When I tell people that I’m on a sugar-free low-carb diet and have completely cut out processed foods, including white flour, at some point I get the question “What do you eat?” It is a fair question. Most of us don’t realise how much of our eating behaviour is just out of habit. And out of habit we don’t even notice other dishes and foods out there! In case you were wondering the same, here’s what I eat on a normal day.
Brunch
Three weeks out of four I do intermittent fasting, meaning there are between 14-16 hours between dinner and my first meal the next day. I usually eat around 10 or 11 in the morning.
This is the only “strategic” meal I eat. By that I mean I learned about the nutrients my body needs (vitamins, minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids) and how much fatty food I had to eat to feel full. Then I cross-checked that with a list of food items that fit the bill and picked the ones I like.
So there’s a carrot, a celery stalk, olives, nuts (walnuts for Omega-3 fatty acids, almonds and salted peanuts for funsies) and a piece of cheese. For dessert, I either have some Chia Chocolate Pudding or Cottage Cheese Quark with whatever fruit I have at home.
Tea Time
Yes, I drink a cup of tea with cake or a cookie, like the Apple Cookie in the picture, every day if I’m at home. My favourite tea is Rooibos. Recently, I also discovered Hibiscus tea. Delicious!
Dinner
I eat a large salad every single day with my dinner. I am very lucky to have a local market in walking-distance because the salad and tomatoes are delicious! Entire heads of salads have higher nutritional values than the pre-packed, washed and chopped versions. Yes, they might be more convenient but washing a few salad leaves and taring them into pieces (no, I don’t bother with a knife) really does not take that long, especially once you’ve turned it into a new habit.
Dinner is my cooked meal. I cook several times a week and try to cook two meals at once so I can have left-overs the next day. Easy does it! What I cook varies greatly and depends on my mood and how much time I have.
Sometimes I have pizza, sometimes Zucchini with Tomato Sauce and when I’m in a real hurry or tired and can’t be bothered I eat my go-to comfort food, an omelette. During carb-up week I have might have some quinoa or the dish you see above: sweet potatoes and mushrooms fried in an airfryier with some guacamole.
Then there’s dessert again. Yes, really! If I didn’t eat my fruit for brunch I’ll have it now. If I had fruit for lunch I might have some Chia Chocolate Pudding or I’ll eat one of my chocolate bars. When I need even more chocolate, I’ll have some hot chocolate too. I go through a lot of cocoa powder.
And that’s what I eat in a day. The most hilarious part is that people will often look at me pityingly when I try to explain what I eat because they assume I force myself. They couldn’t be further wrong. Even my strategic meal contains only food I enjoy eating.
Oh, and did I mention that I eat dessert 3 times a day?