When I tell people that I’m on a sugar-free diet and have completely cut out processed foods, including regular flour, sooner or later I am asked “What do you eat?” It is a fair question. Most of us don’t realise how much of our eating behaviour is just habit. And out of habit we don’t even notice other dishes and foods out there! So 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 in the morning.
Ever since I discovered healthy carbs and figured out how to let eating healthy be easy, I have a Musli with wholegrain cereal and seeds for breakfast. I usually add an apple and a banana to the milk or yoghurt. And that’s my perfect start into the day.
Lunch
Lunch is usually my “strategic” meal, meaning it’s the time of day when I eat food that contains the nutrients (vitamins, minerals and especiall healthy fats) my body needs. Just to be clear, I am not forcing myself to eat food I dislike. Instead, I simply looked up lists of vegetables and fruits with the nutrients I needed, like Omega-3 fatty acids, and then picked the ones I like.
My typical lunch is a carrot, a celery stalk, walnuts and a piece of cheese. Sometimes I have an omelette or a flour-less bread with butter. Then there is always dessert, like Chia Orange Muffins, a Chocolate Lemon Swirl or Chia Chocolate Pudding, with a cup of tea. Delicious!
Dinner
What I have for dinner depends on my appetite and hunger. I love intuitive eating and decide during the day what I will cook in the evening. A must-have is either a large mixed salad, anti-pasti or fermented vegetables, like Sauerkraut. I also enjoy pickles.
Dinner is my warm meal. I have developed various techniques to ensure that I can eat a home-cooked meal every day. Sometimes I have pizza, or 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.
Then there’s dessert again. Yes, really! If I had fruit for lunch I might have some Chia Chocolate Pudding for dinner or the other way around. Sometimes I’ll eat one of my chocolate bars. When I need even more chocolate, I’ll have some hot chocolate to go with it. I love chocolate.
And that’s what I eat in a day. When I tell people that I no longer eat sugar and processed foods, I often get pitying looks. This is now hilarious to me and I try not to smile because before I went on my culinary health adventure and changed my relationship with food, I didn’t know either.
I had no idea I could eat healthy and delicious meals every day. I didn’t know I would end up eating dessert twice a day, look better and, best of all, feel better than ever before. Eating healthy is just a habit and developing mine was one of the best changes I ever made in my life.