What I Eat In A Day

What I Eat In A Day

Nicole Hinckley, RD, LD

What do I eat in a day? I get asked this question almost every week. What I am eating is based on so many factors such as what looks fresh at the store, my mood, the season, what is on sale, what exercise I am into, and what sounds good. Consuming whole foods rich in colors, variety, and nutrients provides me with the vitamins and minerals I need to feel and look my best. Having a basic understanding of calories is important, but I prefer estimating my serving sizes rather than measuring and tracking what my exact intake of calories are. I always aim to consume a well-balanced meal with lean proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. One of my favorite pieces of advice, and something I personally follow, is to cut up veggies and prepare some things at the beginning of the week, so that it makes cooking a little bit faster. It may be slicing bell peppers, making boiled eggs, or baking some sweet potatoes. It is a happy medium of meal prepping and cooking a fresh meal every night that I have found that works for me and my busy lifestyle. So here is just a glimpse of what I may eat in a day!

8:30 AM

Two slices of whole grain freshly baked bread from the grocery store. I make one savory and one sweet slice! On my savory slice of toast, I will top it will avocado, an egg I had previously made earlier in the week, and sprinkle some everything bagel seasoning on top. On my sweet piece of toast, I will spread one tablespoon of nut butter, add blueberries, and sprinkle on chia seeds.

Calories: 460 Carbohydrates: 43g Fiber: 14g Protein: 17g Fat: 26g

1:00 PM

 I try to consume most of my green leafy vegetables at lunch. I typical day looks like whatever I had prepared in my fridge that is ready to go. So I may throw in some massaged kale, spiralized zucchini, cherry tomatoes, sweet potato, half an avocado, hummus, and a hardboiled egg.

Calories: 550 Carbohydrates: 42g Fiber: 15g Protein: 16g Fat: 37g

4:00 PM

I am the kind of person who will eat everything in sight as soon I get home if I do not have a snack mid-day. The calories I spend on the snack definitely save me calories by the end of the day. If I am on the go, I will have whole grain peanut butter crackers that I always have in my purse just in case.

Calories: 200 Carbohydrates: 26g Fiber: 3g Protein: 4g Fat: 9g

6:30 PM

Dinner varies every night! Grilling is my go to form of cooking right now. There is just something about watching football and heating up the grill that just makes me so happy. That may look like corn, squash, and black bean burgers. Then putting the black bean burger over dark green leafy lettuce and topping it with hummus.

7:30 PM

Calories: 275 Carbohydrates: 40g Fiber: 10g Protein: 16g Fat: 10g

Then for dessert I will have some kind of fruit! If I grilled that day than grilled pineapple would be my dessert of choice! Other days I may have dark cherries with almonds.

 Calories: 85 Carbohydrates: 22g Fiber: 2g Protein: 1g Fat: 0g