What Does a Dietitian Eat?

When working with clients, I get the question a lot..."what do YOU eat?" Whether the person asking is trying to lose (or gain) weight or just eat more healthfully, they are usually interested in what I eat on a daily basis. I admit, I'm sort of a health nut...I eat a salad at least once a day, start the day off with a whole grain, buy very little packaged/processed food, and rarely eat out during the week (that's mostly because I love to cook). There are, however, no foods that are off-limit to me. I will eat fried food, candy, cake, cookies, pizza, pasta, cheese, chips, movie theater popcorn (without butter of course), ice cream, steak, hamburgers...just not on a regular basis.

So this week I'm going to post everyday to let you know what I eat. Get ready for the Saturday post...its Game Day in Tiger Stadium and that means tailgate food and lots of it!

Monday October 20th

• Breakfast - Oatmeal with pears, walnuts, maple syrup; skim milk
• Snack - Iced coffee* with skim milk and fat free condensed milk
• Lunch - Grilled peanut butter and banana/strawberry sandwich on white bread; water
• Snack - Apple; hummus and whole wheat toast
• Dinner - Salad with chicken, roasted green beans, butter lettuce, and oregano-Dijon-lemon vinaigrette; french onion soup with whole wheat croutons; water
• Dessert - Fruit salad with a little strawberry yogurt

Approximately: 1651 calories (24% fat, 17% protein, 59% carbs); 9.8 g saturated fat (5%), 69 mg cholesterol, 22 g fiber, 1108 mg calcium

Comments: I try to stay around 1600 calories per day, but some days I may be a little lower and some days higher. I don't count calories, though. I try to think of food groups (click here to figure out the number of food group servings you need). For example my breakfast always has a whole grain, a fruit, a healthy fat, and a protein source... respectively for this day oats, pears, walnuts, and milk. If I'm going to snack, I try to only have fruit, dairy, and vegetables...iced coffee (dairy from the milk), apple, fruit salad with yogurt (broke the rule with the hummus...but its still healthy and a good source of protein and fiber). If I don't have a salad at lunch I try to have one at dinner...its the easiest way to get my veggies in.

The recommendations are based on the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) and are specific for age and gender. So I, a 27 year old girl, should aim for the following:

• Percentage of total calories: 45 - 65% carbs, 20 - 35% fat, 10 - 35% protein (and less than 10% saturated fat according to the Dietary Guidelines)
• at least 25 g fiber
• less than 300 mg cholesterol
• at least 1000 mg calcium

There are plenty of other recommendations for vitamins and minerals...these are just a few that I chose to mention. They are also all found on the nutrition facts label on all food products.

I encourage you to visit the Mayo Clinic's Healthy Weight Pyramid Tool (also linked above). Once you fill in your info, you can print out a copy of your complete pyramid and a serving size list. They also offer lots of weight management recipes.

* I found this recipe for iced coffee over the summer and I can't get enough of it! I use part coffee concentrate (the coffee your are left with once its strained) and part skim milk (instead of water) and sweeten just slightly with sugar or condensed milk (the fat free kind has about 60 calorie per tablespoon just like sugar). You could sweeten it with anything you like or leave it unsweetened. Because the the coffee is cold-brewed, it doesn't become bitter and tastes so much better. The recipe says it makes 2 servings, but I get more than that (I guess I don't like mine very strong). And the best part (besides the great taste)...you will save all of the money that you would normally spend at Starbucks or CC's (am I the only iced coffee fanatic that pays $3 plus for an iced latte or coffee?)

Until tomorrow!