Step 4 ✅What I Eat In A Day
This Is What a Perfect Day of Eating Looks Like, According to Dietitians
There are times when your day can go off the rails, and you have to quickly pick up a sick child from school or have five meetings. It doesn't matter how well you plan your meals or how regular you are with your diet. It's fine to eat the donut or the pizza on Friday nights once in a while, but it's always a good idea to learn how to eat in a healthy way so that you stay energized and your metabolism keeps going strong all day. Here are some simple rules to follow:
Every three to four hours, eat a meal or a small snack. This gives your metabolism power and keeps your blood sugar from dropping too low.At every meal, eat both protein and fiber together. When eaten together, these foods make you feel fuller for longer because they take longer to digest than simple carbs.
Move around and drink a lot of water. Being busy will help speed up your metabolism and keep you burning calories so you can keep the weight off. But the daily recommended amount of calories changes from person to person (around 1,550 to 2,100), so if you're active, you can eat more than that.
Lastly, keep in mind that eating the same things over and over again isn't healthy, even if you eat well that day. Mix and match the ideas in this article to make your own tasty, healthy foods.
1
6:30 to 7 a.m.: Wake up drink a glass of lemon water.
Ashley Koff, RD, a qualified dietitian from Washington, D.C., says, "It's best to break your fast with a glass of water with lemon before you eat, drink coffee, or tea."
Koff says that your body cuts off not only food but also water while you sleep. "Because many vitamins are water-soluble, having a glass before you eat will help your body better absorb nutrients from food," she says. The acidity in the lemon helps restore balance to your digestive system by making it alkaline. This lets the "good" bacteria in your gut grow and absorb nutrients more efficiently.
2
7 a.m.: Go for a short walk.
Koff says this time in the morning is the best time to burn fat. When you wake up and right before you eat, do some light exercise. For example, go for a 20-minute walk with your dog, do jumping jacks, or run up and down the stairs in your house. "I don’t mean a two-hour hike or an intense 45-minute spin class on an empty stomach," she explains. The plan is to do something simple and try to eat within an hour or so of coming awake.
3
7:30 a.m.: Eat breakfast.
One of the best things you can eat for breakfast is oatmeal. It has a good amount of protein and fiber to keep you from getting too hungry.
A private nutrition counseling business in New York City called B Nutritious was started by Brooke Alpert, MS, RD. "Your body digests the fiber slowly, so you stay full for a couple of hours," she says.
You can eat half a cup of oats with fresh fruit, or you can make overnight oats for a tasty pudding-like taste. You can add a hard-boiled egg, a glass of fat-free milk, or yogurt for nutrition. Almonds or walnuts are good nuts to put on top of your oats because they add healthy fats and a delicious crunch. Alpert says that a half cup of mixed berries is a good food because they have more fiber and vitamins. The author says that you shouldn't just drink coffee all morning and eat lunch. "You'll be so hungry, you won't make healthy choices."
Calorie estimate: Aim to get 300 to 400 calories
4
9 a.m.: Drink another glass of water.
You know that you should drink several glasses of water every day. However, it's better to drink a little water every hour than to down a huge glass of water all at once. "If your tongue feels dry to the touch or your pee is bright yellow, you're dehydrated," states Alpert.
5
10 a.m.: Stretch and walk.
One nutritionist at the Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York says to stand up, stretch, and take a walk every hour to hour and a half. Instead of emailing or Slacking someone, go to their desk and talk to them in person. If you need to go to a different floor in the office, take the stairs.
6
10:30 to 11 a.m.: Have a small snack.
To stay full and avoid binging after meals, it's best to eat every three to four hours. If you didn't eat nuts for breakfast, try taking an apple with string cheese or a handful of nuts for a healthy snack. "Everyone should have an apple in her desk drawer," Alpert says. "They're the perfect take-along snack—they don't bruise in your purse and they're easy to eat anywhere." You could also eat Greek yogurt with some berries.
Koff says to remember to sit down when you eat. Eat your lunch slowly and try to keep it out for as long as you can, ten to fifteen minutes at most. It has been shown that your body gets more nutrients when you chew more.
Calorie estimate: 150 to 300 calories
7
11:30 a.m. to noon: Take any vitamins and stretch.
Fill up your glass with water again, and then take your vitamins. "I recommend clients take their multi-vitamin shortly before lunch because the B vitaminsand certain minerals help your body utilize carbs so you have more post-meal energy," states Koff. After that, stand up and stretch at your desk. Being active will keep you energized, so you won't want to snack because you're tired or bored. Koff also says that moving around before lunch can help your digestion.
