Eating is something we look forward to, a time we come together and share with our family and friends. Most of us have tried diets that required us to eat food we didn’t like and made us feel poorly. I always feel badly for people I see choking down bland, carefully measured out food that isn’t enjoyable and doesn't leave them satiated or downing a chalky tasting powder shake. It doesn’t have to be like that! I fill my day with colorful, tasty meals that are rich in texture. I look forward to eating and you should too!
A question I am often asked is “What is a perfect day of eating?”. What would the perfect day of eating look like? Over many years of being in the health and fitness field, I have tried nearly every fad diet there is: Adkins(High Protein), Low Carb, South Beach, Low Calorie, Juicing, Vegan, and Whole Foods Plant Based. Some of them left me feeling hungry with a headache while others left me satiated and with energy. While this question will yield quite a few answers if you asked around the room, it should have a few things in common…. First and foremost, you should not be hungry. If anyone thinks a perfect day of eating leaves you light headed and without energy, I would strongly advise you to not follow that dietary plan. Secondly, you should have sustained energy throughout the day. If you don’t have energy, you can’t work effectively and it is difficult to exercise. I think we all can agree that crashes in energy are not helpful in any way until it’s time to go to bed. Which brings me to my next point, you should be able to sleep well. Not being able to sleep because you feel bloated, have acid reflux, or have caffeine in your system is not a recipe for success. Good sleep is important for many reasons including optimum health and a productive life, so reason number 3 is an important one. Finally, everyone’s favorite dietary topic is you should be able to lose bodyfat(if you have too much) or not put on bodyfat(if you have a healthy bodyfat already) as well as be able to gain or maintain muscle mass. As a massively overweight society, this is quite the topic in this country. The ability to have a healthy bodyfat and muscle mass is important for everyone’s quality of life. The perfect day of eating should be enjoyable, satisfying and taste good. It’s no fun to eat tasteless, bland food that tastes like cardboard lol!
I carefully designed this daily menu to fit all of the parameters above. I did not consider convenience and speed, although everything should be able to prepared within 20 to 25 min at the house. I don’t believe that compromising your good health in the name of speed is a good practice.
You will notice at the end that the recipes are all from a whole food plant based diet. I have practiced this diet for over 8 years now. It gives me energy to be extremely active during the day(I have a very active job), maintain a low body fat and a respectable amount of muscle, think clearly, and sleep well at night. It is packed and loaded with nutrients and has everything you need to be healthy and feel your best. My clients that have lost 200 lbs in a year, 50 lbs 3 months, 30 lbs in 10 weeks, and much of my staff eat like this. If it didn’t work, I couldn’t afford to do it! I need to feel and look my best and provide nutrition plans that work in order to be successful. So, here it is in all it’s glory, the perfect day of eating. Enjoy!
Breakfast
Oatmeal with Fresh Fruit
1 cup of oatmeal
1 Cup of blueberries
1 Cup of water
1 Spoonful of honey
Morning Snack
1 Apple or Fruit of choice
2 Handfulls raw almonds or any other raw nuts of choice
Lunch
Large Kale Salad
Kale of choice
Carrots
Sprouts
Tomato
Cucumber
Mushrooms
Bell Pepper
Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and fresh black pepper for dressing
1 Sweet Potato
Olive oil, Soy sauce, and fresh chopped parsley to season
1 whole grapefruit
Afternoon Snack
Fresh Squeezed Juice (Preferably from you juicer!)
3 Carrots
1 Beet
1 Apple
1 Cup of Kale or Swiss Chard
1 Banana with Almond Butter or any other Nut Butter (the ingredients should say only contain the nut of choice)
Dinner
Saute’d Veggies and Quinoa
1 half cup of quinoa
1 chopped onion
5 pieces of chopped garlic
1 cup chopped celery
1 cupped chopped carrots
1 cup chopped shitake mushrooms
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 spoons of olive oil
Braggs soy sauce to taste
Fresh cracked pepper
Fresh chopped cilantro
Spicy Green Beans
2 cups of fresh green beans
Saute’ with water, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of honey
Season with sea salt, and red pepper
Dessert
Fruit Smoothie
1 Cup frozen strawberries
1 Cup frozen blueberries
1 Cup of frozen dark cherries
5 dates
2 cups of cashew milk