What I Eat in a Day

I often find myself in the conversation; listing off all the ways I get protein, no I don't eat cheese, or eggs... and no, not even fish.

YouTube made it popular but vlogs and blogs about "what one eats in a day" are really useful! A more in-depth, break-down, of what my diet looks like as a vegan on competition prep - if you would like to know! In any case, me listing off food items doesn't do this way of life any justice. The majority of the positive feedback I get about how yummy my food appears and how great a plant-based lifestyle seems, is a direct result of the pictures I post - as visions of colourful, salad bowls danced in their heads... #nightB4xmasquote #winteriscoming

At the same time, a picture is worth a thousand words - and a thousand words can be intimidating. To many of us, seeing a wall of artistically staged "foodie" posts, can make the plant-based life seem unattainable - I know, I used to feel that way about food. Well, I am here it to tell you first hand, from a newbie, that it is not. It is very attainable and it is possible to do it while conquering your health and fitness goals!

What I eat in a typical day, on prep, 8 weeks out from show day...

Upon wake up: 1 litre of water, Vit B12 complex, Vit D, magnesium and a Brazil nut (increases selenium for thyroid function). Then I reward myself with an espresso shot!

Meal 1: Mega-shake time! 1 scoop plant-based protein, 1/2 banana, 2 cups spinach, Ashwaghanda powder, a scoop of Super Greens, 1.5 L water and ice. Note: I use a lot of water in my smoothies to help get my 5-6 litres/day down a little easier.

Meal 2: Protein cereal. 1/2 cup oatmeal (measure dry), 2 tablespoons of hemp protein, 1/2 of a banana & cinnamon to taste. Note: This is usually my pre-workout meal. At the gym I get in 1.5 litres of water minimum.

Meal 3: Salad to go. 85g tofu, 2 cups spinach, cucumber, radish, 1 cup quinoa, tbsp pumpkin seeds, sunflower sprouts, sweat with heat mustard and 500 millilitres of water. Note: This is my typical post-gym meal. I eat it at the gym as soon as I am done. I chop everything very finely including the spinach so it digests easily. I find quinoa is a good carb/protein to use because it tastes great cold - unlike soggy sweet potato or hard as a rock, rice.

Meal 4: Another Mega-Shake! 2 cups of spinach, 1 scoop of plant-based protein, 1/2 a banana, 1 litre water and ice.

Meal 5: Lettuce wraps. 2 cups of spinach, 2 oz of asparagus, 1/3 cup cucumber, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, red onion, 1 tablespoon of medium salsa, 1/2 tbsp pumpkin seeds and a few baked peas. The filling is a blend of 1/2 cup black beans, 1/2 cup cauliflower, 1 oz portobello mushroom, 15g beets, Sriracha hot sauce to taste, 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard and 500 millilitres of H2O. Note: This is my "dinner". It either takes the shape of something well thought out or something on the fly. Tonight we took Air Aly into Fridgeland, where we randomly made stops at whatever was lingering around, unused from the previous meals. The awesome thing about plants is they taste and look great all thrown together in a big, beautiful, mess!

Meal 6: Who am I kidding, this is dessert people! 2 corn cakes, 1 tablespoon of sunflower seed butter, 1/2 banana, 1/4 cup blueberries & pumpkin spice.

Daily Macronutrients: Where it all comes together at the end of the day!

Total Calories: 2,098

Protein: 141g

Carbohydrates: 285g

Dietary Fibre: 68g

Fat: 46g

Water Intake: 6 Litres