What I eat in a day

You're always curious, and my Food Freedom plan is always evolving

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What I eat in a day (WIEIAD) posts are popular on TikTok, but they usually involve a “body check” at the beginning (a full shot of the person’s body, usually in workout clothes or a bathing suit), and they often feel… unrealistic? Yes, it’s just one day of eating, and maybe the other six days are more realistic. But in that case, your WIEIAD isn’t very helpful or relatable, is it?

I’m going to share a compilation of what I eat in a day, sharing the diversity throughout the week and giving you a glimpse into what my Food Freedom plan looks like today. (No body check required, because eating like me won’t magically make you 5’ 10” with a genetically-bequeathed abdominal structure.)

Workout and “coffee”

I always train fasted. I’ve tried it both ways, off and on, for many years. For me, the comfort of an empty belly during my runs, weightlifting, or yoga sessions trumps the potential benefits of having some carbs in my system before I head out. Also, I’m not training that hard these days.

I mix a big bottle of water with one package LMNT electrolytes (I’m still into the Raw Unflavored, but Grapefruit is making a comeback, as is Mango Chili). That serves as my intra-workout hydration. If I’m going on a longer run (>1 hour) I’ll pack some Probar gummies to snack on about 45 minutes in.

When I’m done, I’ll make a cup of MUD/WTR + 1/4 pack Chocolate LMNT + sweetened nutpods as I rustle up breakfast. Trust me when I tell you Chocolate LMNT is what your coffee has been missing. Also, the not-Whole30 nutpods have provided a glorious hit of sweetness for the last year-plus, with zero negative impact on cravings or digestion.

Meal 1

I’m not even calling it breakfast, because it rarely looks like breakfast food these days. I’ll eat last night’s dinner leftovers, a Made By Whole30 meal, or my famous Ground Meat with Stuff Over Stuff™. I prioritize protein, and have discovered eggs don’t often agree with my system. So I just eat what I like!

My meal prep strategy includes making a Whole30-compatible recipe or ingredient meal + whatever extra source of carbs or flavor I want to add on top. This includes rice and/or black or cannellini beans near-daily. It may include some form of cheese, usually feta or parmesan—two that agree well with my system. I also sometimes add a scoop of sour cream. If I eat corn, it’s almost always the fresh kernels mixed into the meal. (I’m not a fan of corn tortillas, and I’m avoiding chips in general right now.)

If I’m in a hurry, I may also make a package of Kreatures of Habit high protein oatmeal. Oats also work well for my system, and one package includes 30+ grams of plant-based protein.

Meal 2

Lunch is usually a fixation meal or a Made By Whole30 meal. (I order 6-8 every week, so we always have quick and tasty meals that can be ready in a hurry.) I say “fixation meal” because I can and will eat the same thing every day until one day, I wake up and realize I hate it. This can take many months.

My current fixation meals are (a) buffalo slow cooker chicken with rice and either blueberries or a veggie side, or (b) a mayo-and-Greek-yogurt based chicken salad.

Buffalo slow cooker chicken: 2-3 lbs chicken breast. 1 bottle Primal Kitchen or Noble Made buffalo sauce. A decent chunk of butter (or ghee to make it Whole30 compatible). Onion and garlic powder. Dump it all into a slow cooker, cook on high for 4 hours, shred in the sauce, enjoy all week.

My chicken salad recipe isn’t really a recipe, in that I don’t measure anything out. I do use about a cup of mayo + Greek yogurt as the base, and it’s like 3/4 yogurt, 1/4 mayo. Right now I’m adding grapes, celery, green onion, slivered almonds, and dill. I buy 2 lbs of pre-cooked shredded chicken at Sprouts to make it even easier.

I may also just heat a fresh Made By Whole30 meal, because that gives me some variety and takes no time to cook or clean up after.

Mini-meal

I always eat a mini-meal around 3 PM, both for the extra protein and because I get hungry. This is also almost always the same meal, because I love not-change. Currently it’s two Chomps snack sticks (I vary the flavor), and either carrot sticks with Ithaca hummus or a little dried mango with pistachios. The meat sticks are always present, but the sides tend to change. (Not long ago, it was a crisp Granny Smith apple with peanut butter, because PB works so much better in my system than almond butter.)

Dinner

This is the meal in which we have the most variety, but also the lightest meal of my day. We also eat early (like 5:30 PM) because Brandon and I have both figured out that allowing lots of time between dinner and bed makes for much better sleep.

I may make a Whole30 recipe, always building it big enough for leftovers. My husband often grills burgers (beef or chicken) and makes a pile of veggies and rice. Twice a week (ish), we order DoorDash because nobody feels like cooking. We have a few go-to spots here, including official Whole30 menus at Chipotle and Vessel Kitchen.

Our DoorDash meals look a lot like our home-cooked meals, in that they’re protein, veggies, rice, and some kind of sauce. Feeling amazing > > > burgers and fries 99% of the time, if that makes me boring OH WELL. (Although if I feel like a burger, I’ll order the Santa Barbara Char in a lettuce wrap from Habit Burger—always with fries.)

My food freedom

Coming back from book tour in August, I felt like doo-doo. It wasn’t that I ate poorly on the road; I was able to find lots of meals that look a lot like what I described above. It was more all the sitting, the lack of sleep, the stress of travel, and being out of my normal morning routine. (I didn’t get to work out much, because I had so many super-early flights.)

Upon returning home, I spent a few days comfort eating, which I do not regret. For me, this looks like ordering said burger and fries; getting a bagel slathered with cream cheese from the new place down the street; heading downtown for that fried chicken salad and biscuit I love; and demolishing a few bags of cheddar cheese rice cakes and Sour Cream and Cheddar Baked Ruffles. (God, I love those.)

However, I quickly decided I wanted to feel better again, which is when my “is it worth it?” tightened up significantly. Right now, I’m not doing any chips or rice cakes. They fill me up, but don’t make me feel very good. I’m not doing any dessert or ice cream—I just don’t want it. I’m not eating any gluten, because my face broke out significantly after the bagel, fried chicken, and biscuit, and I hate it when that happens. (That’s the ONLY reason I strictly avoid gluten during a book tour or around other events.)

I’m still eating my food freedom staples—hummus, rice, oats, peanut butter, certain beans, certain cheeses, Greek yogurt, flavored LMNT. But the bulk of my meals have a Whole30-compatible base, and I’m rarely eating what some would call “fun” foods. Which, in fact, is exactly what is bringing me great joy, comfort, and energy as I settle back into running, hiking, working out, and sleeping like a baby—with clear and glowing skin.

YMMV

Your mileage will vary, for three very important reasons:

1. Your body is not my body

2. Your context (activity levels, health, goals, stress levels) is not my context

3. Your Food Freedom plan won’t look exactly like my Food Freedom plan

When I share these, I do so with the intention of sharing my thought process, not the specifics. (Although maybe you will draw inspiration from some of my specific meals!) I also like to demonstrate how my Food Freedom plan evolves based on what I’m doing, how I’m feeling, and how I know certain foods impact me. It’s been 15 years since my first Whole30, and I’m still using my elimination and reintroduction learnings to successfully answer, “Is it worth it?” and “Do I want it?” every damn day.

Feels like a decent trade-off for 45-ish days of self-experimentation, doesn’t it?

XO, MU