What Does a Dietitian Eat? Part II (Day 3)

Wednesday February 4th

• Breakfast - Oatmeal with banana, almonds, brown sugar, flaxseed; skim milk; water
• Lunch - Chicken salad over lettuce; water
• Snack - Mango, coconut cereal* with soy milk (½ cup each); hot tea with honey (about 1 tbsp) and half and half (about 2 tbsp)
• Dinner - Omelet with 2 eggs, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions, feta (2 Tbsp), Parmesan (1 Tbsp); 2 pieces of toast with butter (1 tsp); water
• Dessert - ½ apple

Approximately: 1574 calories (33% fat, 26% protein, 41% carbs); 16.8 g saturated fat (9.5%), 605.5 mg cholesterol, 28 g fiber, 1028 mg calcium

My target numbers: 45 - 65% carbs, 20 - 35% fat, 10 - 35% protein (less than 10% saturated), at least 25 g fiber, less than 300 mg cholesterol, at least 1000 mg calcium

Comments: Same breakfast...that's pretty much what I do. Make a different batch of oatmeal for the week and then eat it every morning. I change up the type of oats (rolled or steel-cut), nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans), fruit (whatever is in season), sweetener (maple syrup, sugar, brown sugar, honey), and flavoring (extracts, cinnamon, nutmeg).

I make chicken salad with lots of veggies and love changing up the flavors...this week I made curried chicken salad. I used 3 chicken breasts, 4 celery stalks, 1 shredded carrot, and 1/4 cup toasted almonds (I wished that I had raisins). The dressing I mixed in was 2 tbsp full-fat mayo, 2 tbsp fat-free plain yogurt, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp curry powder, salt, and pepper.

I love making a big batch of chicken/tuna/pasta/grain salad that I can eat over lettuce for a quick lunch or dinner. The salad acts as the dressing for the lettuce.

Still no coffee, but I needed something warm to drink so I decided on hot tea. I usually add skim milk, but I was at Starbucks and the half & half was calling my name...I love how it makes my drink so creamy. FYI...

2 tbsp skim milk = 11 cals
2 tbsp 2% milk = 16 cals
2 tbsp whole milk = 19 cals
2 tbsp half & half = 40 cals

I only used 2 tbsp so it wasn't that big of a deal...I wouldn't order a latte with half & half though!

Omelets are a favorite dinner of mine. Its a good way to use up left over veggies. And because I didn't have any whole grains at lunch, I added the toast.

Notice how high my cholesterol was today... 605.5 mg (I was supposed to stay under 300 mg). I had lots of animal products today: skim milk, mayo, chicken, half & half, butter, eggs, cheese...the eggs contributed 211 mg each! All of the cholesterol is found in the yolk and usually when I make an omelet I replace one of the yolks with an extra white. But I only had 2 eggs left, so I went with it.

Cholesterol doesn't contribute calories, so its not going to make me gain weight. However, it is related to how "clean" my arteries are. And I eat for health not for weight loss/maintenance (however, eating healthfully can help you lose or maintain your weight). The good news is that my saturated fat intake was within my limits; saturated fat intake is thought to have more of an effect on blood cholesterol levels.

I didn't have enough fruit today, so dessert was an apple that I split with Hil (she NEVER eats enough fruit!).

* The cereal that I had for a snack was created by me! At meandgogi.com, you can design your own cereal...so I tried it out. I probably won't do it again (its expensive, I have to pay shipping, and I can get all of the ingredients at Whole Foods), but it was fun. I went with a tropical theme: dried mango, coconut, multigrain flakes, artisanal cereal, and chia seeds. I think its really good. (per 3/4 cup serving: 131 cals, 2.5 g fat (0.4 g saturated), 25.3 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 4.1 g sugar, 4.1 g protein)