The Investigation
As a clinical nutritionist, many people email me asking me what I eat to stay healthy. They want to know how I stay gluten and dairy-free without falling off the wagon and how I keep things interesting with meal ideas plus all about which supplements I take.
I’ve gone through my share of health challenges (and had a health mystery or two as well) and had to get to the root of my problems to regain my health. My diet has been a big part of what put me on the path to where I am today which is being able to thrive after all those struggles.
So, in this week’s episode, I’m revealing some of the things I eat as well as some foods and brands I have found that can make eating a clean diet delicious and fun. I guess you could say I’m flipping the investigation around to me.
Starting My Day
One of the things I try to do each day is a short, intermittent fast. So, I usually don’t have food in the morning until 12 hours has passed since I ate the night before. One of my favorite ways to start my day is a peach smoothie (see recipe below) that includes Whole Body Collagen, and maybe a gluten-free Paleo Waffle from Birch Benders with some almond butter.
My son Jake loves oatmeal muffins (see recipe below) in the morning and sometimes I’ll enjoy one or two myself. When I do, I like to add some fat and protein to make sure to balance my blood sugar. This might be a collagen protein drink with flavoured protein by Paleo Pro or Pea protein.
On other days, I might make protein pancakes (see recipe below), some eggs with veggies or baked sweet potato slices.
Lunch Time (on a Tight Timeline)
My lunches tend to be quick. A lot of time I have a salad (I cut up the veggies ahead of time). I usually include a protein like chicken, turkey, shrimp, or salmon (make sure they’re clean and don’t contain nitrates). I also like to include a carb like lentils, black beans or kidney beans that I’ve made in the Instapot ahead of time once a week. You can use canned beans (make sure they are BPA free cans) but the pressure cooker destroys lectins (those can be an issue for those who have autoimmune diseases) so that is why I love using the pressure cooker. If you have to buy canned beans, Eden Foods actually pressure-cooks their beans before canning them so you get the lectin-reduced benefit with them.
Sometimes, I’ll do a sweet potato for the carb or I also like the Siete Tortillas which come in a variety of flavors and are actually grain-free. They have ones made with cassava flour, almond flour, cashew flour and chickpeas, very yummy!
Simple Kneads Bread is also a very tasty gluten free bread option (they’re also yeast free) that is clean and delicious. It does contain grains but if you are ok with grains, its one of the best gluten free breads that I have found recently.Snack Time
I like coconut yogurt because it’s dairy free and I like the So Delicious brand, specifically the unsweetened vanilla which I mix with some Paleonola Granola.
Or, I might do fruit and nuts, hummus and veggies, or a protein drink similar to my breakfast smoothie.
Dinner
I like to balance my plate with a protein, a veggie and a starch. An example is to have baked chicken (I do the whole chicken early in the week so I have chicken for lunch the next day) or add a homemade BBQ sauce (see recipe below).
Another favorite in our house is tacos. We saute grass-fed beef or turkey and we love to use the Seite tacos (they have hard and soft shells) because they’re super clean. We load up the tacos with veggies.
We also like to grill wild-caught shrimp and put it over zucchini noodles in a vegan pesto sauce from Gotham. Or, we might have beef stew, turkey thighs or burgers with veggies.
What I Drink
A lot of people want to know about my water. I don’t recommend tap water. We have filtered water but because we are on a well and the house didn’t have good filtration before we moved in, I worry about what is in the pipes and so we actually subscribe to Mountain Valley Springs which is a water service that delivers clean water in glass jugs. Its a great option if you are looking for delivery and trying to avoid plastic bottles which I really recommend. For others, I recommend a 7-stage reverse osmosis water filter if you are able to install it under your sink. If you live in an apartment or are not able to install under the sink, a great counter top option for reverse osmosis is AquaTru.
My Supplements Regimen
Over the years, I have taken a variety of supplements based on what my tests indicated I needed. My supplement regimen is always changing (and it did while I was pregnant for sure).
Most of the time, I take fish oils – specifically, OmegAvail Ultra from Designs for Health and I also take two krill oil gel caps called XanthOmega from Designs for Health.
Whenever I do a hair test, I am always low on magnesium so I also take the Magnesium Buffered Chelate from Designs for Health. Lately, I’ve also been taking a lot of extra vitamin C and I rotate between the Stellar C and the C+ BioFizz (both from Designs for Health) to support my immune system as well as Zinc a couple of times a week.
