A week on my plate

I posted on Facebook last week how my breakfast choices fuelled me well enough to not need lunch until 2 or 3pm. Many of you wanted to know how on Earth this was possible, and what exactly it is that I eat. You asked, so I deliver. Here’s what a week on my plate looks like.

To be completely transparent, it is more common that I structure my meals so they are four hours apart, but the difference is that if it needs to be five, six, or even seven, I can still function as a rational human being and not inhale the pantry as soon as I enter the kitchen. And yes, this used to happen. My life was once the complete opposite in my low fat, calorie counting, restrictive days.

Before we go on, I ask you to please remember that what works for me may be very different to what works for you. I have tested four or more hours based on satiety, blood sugar control and subsequent food choices. Self experiment will teach you what is best for you.

Breakfast

Once or twice a week I go out for breakfast and most often, to Garage Espresso. I’ll eat avocado and feta mash on gluten free bread with a poached egg and a side of bacon. I know gluten free bread isn’t natural, but this meal keeps me full for well over four hours. It works for me and I really enjoy this for breakfast after a 3km swim set.

If I’m eating at home, I rotate between variations of the following:

1. Brocolli sauteed in grass-fed butter with two fried eggs and two pieces of bacon, topped with fresh lemon and Himalayan salt.

2. My Breakfast Antioxidant Bowl. I make it with variations on the avocado, as I’m working through some food intolerances at the moment. More on this to come.

3. Any of my fritters with poached eggs, spinach and fresh lemon. My Zucchini, Mint & Feta Fritters have been a huge hit!

Lunch

It’s often one of the above. If I go out for breakfast, all I usually need is a smoothie and my breakfast bowl is perfectly portable in a glass jar.

Otherwise, it’s leftovers. Most weeks I have slow cooked meat and roast vegetables from the weekend, and all I need to add is spinach, seeds, kimchi and an extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar dressing. Nutrient dense food in minutes.

I also make a big batch of vegie packed mince each week, which can be turned into any of the following: Shepherd’s Pie with Cauli Mash, Grain Free Zucchini Spag Bol, Grain Free Tacos, or simply thrown on top of a huge bowl of lightly steamed and heavily buttered greens. Again, simple and packed with nutrients.

Dinner

I like to eat my smallest meal at dinner. I’m so content with BBQ lamb cutlets and a simple rocket, roast beetroot, macadamia nut and feta salad. I eat grass-fed steak once or twice a week and serve with a simple side dish of greens sauteed in coconut oil, coconut aminos, chilli and garlic. Once a week my treat is sweet potato chips, with or without the cinnamon like in these Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Chips. I would eat these every night, but a lower carbohydrate intake outside of my recovery nutrition is what works best for me.

Outside of the above, I make a mean Grain Free Chicken Parmigiana I’ll be sharing soon, Cauliflower Fried Rice, or variations on my Green Chicken Curry with Cauliflower Rice.

Snacks

These days I rarely snack. But a handful of nuts or some full fat cheese on vegetable based grain free crackers is what I will turn to if I’m with clients in the evening or dinner isn’t going to be served until late.

As I posted on Facebook today, when you get four or more hours out of a meal, this indicates blood sugar and hormonal control. Take note of your meal composition and use this information to form the basis of your future meal choices.

If in doubt, add more fat to the same meal the next time you eat it. Eating more of the right volume, but less often, gives your digestive system a much needed break, increases your metabolic efficiency, and makes the physiological state “hangry” a situation of the past.

What meal timing works for you? Share below!