Photos: A day in the life of my diet

I thought it would be fun to keep a photo journal to log the things I eat as a little change from the spreadsheet I maintain.  I am fortunately one of those people who can eat the exact same thing for three months in a row before needing a change, so keeping a Food Diary has never really been an issue for me.  It's more a matter of what I call "Nutrition Tetris" - move the pieces around until I find the most efficient and acceptable mix, and then make it concrete and seal it in blood ;)

But I mean, really, how many times have we seen sample menus and given up on them before even trying, because it didn't appear to be enough food, it appeared to be TOO much food, or it just didn't sound appealing at all?  Sometimes photos help so we can see what's on the plate... literally!

Case in point (this will require a little bit of back story first):  After much research and deliberation, I've decided to cut dairy almost completely out of my diet. That might not be a big deal to some, but you're talking to a girl who used to drink a gallon and a half of nonfat milk EACH WEEK.  In my current diet, I've been drinking about 1.5 cups of nonfat milk a day (1/2 cup in my morning oatmeal, and then a whole cup along with a protein bar before my workouts), 1 cup of nonfat cottage cheese (easy protein!), and a nonfat greek yogurt as part of an afternoon snack (something I consider a dessert... Fage 0% Mango Guanabana is my favorite!).  I take care to only consume dairy that comes from animals not treated with hormones or antibiotics (preferably organic!), but you can only trust those statements just so much.  My decision to cut dairy out was moreso to try out the theory that dairy is not good for human digestion, and that limiting it is good for skin clarity and stomach issues (I struggle with occasional IBS issues... no, I am not lactose intolerant, but I am sensitive to naturally occuring sugars such as sorbitol and oligosaccharides).  Further, dairy has sugars, and I'd rather those sugars come from whole grains and fruits; I can get my calcium from leafy greens, protein bars and my fortified oatmeal, and my protein from animal sources.  Dairy isn't necessary.

So, with that said, my normal breakfast used to be 1/2 cup of oatmeal and 1 cup of nonfat cottage cheese (pairing carbs with protein, yay!).  But now, without dairy, what's a girl to do?  After appraising my diet, I realized I wasn't getting enough healthy fats.  The only fat in my diet was coming from the serving of raw almonds I ate in the afternoon, my flaxseed oatmeal from the morning, and my Clif Builder's Bar post-workout.  The boneless skinless chicken breast that I eat at lunch is cooked sans oil in my crockpot each week with any miniscule fat deposits removed before I eat it, so I can't trust that as any reliable source of fat.  And I steam all my veggies, so olive oil is a rarity for me actually.

Because of this, I decided to add in half an avocado with my morning oatmeal (eaten separately, of course) and OH MY GOD.  Move over Peanut Butter & Chocolate, I think I have a new favorite pairing of foods!!!! Oatmeal and Avocado, who would have thought???  IT IS SO DELICIOUS TOGETHER!  On paper, it sounds disgusting.  But perhaps seeing it in photo-form will make it appear a little more appealing.  Don't knock it till you've tried it!!

So, here's my Photo Food Journal for today, May 3 2012.  This is a gym day off so this diet is in slightly different order than the one in which I'd workout in the morning, but I'll address that on a different day :)

Breakfast (aka Meal 1) - 8am

Meal #1:
1 Serving of Trader Joe's COMPLETE Oatmeal (Plain)
1 Tbsp. Bob's Red Mill Ground Flaxseed Meal
1/4 cp Unsweetened SILK PureAlmond Milk
Half a medium-sized Haas Organic Avocado
20 Fl. Oz. Water

Nutritional Information*
Total Calories:  349
Total Fat:  18.9g (37%)
Total Saturated Fat: 3.3g (9.3%)
Total Carbs:  39.3g (15.7%)
Total Fiber:  14.3g (47.5%)
Total Cholesterol:  1mg (0.3%)
Total Sodium:  77.5mg (3.9%)
Total Protein:  11.8g (8.4%)

Snack (aka Meal #2) - 10am

Meal #2:
1 Trader Joe's Blueberry Mini Fiber Cake
1.5 cps Mixed Green Salad (plain - no dressing or anything)
12 fl oz. Organic Mint Green Tea

Nutritional Information*
Total Calories:  105
Total Fat: 1.5g (2.9%)
Total Saturated Fat: 0g (0%)
Total Carbs:  24g (9.6%)
Total Fiber: 13g (43%)
Total Cholesterol:  0mg (0%)
Total Sodium:  196mg (9.8%)
Total Protein:  6g (4.3%)

Lunch! Aka Meal #3 - 12pm

Meal #3:
6oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (cooked in crockpot, no fats or oils added) - free range, no antibiotics or hormones used
1 cp Organic Green Peas
1 Organic Gala Apple
20 Fl. Oz. Water

Nutritional Information*
Total Calories:  340
Total Fat:  2.1g (4.1%)
Total Saturated Fat: 0g (0%)
Total Carbs:  40g (16%)
Total Fiber: 10g (34.7%)
Total Cholesterol:  82.5mg (2.8%)
Total Sodium:  354mg (17.7%)
Total Protein:  42.5g (30.4%)