8
1 to 1:30 p.m.: Have lunch.
If you can, eat your lunch away from your computer. This will help you enjoy every bite. To make a better salad that will fill you up, do the following: Start with dark, leafy greens and then add a lot of different colored vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. Adding peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and carrots will give your food a healthy mix of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Add 1/4 cup of avocado and 1/2 cup of tuna fish, grilled chicken, turkey, beans, or lentils to your salad for healthy fats and lean protein that will fill you up.
"Get adventurous with different veggies every day," he advises. "The more color and variety, the better." Just make sure the sauce is on the side so it doesn't soak into the salad. One that is light or made with olive oil is also something you should pick. "You want some fat in your salad because it helps your body digest fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K," states Skolnick. Always drink water after a meal.
Add some whole-grain bread to the side if you'd like. "People love bread," points out Alpert. "If you'll feel deprived without it, I'd rather you have the 100 or so calories here than risk going overboard later."
Calorie estimate: 400 to 500 calories
9
2 p.m.: Drink more water and go for a walk.
Give your eyes a break from the screen and go for a walk. Getting some steps in at this time of the day will help you make a smart choice when those 4 o'clock cravings hit. "Get outside if you can, especially if you didn't go out for lunch," Koff advises. "The fresh air and sunshine will boost your spirits and stop you from overeating because of a bad mood."
10
3:30 to 4 p.m.: Have an afternoon snack.
Now it's time for the witching hour: Alpert says that almost everyone needs a snack in the middle of lunch and dinner. A 6-ounce yogurt and a handful of high-fiber cereal are a good way to get both fiber and protein. You could also eat a banana with a tablespoon of natural almond or peanut butter.
Koff says that an ounce of 70% cacao dark chocolate is also a good pick. Lots of polyphenols are in it. Polyphenols are an antioxidant that has been shown to help lower blood pressure, keep your brain sharp, and more.
If you're not hungry for a snack, especially after a big lunch, don't force it. If you're going to the gym after work, you might want to eat more or save some of your snack for afterward.
Calorie estimate: 150 to 250 calories
11
6 to 7 p.m.: Do a "pre-dinner" activity.
If you didn't walk in the morning, now is a good time to squeeze in some exercise. "When you're home waiting before dinner is when the munchies happen," says Alpert. She recommends some kind of regular pre-dinner activity to all of her clients, whether it's just circling your block a couple of times or going to the gym.
"When you have something scheduled, you're less likely to float in and out of the kitchen." It’s also a smart to try to include walking in your commute. If you drive to work, pick a far-away parking spot, says Alpert. Or, take a train or bus and hop off a stop earlier than your usual and hoof it the rest of the way.
12
7:30 p.m.: Make dinner.
Our experts say that soup is a good way to start a meal. Have a cup of minestrone, miso, gazpacho, or another low-fat soup made with broth. It has been shown that people eat less total when they eat soup as their first course. "I'd like to see 3 or 4 ounces of grilled wild salmon because it has lean protein and healthy omega-3 fats," says Alpert of the main dish. Add cooked greens like spinach or broccoli that has been sautéed and 1/2 cup of brown rice.
Instead of fish, try turkey meatballs on top of spaghetti squash, which has the texture of pasta but is a vegetable dish. Roll the meatballs in whole oats for extra fiber and spices for antioxidants. Add half a cup of tomato sauce and a handful of pine nuts for a crunchy finish. Drink some water with your dinner. Sometimes it's okay to have a 4-ounce glass of wine with dinner.
Calorie estimate: 400 to 500 calories
13
9:30 p.m.: Enjoy dessert.
After dinner, wait about an hour before having a snack or dessert at night. You don't have to stick to the fiber-protein rule, but the food you eat should have more than dead calories. Several choices: 1/2 cup of berries dipped in dark chocolate, apple slices topped with honey or nut butter, or orange juice ice pops.
Calorie estimate: 100 to 150 calories
14
10:30 to 11 p.m.: Go to bed.
Try to sleep between seven and eight hours every night. If you don't eat that much, you could get a lot of health problems, like diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain, and more.
You will also feel more tired and irritable, and you may eat too much the next day if you don't get enough sleep. Before going to bed, drink another glass of water and give yourself plenty of time to relax with something like reading in bed or taking a bath. Try one of these easy ways to sleep if you have trouble falling asleep.