A DAY ON MY PLATE: What do I eat and what drives this?!

If you know me you know I am super passionate about food! I am obsessed with reading about different foods and the different effects certain foods have on our bodies. I am such a strong believer in the term "food is medicine" and wholeheartedly believe so many of our issues or complaints can be fixed through diet. In terms of my own eating, I am definitely a creature of habit, but over the years have accumulated a few staples for each meal time! I love incorporating new foods and then analysing do they make me feel energised, bloated, sluggish, lethargic? I am honestly just so fascinated and intrigued by the huge role food plays in lives, it literally has the power to make our days feel vibrant, productive and energised, or it can make us feel sluggish and 'foggy'.

I also love to read blogs or watch youtube videos on what people eat in a day (is that weird?). For the sake of this blog I really hope you're like me because i'm about to jump into MY day on a plate!

0600: Wake up

This is a pretty standard wake up time for me most days, it differs with shift work but the first thing I do when I wake up is drink a big glass of water and take my probiotic powder. This kickstarts my digestion and wakes me up!

The probiotic powder I start my days with!

Toward the end of 2018 I saw a naturopath with concerns around hormonal balance, food intolerances and problematic skin. I had a lengthy consult with her and we did some testing. I did a hair test with one naturopath, which identified food intolerances and with another naturopath/herbalist I did blood and stool testing (I went to two because I wanted to do a range of testing). Basically with my results I was formulated a plan called "weeding, seeding and feeding" which involved alternating a herbal tonic and a probiotic powder to weed out the bad bacteria in my gut, and replace it with good bacteria (aka the probiotic).

I did this for around 4 months and got amazing results (I have a blog post planned explaining it all), and now I am on basically what they call a maintenance probiotic. I drink this every morning before food and also before bed at night.

This sets me up for good digestion throughout the day and helps me maintain my energy right throughout the day!

I also take Be Pure One (multivitamin) and Three (fish oil) at this time of the morning + if I remember I will take my collagen powder!

BIG FAN of Ben Warrens supplements! Such good quality vitamins, definitely notice the difference!

0630: BREAKFAST

Im a big fan of brekkie and usually I train before breakfast (I'm a big morning person) so by this time I'm pretty hungry! I have 2-3 staple breakfasts which I alternate throughout the year and I swear I never change! Why change a good thing, right?

Overnight oats is my absolute go to! I love the two islands protein by Julia and Libby - its an all natural protein and tastes THAT good! I try incorporate a good amount of protein in all my main meals because this keeps me full and I find its a good mix of macronutrients leading me feeling like a bag of beans! I top it with berries, sometimes banana, coconut yogurt and ALWAYS peanut butter for a good source of fat!

My other two options would be eggs on gluten free, dairy free vogels. I aim to avoid gluten and dairy where possible, because A. these were on my list on intolerances, B. neither of them make me feel amazing (helllllo bloat and lactose intolerance), and C. I get eczema on my face and dairy is the main culprit!

If I'm on a day off and have a bit more time up my sleeve I'd have a BIG glass of celery juice. I do not care what people have to say about celery juice, it works absolute wonders for my skin! Celery has anti-inflammatory properties and combats my inflammation on my skin like nobodies business! And its a super light and refreshing way to wake up!

On my way to work Ill stop and get a coffee (my WORST habit, not the coffee, but the fact I BUY it everyday. SO naughty but I literally cannot find instant that doesn't taste like dirt)

MID-MORNING:

Im not a big mid-morning snacker. If Im on a morning shift I may have a health labs protein ball (salted caramel!!! if you don't know, now you know!) or maybe a piece of fruit. Sometimes if I'm super organised Ill have a kombucha! But usually my breakfast ties me over to lunch without too much fuss!

LUNCH:

Im a big fan of nourish-bowl style salads! I love roast pumpkin or kumara and a protein source (usually chicken) thrown together with a bunch of veggies and some avocado (if they're in season) for a good source of healthy fat! If avo isn't available ill throw some nuts + seeds into my salads as a fat source and for some texture and crunch! I love to experiment with different healthy dressings as well!

Pumpkin, Chicken, Nuts, Seeds and Seasonal Veg

If I have a huge run of nights or PM's where I like to make something which will last me the week I will make something like zucchini pie (which I'm obsessed with) or a pasta bake with quinoa pasta! Sometimes I will bulk my salads up with brown rice or quinoa as well.

AFTERNOON-SNACK:

I like to keep my snacks pretty light because my main meals are my fav and I hate to ruin them! For my afternoon snack I'm a massive creature of habit! 90% of the time I will have my fav choc-protein smoothie (I've shared the recipe on my insta). I know allllll about the afternoon craving for something sweet and I find this ALWAYS hits the spot! I also love to pack this with my fibre mix (I've talked about it in my night shift blog) to keep my digestion working!

If I am training in the afternoon because I didn't have time in the morning I will have 3 or 4 corn thins with tuna on them! I prefer this as a pre-workout snack to my smoothie as it leaves me feeling a bit lighter whilst still giving me plenty of energy to tackle my workout.

DINNER:

Dinner changes everyday, however Beau and I always have a source of protein and a big serve of veggies whatever the option is! We also will have a carb source if we feel like it! We are honestly so boring, A signature dish of ours is steak, kumara chips done in the oven with coconut oil (drool), and a big side salad - Clearly we are experts, move over Gordon Ramsay.

If were feeling extra fancy we will make healthy homemade burgers (LOVE)!

We also love to have something similar to lunch for dinner like a big nourish bowl style meal! I feel like having a good source of protein and heaps of seasonal veggies gives me the most energy to wake up and get shit done in the mornings before training so I'm always picky about my dinner!

DESSERT:

I won't go to bed without SOME sort of dessert like, ever. Dessert is literally my middle name. Almost every week I will prepare some sort of dessert, be that a brownie, caramel slice or muffins made with all whole, real ingredients without refined sugar, gluten or dairy! Making them healthy and without all the stuff that makes me feel gross means Im still waking up energised and not sluggish!

Caramel Slice! (Another one from Julia and Libby's cookbook "Nourished")

Cacao, peanut butter, walnut brownie!

Banana Bread (from Julia and Libby's cookbook "nourished")

Rocky Road!

Banana Muffins!

Before bed I will take magnesium for good sleep and recovery and I will also take zinc for my skin before bed as its absorbed well overnight (although it can cause nausea on an empty stomach so always make sure I get that brownie in).

Throughout the day I also drink 3L of water, this leaves me feeling hydrated, keeps my digestion flowing smoothly and leaves me feeling like I've really given my bod a good flush out!

And thats basically me! This sums up my eating most days! Like I said I am such a creature of habit and once I find something that I love and that makes me feel energised and light I stick to it! Don't get me wrong, Im not a total bore, we do eat out and get takeaways occasionally, but for me I see food as fuel and I eat whats going to make me feel good! I also eat to how I feel! Food is medicine and I try and tune in with my body, ask myself how I'm feeling (tired? grumpy? foggy?) and then follow this with what I think will make me feel better! I am a big social eater/drinker and will definitely enjoy unhealthy foods with people I love, and will most definitely not say no to a night out, but I notice the effects of eating foods that don't sit well with me almost instantly. I get bad stomach cramps, acne, eczema and sometimes I even get super moody and a lot of the time I don't see it as worth it (unless its duck island then it is always worth it).

Hope this was insightful and somewhat entertaining!

Until next time,

Vaida