What Does a Dietitian Eat? Part II (Day 4)

All I can say is that I'm human...here goes:

Thursday February 5th

• Breakfast - Tropical crunch cereal (about 2 cups) with skim milk; peanut butter (2 tbsp); water
• Lunch - Salad: romaine lettuce, red bell pepper, shredded carrot, feta cheese (2 tbsp), homemade croutons (from 2 pieces of wheat bread), sun-dried tomato vinaigrette; ½ apple; water
• Snack - Vanilla yogurt with stewed mixed berries
• Dinner - Hamburger on a wheat bun with sauteed mushrooms/tomatoes/bell peppers, Swiss cheese (2 slices), mustard, ketchup, and lettuce; water
• Dessert - Tropical crunch cereal, dry (½ cup); peanut butter (2 tbsp)
  

Approximately: 2163 calories (38% fat, 21% protein, 41% carbs); 28 g saturated fat (16%), 163.5 mg cholesterol, 36 g fiber, 1348 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: So I guess I was hungry?!? And apparently for peanut butter!

I try to plan out my meals ahead of time. Today was supposed to be cereal, a salad, and a hamburger with yogurt and an apple for snacks. No peanut butter anywhere in sight. But for some reason I was craving it all day!

Without the PB, my numbers look much better: 1779 calories (28% fat, 23% protein, and 49% carbs). My saturated fat was still high because of the burger and cheese at dinner.

I love hamburgers, but I only eat them when it is worth it. It has to be the most fabulous burger ever...NO FAST FOOD BURGERS FOR ME!!! A friend of mine, Mitch (aka dealmaker), ground these himself from beef tenderloin (which is a leaner cut of beef). I have a huge bag of them in my freezer. I probably won't have another one for a while though (and I don't remember the last time I had one, either). Its sort of a "special treat" for me.

While I wish the beef had been organic (or at least grass-fed), it does provide a good source of vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and protein. Lean, organic beef is rated as one of The World's Healthiest Foods. I still wouldn't eat it everyday!

As for the peanut butter, its not that it was a bad thing that I ate it, it was just too much in combination with the rest of my day. Peanut butter is very nutritious in moderation (especially the natural kind). I'll be honest with you, though...I only keep nut butters in the house occasionally. It's definitely a temptation for me, right up there with ice cream and cookies (both of which I don't keep in the house either). My spoon just can't stay out of it...especially coming home after a long night teaching dance when I'm hungry/tired/stressed.