This is the one thing every Nutritionist gets asked (other than the “how do I lose 20 kgs in a month type stuff)! Barring a few people, most people observe what you are eating and drinking all the time. And while it’s exhausting, I get it! I would do this too.

So here’s everything I eat in a day. To be completely honest, this is what I am eating right now. I keep trying different eating styles and foods, so this tends to change. However, there are a few things I have been doing for years and don’t plan on changing in the foreseeable future.

I hope this article helps you.

current goal

Just like with a client, I generally have a primary and secondary goal that I am working on. The secondary goals may change a little here and there but usually, the primary goal is the same for 12-16 months. I go full Nutritionist on myself every now and then to reevaluate my progress and health requirements.

Current Challenges

The pandemic ended up changing a lot of things for me (just like the rest of the world). Despite being a Nutritionist and knowing how to live a healthy life and eat good food, I did find some bad habits from my pre-Nutritionist life coming back. Also, all of us went through a major change in our daily routine. I felt like I didn’t really have one for those days.  Add to these challenges, I got the delta variant of COVID. It really took a toll on my body. My stamina dropped tremendously, I could eat normally for weeks and when I did start being able to eat, I went all out!

Currently, I have managed to go back to my old stamina and most bad habits are out, but there is still a long way to go.

My primary goal at the moment is to reach a fitness level where I can do 50 rounds of Suryanamaskar without needing to catch a breath. I am at about 20 right now.

My secondary goals are:

1. Support immune function: I think all of us understood the importance of good immune health in the last 3 years
2. Reduce stress related hairfall
3. Gain muscle mass
4. Improve quality of sleep
5. Reduce food cravings

my daily nutrition regime

I start my day with 3-4 glasses of warm water. The first one is plain, the second one has lime juice and the third one has tulsi ark or Triphala.

Next comes a herbal tea made with ginger, cumin seeds, mulethi and lemongrass. On super hot days, I have a glass of ash gourd and celery juice instead.

I usually work out in the mornings right after all the waters and tea are done.

Post workout is a smoothie with vegan protein powder, soaked sesame seeds, a seasonal fruit, dates, almonds, hemp hearts and coconut oil.

I eat lunch between 12-12:30 pm. It is almost always some rice or a ragi roti, dal, some vegetable and beetroot or carrot with some green chutney or lime pickle.

In the afternoon, I drink a cup of black coffee or black tea.

4-4:30 pm is when I feel the hungriest in the day. I usually have a bhel with lots of vegetables, roasted chana and pumpkin seeds or poha or dhokla or uttapam with coconut chutney.

Dinner is usually early-ish, by7-7:30 pm. It’s almost always some combination of lots of vegetables and some bean or dal or tofu. On a lazy day, it could be cheelas made with besan, moong dal flour and hemp flour mixed with a LOT of chopped or grated vegetables and herbs. It could also be oven-roasted vegetables and tofu on a bed of salad leaves. Some days it is missi roti with a sabzi and achaar. And then there are days when I am in the mood to cook something elaborate. On such days, I like to go Middle Eastern or Mexican, since my husband and I both love these two cuisines.

Post dinner is always chamomile tea or rose tea or hot water.

This is what I have been eating on 5 out of 7 days of the week. The other days are erratic and dependent on appointments, weekend plans, etc. A few things I follow no matter what are:

1. 1. 1. Starting my day with warm water (and lots of it!)
      2. Light, raw-ish breakfast
      3. Staying completely off sugar and refined flour
      4. Avoiding gluten and dairy
      5. Maintaining a gap of 3 hours between dinner and bedtime
      6. Keeping the dinner light and predominantly vegetables.
      7. Eating my last cereal element by sunset
      8. Drinking lots of hot water and tisanes to keep the body feeling happy from inside.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING

Now I know that the word “diet” seems intimidating and scary to most people. And through this article, I wanted to give an understanding of what healthy eating can look like for you. If you see my diet, it really isn’t that tough to manage.

The secret is to stock up on good ingredients at home. Get into the habit of always having at least 3-4 types of flours, dals, beans and dal flours. Also, get different types of oils, spices, and herb mixes and buy different produce each time you go to the market.

Also, read food labels (i.e. ingredients and nutrition table) for every product you buy. Over time you will start understanding what is good for you and what’s filled with nasty additives. The trick is to never read the front side of the label of a product. Directly flip to the back.

Your eating method is another good place to start. By eating mindfully, you can actually eliminate the need for a nutritionist. I tell all my clients this. Your stomach is the actual Nutritionist, I am just a facilitator trying to re-establish a relationship between you and your stomach.

If you feel this is all too much and that you need someone to guide you in a slow and progressive manner, I have actually designed a program for just that. If you need help improving your overall lifestyle, diet, pantry status, etc. and a guide like this one is not good enough to get you started, book an exploratory call with me. Let’s get on a call and figure how to proceed.