What I Eat \ Food Guide {updated}

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.

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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

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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!

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