At bedtime (well away from when I take my other vitamins), I also take some Tocotrienols and Glutathione to balance my immune system (which is important for me because I have Hashimoto’s).
In addition, I take a vitamin D (dose depends on my lab tests), probiotics (I rotate between the Ortho 100, Ortho-Biotic, and ProBioMed.
And finally, I take pancreatic enzymes and Betaine when I have a meal that’s a little bit bigger or contains a little more animal protein.
Final Thoughts
I hope this episode helps you discover some new food choices and motivates you to adopt or keep up a clean diet. By the way, I don’t have affiliations with any of these brands. I discovered them in my health food store or I learned about them through clients who love them and so just wanted to share.
Links:
Suggested Products
Whole Body Collagen Walnut Milk by Elmhurst Paleo Waffles Birch BendersAlmond Butter (vita cost)
Related Podcast Episodes:
[Ask Inna] Answers to All Your Hashimoto’s Questions
[Ask Inna] More Answers to Your Hashimoto’s Questions (Part 2)
Thanks for Listening
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Recipes Mentioned:
Protein Pancakes
These pancakes are super yummy, filling and packed with protein… best of all, there is not an ounce of flour!
Ingredients:
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 ripe banana
1 heaping tsp of almond butter
1/3 scoop protein powder (collagen, rice, pea, hemp, egg or whey (if allowed for you))
Directions:
Beat eggs, mash banana and mix with egg. Add almond butter and protein powder and stir.
Heat skillet on medium heat. Spread a light coat of coconut oil. Pour mixture on pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Makes 2 large pancakes or 6 -7 small pancakes. Enjoy!
Grain Free Protein Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 TBSP Almond Flour or Hazelnut Flour
1 Heaping TBSP Green Banana Flour
1 tsp Coconut Flour
1 TBSP Collagen Protein
1 TBSP Macadamia Nut Oil
1 TBSP Water
1 TBSP Unsweetened Apple Sauce
¼ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Optional pinch of stevia or tsp of xylitol
Directions:
Beat egg and mix in all the above ingredients and blend together till mixture is smooth. Heat skillet on medium heat with a little coconut oil. Pour in mixture and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Grain Free Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 TBSP Almond Flour or Hazelnut Flour
1 TBSP Coconut Flour
1 TBSP Macadamia Nut Oil
1 TBSP Water
¼ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch of sea salt
Optional pinch of stevia or tsp of xylitol
Directions:
Beat egg and mix in all the above ingredients and blend together till mixture is smooth. Heat skillet on medium heat with a little coconut oil. Pour in mixture and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side.
Banana Oatmeal Muffins
These are great for babies and kids because they have just a few ingredients and no added sugar
1 Banana
1 cup oats (I used sprouted oats )
1 egg
1 TBSP macadamia/olive or coconut oil
1 tsp baking powder
½ -3/4 cup water
2-3 tsp of honey optional
Directions:
Blend oats in blender to make flour. In a separate bowl beat egg and mash banana, add oil and mix together. Stir in baking soda and baking powder. Mix in blended oats and add water. You may need to use a little more water if the banana is smaller or less ripe to achieve proper consistency. Grease muffin pan with coconut oil and pour in mixture. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
Protein Shake Recipe
½-1 cup of frozen fruit (I use frozen peaches)
1 serving (15-20 protein grams) of high quality natural protein powder collagen, rice, pea, egg or hemp (whey may be ok ONLY IF dairy is not a problem for you)
1-2 tsps of Paleo fiber (optional)
1 Tbsp of ground/sliced flax seed
¼ Avocado
Handful of greens (not spinach)
* 1 tsp of xylitol for extra sweetness if needed – optional
Directions:
Blend the above ingredients with ½ cup of water or unsweetened almond, walnut, cashew or coconut milk. You can increase or decrease the liquid to achieve desired consistency.
Baked Chicken with Homemade BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut up in 8-10 pieces (left on the bone) or chicken pieces bought separately on the bone
½ onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp thyme
3 TBSP ketchup
3 TBSP tamari soy sause
3 TBSP white vinegar
1-2 TBSP brown sugar
Directions:
Place chicken pieces in pyrex/baking dish. Rub with salt and thyme and top with chopped onion and garlic. Mix ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar to make the sauce and pour over the chicken.
Preheat the oven to 425F. Bake chicken on 425 for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 375 and bake for 40 more minutes or until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Enjoy!
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