What I Eat \ Food Guide {updated}

01 13

Food Journey

Hi babes!  Y’all have been asking me about what I eat on reg, and today I’m happy to share my food journey and guide with you.  I want to point out, this is my path and I understand everyone is different.  It’s what works for me!  SO… what do I actually eat, how and why?

Ok, Let’s get REAL…

I’ve shared on my Instagram Story that I was overweight the majority of my childhood.  I was very uncomfortable in my body and unhappy with what I saw in the mirror.  From about 12 to 28 years old I struggled with not only my weight but how I viewed food; it controlled me.  And yes, I’ve tried just about every diet out there.  When I graduated College I had finally dropped the 30 extra pounds I had been struggling to lose for 10 years.  How did I do it?  I ate less and worked out ALL THE TIME.  Ya, it sounds so simple, right?!  Yet, food and my weight still consumed me.  I became a vegan when I was 23 – it was brutal… not for me!  The following 7 years I was a vegetarian and finally, right before my 30th birthday, I changed my eating yet again.  This time it transformed my life…

As I mentioned above, I had dropped the weight in my 20s but unfortunately food and working out still controlled me.  I started a food journal, which helped me lose weight at first, but then enslaved me to a rigid and strict way of eating.  Counting every single calorie became my job.  I thought becoming a vegetarian would make me skinny… ya, I really did!  This was before I was educated on food and listened to what my body truly needed.  During this time I was not feeding myself what it needed, eating a lot of processed, soy-heavy foods and working out like a fiend. Cardio, cardio and some more cardio!!  Sound familiar?

Three years ago I decided to do a clean November.  The concept was to eat Paleo, my first attempt at this way of eating, as well as give up alcohol for the entire month.  I was skeptical, but when the month was complete, I felt like a new person!  I had the most energy I’ve ever felt in my entire life, lost weight and was NOT controlled and overwhelmed by the food I put in my body.  Bye, bye counting calories, writing everything down in my food journal, and started to cook all the time.  I loved it!  I experimented with grain-free recipes and began to appreciate whole, real foods.  Since then, I’ve lived by the 80/20 rule.  I eat a Paleo diet the majority of the week – meat, veggies, nuts, little fruit and no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no processed food.  It’s all about balance and when I feel like having a good ole piece of bread, a glass of wine or ice cream, you better believe I’m going to have it.  I usually tend to “splurge” when I travel, socialize or go out to dinner on the weekends.  It’s no longer about restricting myself and counting calories, but feeding my body REAL food and having not-so-great things in moderation.

At the same time I started to eat Paleo, I also discovered Pilates.  I realized I didn’t need to be doing endless hours of cardio to maintain and/or lose weight.  Workouts like pilates and yoga are a great way to build muscle, burn fat and most importantly for me, calm my mind.  I am active at least 5 days a week and allow my body a day or two of rest.  The best advice I have for working out is, do what YOU like!  I hate running so you better believe, you will NEVER see me jogging.  Find what works for you!

A new concept I’ve started to incorporate this year is intermittent fasting.  Yes, the word FASTING sounds scary but trust me, it’s not.  Basically fasting gives your body a longer period of time to rest and recover from breaking down food, therefore burning your stored fat.  The main benefits of intermittent fasting are: increased brain health, lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases (i.e. Alzheimer’s), weight loss and helping to fight against diabetes. Sign me up!  I usually don’t eat my first meal until 11AM or noon and have my last meal around 7PM.  I give myself around an 8 hour window to eat during the day, allowing my body to “fast” the remaining 16 hours.  This process has made me SO much more aware of when I’m actually hungry.  I used to be one of those people who grazed all day long constantly thinking about food.  To be honest, I view it completely differently now.  I’m fueling my body and inevitably I know I will look and feel my best because of it.  I don’t have to be consumed with calorie counting and putting shit (excuse my french) into my body.

Below I’m going to give you examples of meals I eat throughout the day and a FOOD GUIDE of what I eat and foods I avoid.  This is not specifically “Paleo” but it’s what works for me.


Meal Options

Meal 1 options – 11AM:

1. Chocolate Banana Smoothie

2. ‘Traditional’ Breakfast –  2 scramble pasture-raised eggs on a handful of spinach, 1 piece of sourdough toast w/ avocado

3. Rainbow Wraps

4. Paleo Bowl – arugula, cauliflower rice, sweet potatoes, fried egg, avocado

Meal 2 options (snack) – 3PM:

1. Bars – RX , Julian Bakery, Dang Bar, Epic Bar

2. Handful of Nuts

3. Apple w/ Almond Butter

4. Chocolate Banana Smoothie

5. Chips/Puffs – Siete Nacho Chips, Lesser Evil Puffs, Plant Snacks Cheddar Chips

Meal 3 options – 7PM:

1. Healthy Taco Salad

2. Chicken Soup

3. Greek Cauliflower Pizza

4. Chicken Lettuce Wraps

5. Turkey Chili

6. Greek Chicken Salad

7. Salmon Bowl

8. Spaghetti Squash Bowl

Sweet options:

1. Chocolate Chip Coconut Paleo Cookies

2. Pumpkin Bars {grain-free}

3. Pumpkin Bread {grain-free}

4. Dark Chocolate

5. Energy Balls

6. Chocolate Covered Cashews


Food Guide

Foods I eat {Paleo-ish}:

*I purchase grass-feed, pasture-raised and organic when I can.

