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How to Eat like a Nutritionist: My Day on a Plate with Lee Holmes

February 15, 2020

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is what I eat in a day. I’m usually apprehensive to share what I eat on here because it’s just so personal and it changes daily!

What works for one person may not work for someone else. But, after many a request, I’ve decided to write my day on a plate to hopefully inspire you to shake things up in the kitchen and try something new.

Eating should never make you feel worried. If you’re living a supercharged life (which we all are here!), food should be enjoyed and savoured.

This is why I don’t follow any specific diet or way of eating. Letting go of a rule-bound approach gave me a sense of freedom and I know it’ll do the same for you. Your food choices should liberate you, and bring you vibrant health, longevity and a life fully lived.

If I did have to put a label on the way I eat, I would call it a common-sense approach. If you feel the same, instead of being motivated by the fear of negative consequences, why not try to implement one or more of these in your life?

To summarise, my common-sense approach includes:

Eat mostly plants
Avoid processed & inflammatory foods where you can
Balance out your eating
Look after your gut
Take an Ayurvedic approach
Choose quality over quantity
Practice mindful eating
Live by the 80:20 rule
Make small changes every day
Enjoy your food

You can read about it in-depth here.

To help me live my common-sense approach, I make sure to stock my pantry, fridge and freezer appropriately.

Along with your spice rack, it a good idea to build up your pantry slowly and systemically and focus on dry goods and staples.

I make sure to always keep flavour providers on hand, including ginger, wheat-free tamari, seaweed, tahini, spices, cacao nibs and coconut flakes. Onions and garlic, both from the Allium genus of plants, are two of my favourite flavour accompaniments to use in cooking. They don’t just play an important culinary role; they also provide a plethora of health benefits.

Another absolute staple in my pantry are grains, nuts, seeds, pepitas and seeds. Grains and seeds are among the most affordable ingredients you can add to any meals. I use brown rice, quinoa and buckwheat to create hearty and nourishing dishes. I also love using oats and buckwheat for my Gutmeal and Golden Gut Oatmeal Cookies. Each grain is versatile, budget-friendly and will last for months if it’s sealed in a jar. To bulk up a dish, add some brown rice to let it serve a larger group of people AND make it more affordable. I love repurposing last night’s roast or vegetables into a fried rice because it’s super-fast, (I’m also incredibly lazy sometimes, don’t judge me) and makes for a tasty and convenient work lunch.

Teff and quinoa are pseudo-grains that have become extremely popular over the last few years. If you want different ways to cook these guys up, my book Supercharge Your Gut, is filled with gut-friendly recipes. I also love a good loaf, like a good grainy one, dark rye, sourdough or this gluten free turmeric seeded loaf.

From pasta sauces to vegetable bakes and soups to casseroles, there’s no limit to what a trusty tin of tomatoes can do. They add a rich flavour to meals and are extremely versatile. When transforming a roast into a stew, or converting unused vegetables into a pasta, tinned tomatoes are your go-to.

Let’s talk pulses… and no, I’m not talking about a Pilates class! Stocking chickpeas, cannellini beans, lentils and other pulses in your pantry is a convenient and inexpensive to jazz up any meal. One of my favourite dishes ever is my Supercharged Dahl and I mean… who can say no to hummus? Nobody, absolutely nobody.

Unopened raw pulses can last for years in the pantry, reducing waste. They’re also really simple to prepare. Once you’ve cooked up a batch of your favourite pulse, you can store any unused portion in the fridge up to five days as a quick and easy addition to your remaining week’s meals.

When it comes to satisfying a sweet tooth, there are wonderful alternatives to sugar that won’t expand the waistline. These alternatives to refined sugar and artificial sweeteners include monk fruit, rice malt syrup, raw honey, maple syrup, stevia and fruits.

My fridge is forever filled with fresh fruit and vegetables, tomato pastes, meat and dairy products.

When it comes to dairy, I love goats and sheep’s cheese because of their flavours and aromas. They're delicious toppers for any salad and make for a great addition to any cheese platter. Moving right along, goat, sheep or coconut yoghurt are a delightful addition to your supercharged kitchen. Use them to create a creamy yet light dressing for a salad or simply enjoy them with some berries and Golden Gut Granola Clusters on top.

When it comes to dairy-free options, a natural nut milk, oat milk, coconut milk, rice milk or seed milk (such as hemp) is a delightful dairy-free option to add to breakfast muesli or porridge. You can even make your own if you’re feeling handy in the kitchen. When creating curries, soups, casseroles or stews or even thickening up a sauce or gravy to pour over meat, coconut milk is a close friend. Purchase non-dairy milks in the carton and store them in the pantry until you’re ready to enjoy them.

While it may seem controversial, frozen fruits and vegetables are just as good as fresh. When there’s no fresh ingredients in the fridge and you want to eat something right away (anybody hangry here?), frozen vegetables come in to save the day. I always keep snap-frozen vegetables in my freezer such as edamame, spinach, broccoli and green beans. I love adding green leafy vegetables to my smoothie to sneak in an extra source of nutrients.

Speaking of smoothies, my final freezer must-have is frozen berries. I know that they’re so healthy and full of antioxidants and have lots of nutrient benefits, but I just love the taste. They’re sweet, refreshing and delicious. And I also have frozen bananas on the reg for smoothies too.

Now that the kitchen’s in order, it’s time to talk about my day on a plate! While it does change depending on my mood, what’s in season and what I have on-hand, this is an example of one of my days of eating.

My Day on a Plate

At 8am I have a glass of warm water. I’ll usually have it with my Love Your Gut Powder and a squeeze of lemon. After my morning water, I usually take a walk to the park or go to a barre, pilates or yoga class. There’s no better way to start my day!

When I get home, I’ll have an Antihistamine Smoothie.

This usually looks a bit like:

Blueberries
Rocket
½ cup oat milk (is anyone else loving their oat milk at the moment?)
Plant based protein powder
Love Your Gut Powder
Collagen Powder
Water

When I don’t feel like a smoothie, I’ll have porridge with berries and seeds or if I’m feeling a little fancy, I’ll have my Golden Gut Granola Clusters with milk or yoghurt.

I’d definitely call myself a teapot. My 11am tea hit is usually a Rooibos chai with oat milk. (below is my fave recipe for home made sticky chai ) …

At around 1pm, I’ll have a chicken and veggie soup with either spelt bread, sourdough or seeded crackers. It all depends on what I have in the fridge that day.

If I feel like a veggie option, I’ll have my Asparagus, Fennel and Spinach Soup with Pepitas. If you want the recipe, you’ll can check it out over here on the Supercharge Your Gut website.

I love a good afternoon snack. At 3pm, if my sweet tooth hits, my Chocolate Truffles often make a sneaky appearance. If savoury is calling for me, I’ll have avocado and goat’s cheese on seeded crackers or a bunch of salad veggies wedged into seeded crackers.

At 4pm, the kettle gets some more love. I love a good afternoon dandelion tea with coconut milk. Mmm mm mmmm...

Dinner is typically a serving of protein with lots of vegetables and some brown or cauliflower rice. Pan-fried salmon and green veg often feature in my weekly dinner rotation.