Snack #1! (Aka Meal #4) - 2p

Meal #4:
Clif Builder's Bar (Mint Chocolate flavor)
12 Fl Oz. Organic Decaf Coffee
1 tbsp CoffeeMate "Natural Bliss" Coffee Creamer (Sweet Cream flavor)

Nutritional Information*
Total Calories: 305
Total Fat:  9.5g (18.6%)
Total Saturated Fat: 6g (14.7%)
Total Carbs:  36g (14.4%)
Total Fiber:  4g (13%)
Total Cholesterol: 82.5mg (2.8%)
Total Sodium:  10mg (3.3%)
Total Protein:  20g (14.3%)

Normally I would have coffee, yogurt and a piece of fruit for Meal #4 and save my Protein Bar for Meal #6 right before my workout (if I work out in the evening) or Meal #2 right after my workout (if I workout in the morning), but today I was hungry and felt like having it in the middle of the day :)

Snack #2 (aka Meal #5) - 4p

 Meal #5:
1 Fage 0% Nonfat Greek Yogurt (Blueberry & Acai flavor)
1 Organic Naval Orange
20 Fl. Oz. water

Nutritional Information*
Total Calories:  201
Total Fat:  0g (0%)
Total Saturated Fat: 0g (0%)
Total Carbs: 39g (15.6%)
Total Fiber: 4g (13%)
Total Cholesterol:  0mg (0%)
Total Sodium:  47mg (2.4%)
Total Protein:  15g (10.7%)

Snack #3 (aka Meal #6) - 6p

 Meal #6:
2 Celery Stalks (cut in half)
1 bag of Trader Joe's "Just a Handful of Raw Almonds"

Nutritional Information*
Total Calories: 217
Total Fat:  17g (33.3%)
Total Saturated Fat: 1.5g (4.3%)
Total Carbs:  12g (4.8%)
Total Fiber:  6g (20%)
Total Cholesterol: 0mg (0%)
Total Sodium:  99mg (5%)
Total Protein:  8g (5.7%)

[I forgot to take a picutre of my dinner last night :P It's nothing special... just imagine and Spinach Egg Scramble with a side of Broccoli and Cauliflower :) ]

Meal #7:
Spinach and Egg Scramble:
----1 Whole Organic Extra Large Brown Egg (Free Range, no antibiotics or hormones)
----1/2 cup 100% liquid egg whites
----1 cup spinach (sauteed in water with salt, pepper and garlic)
----Fresh Dill and Curry Powder for flavor
1 cp steamed Cauliflower
1/2 cp steamed broccoli
12 fl oz Zico Coconut Water

 Nutritional Information*
Total Calories: 267
Total Fat:  6.1g (11.9%)
Total Saturated Fat: 1.8g (5.1%)
Total Carbs:  28.5g (11.4%)
Total Fiber: 6.1g (20.3%)
Total Cholesterol:  245mg (81.7%)
Total Sodium:  500mg (25%)
Total Protein:  26.3g (18.8%)


*Percentages are based off of my own caloric intake. I look to eat 2,000cal/day, 23% of calories come from fat (9 calories per gram), 28% from protein (4cal/gram), and 50% from carbs (4cal/gram).

So, here's the total breakdown - in one day, I ate every two hours and got 7 meals.  I got protein, carbs, fruits, vegetables, fats and dairy.  Even a cup of (decaf) coffee!  That doesn't look like a deprivation plan now, does it?  But yet, here's is the total comprehensive nutritional breakout:

In all of this food, it amounted to:
CALORIES - 1,869
FAT - 55g (108% based on 23% of a 2,000 cal. diet, but all sources are HEALTHY fats - avocado, nuts and flaxseed - which actually help BURN fat - read more here)
Sat. FAT - 12.6g (40% based on 7% of a 2,000cal diet)
CHOLESTEROL - 338.5g (113% based on 300mg target... however, this cholesterol is from healthy animal sources, and is composed of "good" HDL cholesterol - read more here.)
SODIUM - 1,613mg (81% based on 2,000mg allowed in diet)
CARBOHYDRATES - 239.8g (96% based on 50% of 2,000cal diet)
FIBER - 58g (193% based on 30g intake target)
PROTEIN - 131g (93.3% based on 28% of a 2,000cal diet)

Not too shabby! On workout days, I also add in an extra half of a Promax bar which contributes an additional 145cals, 3g fat, 1.8g sat fat, 2.5mg cholesterol, 100mg sodium, 19g carbs, and 10g protein.  It brings my caloric intake up to 1,970cals, and let me achieve 100.2% of both my carb and protein intake.  Fat intake goes up to 113.6%, but no biggie :)

So there you have it, that's a day in the life of Megan's diet!  I routinely switch up the fruits and will switch up veggies when I get bored, although I have to be careful since my digestive system does NOT like veggies, whether they be cooked, raw, or anything in between.  I'd love to add lentils, but that (along with dried fruits) is another HUGE no-no for my tummy :(  I may consider adding Tofu to my egg white scrambles next week.  We'll have to see!