Meats – turkey, ground grass-feed beef, flank steak, chicken

Eggs (free-range or pastured)

Fish & Seafood (choose wild when you can) – salmon, trout, tuna, shrimp, etc.

Grain-free Substitutes – cauliflower rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, Siete tortillas and chips

Nuts & Seeds (no peanuts) – almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and more

Vegetables – spinach, kale, squash, peppers, cucumber, broccoli and more

Healthy Fats & Oils – extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil and more

Fruits – avocado, tomatoes, berries, apples, bananas and more

Chocolate – dark

*If I’m going to eat bread, it’s sourdough. The fermentation process that gives the bread its distinctive sour taste also makes it more gut-friendly. I don’t have an issue with gluten but many that have an intolerance are ok eating sourdough.

Foods I avoid:

Grains – most breads, rice and pasta

Dairy – milk, yogurt and cheese

Sugar – soda, fruit juice, candy, ice cream

Legumes – beans and lentils

Artificial Sweeteners – aspartame, sucralose

Comment below with questions!  Always here to help!


what i eat

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    COMMENTS

  1. Why do you avoid legumes? And grains? I’m curious as whole grains and legumes have usually been recommended to me, légumes being a good source of protein.

    • They are typically very hard on the gut. If you are vegetarian they are a good source of protein. Since I’m not, I’d prefer other options.

  2. Great info! Thank you! Love the salad dressing recipe! How do you feel about chick peas? I just read they can be gut irritating? I avoid legumes but so love Hummus!!

    • Hi Wendy! One of my fave dressings 🙂 I feel the same way – love hummus! I have it in moderation. The best way to avoid it irritating your gut is, making it at home with sprouted beans!

  3. I love lentils! So I’ll remember what you said about eating 80/20.
    Everything you shared was so helpful.
    ThNk you!

  4. Hi! So how do you keep your milk supply up eating this way? Does the fasting not affect it very much? or working out a ton?! I just feel like it affected my supply. I’m curious about your experience so far

    • Hi Sara! While breastfeeding, I am not fasting. I need to feed my body while I’m keeping my milk supply up! I haven’t started working out a lot yet so not sure if it will affect my supply.

    • Of course, Stacy! I don’t typically eat legumes because they have phytic acid, which binds to nutrients in the food, preventing you from absorbing them. They also are hard on the stomach and can cause digestive problems. I avoid tofu as well because it is highly processed and is packed full of estrogen. I try to eat most of my food from the outside aisles of the grocery store – veggies, fruits, meats, fish 😉

    • Thank you, Johanna!!

      I don’t typically eat legumes because they have phytic acid, which binds to nutrients in the food, preventing you from absorbing them. They also are hard on the stomach and can cause digestive problems. I avoid grains in general and try to substitute with other nutrient rich carbs.

  5. Hello,

    I am just curious to why avoid lentils and beans as usually I was told they have great protein ?

    Thank you for all your sharing and advice and taking the time to reply to everyone. You are truly the sweetest most inspiring mama out here you are appreciated!!!

    • Hi Mady! I don’t typically eat legumes because they have phytic acid, which binds to nutrients in the food, preventing you from absorbing them. They also are hard on the stomach and can cause digestive problems.
      Happy to share! xo

  6. Love this! I know you said you often skip dairy/cheese, but I’ve noticed when you do include cheese it is often Feta, is that right? I’m just curious if there is a reason for that, or if it is a better choice for a particular reason. Also, how do you feel about stevia as a sweetener option? I love my coffee and I’m trying to cut artificial sweeteners, but taking it black is a hard one for me!

    • So glad to hear Emily! Like I mentioned in the post I eat this was about 80% off the time. Cheese is one of my weaknesses 😉 Feta is one of my faves! I steer clear from artificial sweeteners. If it’s a natural stevia, that would be a better option!!

  7. What advice would you give to someone who loves cheese and alcohol? When you do drink alcohol, what do you drink? Are their any good alternatives to coffee creamers I should be aware of?? TIA

    • Getting rid of sugar and processed foods is the biggie as well as the intermittent fasting. If dairy doesn’t bother you you might consider a Keto diet. I had huge success with that – lost weight, and got rid of foggy brain, gastrointestinal bloat/gas and depression. Be well!

    • Hi girl! Cheese is a hard one – I found other things I could enjoy like avocado instead of cheese. As far as alcohol, I try to limit certain days of the week I will drink and not more than two drinks. I like vodka soda splash of cran, skinny marg or a glass of wine. When it comes to alcohol, it’s all about moderation. I froth almond milk for my coffee and love it. If you want to use a creamer – for instance coconut – i’d make sure it has little to no sugar. Hope this helps, Stephanie! xo

      • Hi Kasey,
        Thank you for your story and eating guide! I will definitely try some of your recipes. I was wondering about your snacks – bars and chips. Wouldn’t they be considered processed food?

        Janis

        • Hi Janis! I always look at the ingredients. If they are whole foods, I’m ok with it. Everyone is different – do what works for you!

  8. Hey Kasey! This is a totally random question but since you avoid dairy, sugar and artificial sweeteners, what is your go-to coffee beverage at Starbucks?

    • Hi Heather! I’m not a big starbucks lady, but when I go I usually get an americano and just a little bit of steamed almond milk on top. I try to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk when I can 😉