A week on my plate: Nutrition coach Rosie Paterson dissects my diet

Since I launched Fit Brit Collective in the summer, I’ve been on the lookout for a great nutrition blogger to collaborate with. So I was really excited when I heard from Rosie, a friend from university and founder of livingrosy.com. Similar to the way I use exercise to de-stress and re-energise, Rosie turned to healthy eating to find focus and a feeling of wellbeing during a high-pressured job as an investment banker. She launched her nutrition and lifestyle coaching programme earlier this year, so we both have big ambitions for our new websites and wanted to help share one another’s learnings.

As a start, I volunteered to take note of every single thing I ate over the course of a week, then to hand her my completely unedited food diary for thorough, honest scrutiny. I vowed not to change my behaviour, and in fact I was even more indulgent than usual as I began to give in to cold weather cravings. Here are the results…

A week on my plate

Monday
830am Porridge with banana, green tea
11am 2 satsumas, Nature Valley Nut Bar
1pm Homemade ham & cheese baguette, rocket and avocado salad
30min lunchtime walk
2pm Tall skinny Starbucks latte, 2 mini Reeses peanut butter cups
5pm Apple, Bounce protein ball
1hr HIIT running and plyometrics
830pm Homemade Thai green curry with brown rice
930pm Greek yoghurt with handful granola and blueberries

Tuesday
8am Banana
9am Porridge with raisins
11am Almond milk latte, Nature Valley Nut Bar, apple
1hr HIIT conditioning
130pm Baked sweet potato with half avocado, tin of tuna and rocket salad
5pm Handful mixed fruit and nuts; 2 Guylian praline chocolates; 1 satsuma
830pm Salmon fillet, brown rice, steamed broccoli
930pm Greek yoghurt with handful granola and blueberries

Wednesday
9am Bowl of Jordans muesli
1130am Nature Valley Granola Bar, banana
1hr Vinyasa yoga
130pm Chicken halloumi wrap, salad
5pm 2 Guylian praline chocolates, satsuma, handful nuts and raisins
9pm Salmon fillet, brown rice, steamed broccoli

Thursday
730am Banana
9am Bowl of Jordans muesli
1130am Almond milk latte, Nature Valley Granola Bar, satsuma
1hr HIIT conditioning
2pm Sweet potato, 1/2 can tuna, cottage cheese, green beans
5pm Handful mixed nuts
7pm Small glass of white wine
9pm Tomato paprika soup, chicken breast, corn on the cob

Friday
730am 1 Belvita double breakfast biscuit
9am Bowl of Jordans muesli
11am Almond milk latte, 1 Hobnob
1pm Sweet potato, 1/2 can tuna, cottage cheese, green beans
5pm Nature Valley Granola Bar, apple
1hr Barry’s Bootcamp
9pm Take-away fish n’ chips with peas

Saturday
10am 3 egg omelette with 2 slices cheddar, small bowl Greek yoghurt with blueberries and handful granola
2pm Shake Shack burger, 1/2 portion chips, 1/2 milkshake
730pm Avocado with prawns, 1/2 salmon fillet with mushrooms and veg
9-12pm 3 vodka soda lime
1230am Small bowl Greek yoghurt with blueberries and handful granola

Sunday
10am Bowl Fruit & Fibre
1pm Market lunch: Indian pancakes with spicy veg and paneer, Crosstown doughnut and small skinny latte
5pm Apple, handful almonds
30min HIIT cardio
830pm Homemade chorizo pea risotto
930pm Small bowl Greek yoghurt with handful granola

Rosie’s analysis

Brit eats regularly – it’s important to eat small portions four to five times per day to prevent hunger and keep energy levels constant. She’s getting good, slow release carbs in the morning from porridge. Watch out though, as muesli and granolas can be very sugary. Even ‘healthy’ brands can contain as much sugar as standard Kellogg’s cereals –  always check the label. Try Mesa Sunrise and Dove’s Farm cereals for less sugary versions. They’re also gluten free!

Her morning snacks are quite sugary as well. Fruit contains lots of lovely vitamins and fibre, but it’s also packed full of fructose (I wrote a recent blog post on sugar). If you’re suffering from low energy, try a protein-filled snack such as a hard boiled egg, avocado on rice cakes or hummus and vegetable crudités. Cutting back on sugar will really help to make your energy more stable and power you through to lunch.

I always find that too many carbs at lunch make me droop throughout the afternoon. I try to have at least 50% of my plate filled with veggies, some protein (say, 35%), and a little carbs. I’m coeliac so gluten is out, but some quinoa, brown rice or maybe buckwheat groats make a nice addition. I much prefer mixing these three components into a salad in summer or a stew in winter, rather than eating a carb-heavy sandwich. The sweet potatoes are a fantastic idea though – so easy to cook in the microwave, packed with nutrients, and they’re delicious with such a variety of fillings. They’re also much lighter than a standard potato so you won’t get that carby food coma afterward.

Brit’s afternoon snacks are a little hit and miss, to be honest. There’s a little too much processed chocolate for my liking, and there’s more fruit again. Many of these snacks are pre-gym so I understand the need to refuel. More protein here, like the eggs or hummus, might fuel her on without the sugar spike and all the nasty additives that come with processed sweets. A nice almond milk, avocado and nut butter smoothie might also do the trick.

Dinner is overall very balanced – mostly homemade, which is hugely important. Ready meals are packed with salt and sugar: getting rid of them is one of the easiest ways to start feeling better. There’s a nice mix of protein, carbs and veg at dinner. I love that some nights the meal is lighter, without any added carbs. Often we can get enough energy from starchy vegetables alone, such as broccoli. Try to eat a lighter meal in the evening and as early as possible to enhance digestion and improve your sleep quality.

I love that Brit has a normal life. She goes out at the weekend and eats takeaway sometimes. It’s important not to be more restrictive than you can’t sustain it long-term, as you’ll only sabotage all your hard work with a binge on something horrible. A fish and chips now and again won’t hurt, but it can’t become a regular habit. Try to monitor drinking too – 3 drinks in a week is totally fine, but often we can have this most nights, which is far too much. Always have a few teetotal days throughout the week so your body has time to detoxify. I personally don’t drink on weekdays, and I find I sleep so much better for it.

Brit is obviously a healthy girl – you can tell by looking at her. She has a balanced diet, mostly cooks at home and gets her 5 a day of fruit and veg. The only thing I’d ask her to do is monitor her sugar intake from both fruit and sweets. The worst culprits here are often the most seemingly ‘healthy’ snacks, like granola bars. If she cut these, I’m sure she’d see an increase in energy.

Take-away lessons

Rosie picked out a lot of the things I suspected she might – first and foremost the granola bars. My deskbound days can be manic and I all too often end up reaching into my drawers for a quick fix. A nut butter smoothie sounds amazing but is probably a bit of a stretch when I’m on deadline. However, keeping some boiled eggs in the fridge is definitely feasible and it takes no time at all to grab some carrots and hummus or spread a tablespoon of peanut butter on a couple Ryvita. I’m also going to mix up my breakfasts more, alternating porridge with microwave scrambled eggs so I can get some protein into my mornings. Thanks Rosie!

If you’d like to meet Rosie for a free 30 minute consultation about your diet or lifestyle, find out more about her programme here.