Sports dietitian, eh? So what do YOU eat?

It never fails. I'm out and about and someone finds out I'm a dietitian. What they say next is typically one of the following: "Don't look at what I'm eating!" or "I bet you never eat _____, huh?" Lucky for those individuals, the following two things are always true about me:
1. I never pay attention to what other people eat unless I'm being asked (and paid) to. I have enough clients who need my expertise that I don't go around evaluating others on my free time just "for fun". And plus, if you aren't asking for advice, unsolicited comments from a random dietitian will likely only tick you off.
2. Whatever it is you think I don't eat, chances are I do....maybe not every day or even every month, but I probably do. 

So on that note, here is an example day of eating from me - unfiltered and 100% honest.



Breakfast: Typically consists of bran flakes, toasted oat cereal, peanut butter and skim milk. Sometimes I might add fruit. Sometimes I might instead do breakfast tacos with eggs, veggies and a bit of cheese all wrapped up and ready to go after I gulp down a glass of milk. 

Workout: Always water...at least 3 cups for a 30-45 min workout and more if longer. Yeah - I drink a lot of water.

AM Snack: Most often it will be crackers and cheese. You have no idea how tasty that is after a workout. Sometimes I may also snag a piece of fruit from my lunch bag. It just depends on how hungry I am.

Lunch: Always includes veggies (typically carrots, celery and/or cucumber) and fruit (typically apple, orange or berries) plus something like rice & beans with olive oil and oregano on top or perhaps leftover stuffed shells from the night before (stuffed with cottage cheese, tomatoes, broccoli, parmasean cheese)...but sometimes it's a good old PBJ or PB and honey on whole wheat bread. And I always bring - pretty much never buy. Buying takes way too much time and certainly not as tasty.

PM snack: Almost always a piece of fruit and some type of protein (hard-boiled egg, plain non-fat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.) but sometimes a homemade trail mix (dried cranberries, almonds, walnuts, cashews, yogurt raisins). 

Dinner: Like everyone else in the world, it varies every night but always includes veggies (often heated up from frozen) and fruit (often canned with the 100% fruit juice  drained) plus some type of protein and grain...chicken breast and sweet potatoes, pulled pork and whole wheat bun, quinoa and black bean mexican salad of sorts; we are also fond of avocados. Our dinners are quick and simple - I either go crockpot style or else something I can make in 15-20 minutes flat (that whole 2 kids under 3 years old thing...). I plan all of our dinners the beginning of the week and write them on a piece of paper which hangs on our fridge. That way I know what to buy at the store and what I'm making each day. And our 2.5 y/o daughter? She chooses what she wants to eat from what we are eating.

Evening snack: Yep - I have one of these too. I get hungry after dinner. It's often something small like a cup of cheerios in a coffee mug with skim milk or a small banana with a bit of peanut butter. But sometimes it is ice cream or homemade strawberry shortcake (a Davis family favorite) and sometimes it is a glass of red wine with a piece (or two) of chocolate. 

What am I forgetting? Lots and lots of water. I am not kidding when I saw I probably go throufh 4-6 water bottles (3 cups each) daily. I am always drinking water and can really tell when I have not done as great a job.

But, you might ask: where is all the processed food? The chips, fruit snacks, store-bought cookies, granola bars, etc....I honestly don't even like some of those foods. But besides that - I find that eating them makes me feel...blah. I feel so much more energized and clear-headed when I stick to real, whole foods the majority of the time. Was I always this way? Nope! I switched sometime in college. But I still love me some chicken nuggets once in a while and there is nothing like a good donut. But it's all about balance. It's all about how the food makes me feel. 

So you see, I'm not an alien...or a rabbit. I don't just gnaw on carrots all day. I appreciate good food just like everyone else. So the next time you see me, instead of saying, "I bet you never eat _____.", you can confidently say, "Don't you just love ______?!" Because most likely I probably do - at least once in a while.

Be Extraordinary,


RDKate