel. I have a small kitchen but I’m not cooking as much as I’d like to.
A Typical day. I don’t vary from this too much
Water and SEED probiotics https://seed.com/daily-synbiotic Code JenL15 for 10 percent off
2 cups of coffee with silk vanilla soy creamer ( being honest because I luv it but it’s not recommended ) I alternate with organic half/half, pure vanilla extract and monk fruit sugar all whisked together 😋
Liposomal vitamin c from Erewhon https://shipping.erewhonmarket.com/products/liposomal-vitamin-c, Cymbioitica Golden Mind and B12, B6 drops https://cymbiotika.com/
Smoothie from Earthbar ( in my gym so most convenient ) POST workout!!!!!
Other favorite spots include Kreation. Sunlife Organics and Juice Crafters.
Muscle Up is my favorite!
I will add creatine to it and alternate for whey protein every other smoothie. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/whey-vs-plant-protein
Flax Master
Maca is great regulating hormones especially for PMS symptoms. https://floliving.com/blog/maca-hormones
The Genius Smoothie ( off menu but ask! They definitely need to keep this as a staple!!! )
Max is an evidence based wellness advocate who priortizes protein. TBH a big influence for me in adding red meat back into my diet and I’ve never felt better.
Smoothie info- to create at home https://earthbar.com/pages/max
I developed these recipes for myself and a client who was doing a detox. The recipes with the * are targeted more towards cleansing. They aren’t too filling. I specified non dairy milk but I actually have nothing against dairy milk if it doesn’t bother you as long as it’s organic. I’ll alternate. I quit drinking oat milk. It was hard to give up but there is too much evidence out there that its really not too good for us. https://rachaelsgoodeats.com/3-reasons-why-i-dont-drink-oat-milk/
I like Malk Milks https://malkorganics.com/
Three Trees https://www.threetrees.com/
Use any protein protein you like! My Metaboloism powder is by Sakara. It’s one of their top sellers. Its smooth and chocolatey 😋 https://www.sakara.com/?utm_source=pepperjam&utm_medium=affiliate&publisherId=237645&clickId=4428647046 Code XOJENL
I also add creatine to my smoothies or I love the packets on their own from Cymbiotika https://cymbiotika.com/collections/athletes/products/creatine
Another game changer for hormones resulting in thicker hair and radient skin is adding collagen. My top choice is by Agent Nateur. https://www.instagram.com/agentnateur/ The founder Jena goes above and beyond in resourcing the best ingredients in literally the world!
Holi Mane ( co-created with Dr. Will Cole https://www.instagram.com/drwillcole/
Pay attention to calories and sugar when it comes to smoothies. The higher the calorie count typically the higher grams in sugar. I aim for under 700. * Remember these are “meal replacements” Do not drink a smoothie then eat a meal too 🤪 . Especially as I have gotten older, I prefer smoothies during the day and eat a larger meal in the evening. They keep me nourished, hydrated and full of energy. I’m being authentic and truthful! Too much eating during the day makes me tired. If you are in your 20’s reading this then this may not be the case for you at all!
Snacks
I’m not trying to villanize every protein “wellness” bar on the market because there are some good ones but through trial and error, I find that most spike my blood sugar. Therefore crash and burn for me.
Call me crazy but I turned to real simple foods instead.
Example-
Morning coffees
Post workout smoothie
2 hard boiled eggs a couple hours later or a palm sized amount of grilled chicken or steak. I often buy from Erewhon but I know that I can do this much more economically and need to start doing so. But convenience is KEY!! If you have every intention of meal prepping this stuff but don’t actually do it then buy it already done for you so you make the healthy choice with ease.
I don’t always have the midday snack. If I am hungry then I will….simple as that. By midday I pretty much mean around noon because I get up at 5:30!
Chicken Meatballs
40 grams of protein but I usually eat half the portion…so basically 2 days worth here.
Late afternoon
I treat myself to a matcha. This doesnt mean a sugary one from Starbucks. I either make myself with Sun Goddess Matcha from Pique https://www.piquelife.com/?rfsn=6395851.1357446&utm_source=affiliate code Jenlu14….. Or I buy one sweetened with one pump of vanilla. I absolutely love using Macadamia Nut milk and Alfreds coffee uses it so I typically go there. I highly recommend macadamia nut milk over almond. It doesn’t taste nutty and has a lot of nutrients. At home I whisk the milk with a little monk fruit sweetener and vanilla extract.
Dinner
This is a build your own salad bowl from SweetGreen. This is what about 75 percent of my dinners look like. I’m literally missing nothing here.
What I aim for with dinner. You’ll never hear me saying that I measure out the calories or weigh my food etc… I haven’t a clue how many calories are shown here. What I do know is it’s full of nutrient dense ingredients and because I eat so little during the day then I really get it all in at night.
More dinners I had last week
SugarFish box… the medium sized one. If you are unfamilar with Sugarfish then check out the menu to see what I’m actually eating. Sushi can get pretty caloric and full of nonsense.
A combo plate from Erewhon- One piece of baked simple salmon no sauces, japanese sweet potatoes, mighty greens salad. Portion controlled!!!
A burger with fries from https://www.tesserestaurant.com/
* honestly speaking…I worked out crazy hard this day and was very hungry plus PMS. This is not an every week meal.
But she doesn’t eat breakfast 🤭
I actually quit eating breakfast about 6 months ago. I suppose I can consider my post workout smoothie breakfast. This has ZERO to do with reducing calories and everything to do with aiming for the most energy I can get throughout the day. A breakfast of champions consists of eggs which offer a perfect ratio of nutrients naturally so I try and incorporate them into my diet as snacks. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-reasons-why-eggs-are-the-healthiest-food-on-the-planet
Dessert
I have a “trained” sweet tooth. Sweets are an area that all of us need to be more rigid about. I’ve always loved me some baked goods 😋 . Honestly speaking though, drastically reducing dessert food should be a top priorty.
If you have followed me then you know I had a very long battle with addiction. Guess what…sugar is addicting ( in case you’ve been living under a rock ) I opted to not replace alcohol ( tons of sugar) with candy and other sugary foods. I went through a holistic rehab years ago that stressed this philosophy. Our brains don’t recognise the differnce between the cookies and the wine. We just stay in craving mode. By focusing more on adding in nutrient dense food while getting sober, I eliminated the cravings for alcohol much faster with a better shot at long term sustainability.
So what do desserts look like throughout my week?
FRUIT!!! The best option!!! sometimes with a scoop of greek yogurt and manuka honey or a perfect non dairy option…https://www.cocojune.co/
Dark chocolate- I buy a bar and eat 2 squares ….usually Hu Kitchen https://hukitchen.com/
About once a month I will bake something. I find baking therapeutic and I can control the ingredients I use. I love Nicole’s recipes….if you don’t know now you know KJ https://www.instagram.com/kalejunkie/
A Wrap Up
Coffee
Post workout smoothie
2 hard boiled eggs or palm sized amount of grilled chicken or steak
A Matcha latte
Dinner consisting of a lot of vegetables, fats and protein
Fruit or a little dark chocolate
This is 90 percent of my weeks! It may or may not seem reasonable to your lifestyle but you’d also be surprised how easy it is. No deprivation with sustained energy.
If you’d like to send me your “ what you eat in a week” overview for some sustainable weight loss, energy increasing swaps message me. I’m offering this plan right now for $100. https://www.lutritious.com/programs/thelaglow
