Daily Nutrition Plan Help page

[Gwynbleidd]

Hey all,

New member here. Hi!

So the reason I'm here is because I'd like to seek some advice in building a daily paleo diet. I practice piano 3-4 hours a day, teach at university and also bartend... so as you can tell, I have quite a busy life. My goal is to basically create a daily (one or two day) meal plan that covers all my bases in terms of the nutrition I need so that I don't worry about "What shall I make today?" I very rarely eat for pleasure (but I don't enjoy eating flavorless food), so I am okay with eating the same thing day in, day out - heck, until now, I've been eating the same breakfast and lunch every day for the past 12 years. When the time calls for it and I have some time to decide what I want to eat differently that day, that's fine.

My information for helping me build a diet:

-27 Male
-5'10"
-167 lb
-Heartburn is an issue so I frequently do not eat heavy foods late at night
-I prefer a big breakfast and then four or five small meals during the day
-I eat fruit throughout the day: 1 apple, banana, orange, some blueberries, etc.
-I'm vegetarian basically - but I do eat eggs and fish - and I love lots of raw veggies
-I drink a glass of red every other day
-I do yoga for 1 hour every day
-I ride my bike to work and back 15-20 minutes each way every day
-I sit at the piano for 4ish hours every day
-I eat a handful of nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc) every day

So what do I want out of the meal plan:
-breakfast (big for energy throughout the day), lunch (can have prep time), dinner & supper (smaller but packable)
-basically, I'm looking for something that's fast and easy to prep (20 mins tops)
-something that I can take to the bar on Friday's and Saturdays sneak in between busy periods
-could be a rotating thing over two days (ie, M W F S eat meal plan 1; T T S eat meal plan 2)

Or, what would be a good place to find information to put together such a meal plan when I'm not an expert in nutrition (I'm a physicist.)

WHY? you ask. Simple: if I don't plan/know what I'm making, then I get lazy and fall into old eating habits. The plan is so I don't have to take time to figure out what to make that day. I can concentrate on my work and then take my break making food.

thanks everyone,

r

[Annieh]

Fun assignment.

Well for breakfast I would suggest eggs, eggs, eggs. Fry up some veges such as onion, mushrooms, silverbeet in butter. Beat some eggs with milk, season and pour over the lot, and cook till set. Meanwhile, grill some bacon. Grate some cheese and sprinkle on top of your omelette, place under grill till melted. That should set you up for a few hours.

Lunch I would suggest you base around MEAT. I know you say you eat only fish, but it's time to branch out a bit into chicken, beef, pork, lamb. There's a wonderful butter chicken recipe on this site here: Butter Chicken in a Silky Sauce | Mark's Daily Apple . Serve it with some green vegetables.

Dinner can be leftover lunch. Make plenty and pack the leftovers in a lunchbox to take to work and reheat in the microwave.

Dinner could also be a big salad full of greens, veges, plus avocado, feta, olives, nuts and topped with whatever meat is leftover from lunch.

Good luck. You might also want to consider adding some weights to your exercise routine.

[Gwynbleidd]

Some great ideas here.

The only problem is the meat. I am vegetarian not because of moral or ethical issues, but rather because I have problems digesting meat. Fish I seem to handle okay for the most part; chicken - sometimes I eat it fine, others there's problems; most other meats cause problems.

[Unicorn]

Do you work full time in addition to the 4 hours at the piano? I am amazed you can do all that stuff and still fit in 4-5 meals. One of the benefits of paleo is many people have greater satiety with meals, and do not require the 'small meals' or snacks they previously needed.

If fish/chicken is what is tolerated now, then I would stick with those and then start testing other animal based protein sources.

Breakfast: Eggs (several) with a veggie, perhaps a piece of salmon?

Lunch: Big salad with avocado, can of sardines or other fish. Handful of nuts afterwards.

Dinner: Chicken with veggies, sweet potato, glass of vino.

You might want to try bone broth (use chicken bones at first) to help heal your gut if you are having digestive issues such as the GERD. Also keep a food log and track your symptoms of digestive problems to see what other triggers you have. Eliminate those to allow healing. You also may want to explore probiotics or a GAPS diet to assist with digestive healing.

[bostonwolf]

I'll second the eggs. I'm quite a bit bigger than you but I do two whole jumbo eggs and two whites every morning with some guacamole and salsa. I generally make a big pot of chili or beef stew once every few weeks and eat that for lunch. If I don't pack I get a grilled chicken salad from a local sub shop. For you maybe a good sized salad with a fish fillet on the side?

For dinner is some sort of meat of fish with some greens on the side. Add in a snack of nuts (almonds or mixed nuts)

I also try to keep some beef jerky around in case I need an extra snack. Maybe turkey jerky would work for you.

[Gwynbleidd]

So heres the plan I developed.

Criticism is welcome.

My daily plan:

Before breakfast: glass of water with juice of 1 lemon; 1 hour of yoga.
Breakfast: Omlette (2 eggs, mushroom, 1/2 red/yellow bell pepper, spring onions, spinach, zuchini)
Lunch: Baked potato (alternate between regular white and sweet potatoes), steamed veggies (pepper, cucumber, broccoli, carrots, fresh beet, asparagus) and a filet of salmon (liver once a week)
Mid-day: 1 cup of soup; orange
Dinner: Quinoa or rice, raw veggies (pepper, olives, tomatoes, lettuce, spring mix, broccoli, a thumb of feta cheese, avocado) - I made this one easily carriable so I can take it to school or the bar
-Snacks throughout the day: Munch a lot of celery, frutis (apple, banana, berries, etc), one cube of dark chocolate a day, one glass of red wine ever other day day, a handful of nuts a day

Top everything with lots of herbs and spices. That's basically it. And then I can add any veggies I see that I want like butternut squash or whatever. But this way I have exactly what I need from the grocery store and don't need to waste time with food.

[hamston]

I am second one that quite a bit bigger than you but I do two whole huge egg and two white-colored bottles of wine every day with some guacamole and salsa. I usually make a big pot of broth or beef stew once every few a few several weeks and eat that for the afternoon meal. If I don't program I get a prepared chicken healthier healthy salad from a local sub shop. For you maybe a significant healthier healthy salad with a fish fillet on the side?

[zoebird]

Some great ideas here.

The only problem is the meat. I am vegetarian not because of moral or ethical issues, but rather because I have problems digesting meat. Fish I seem to handle okay for the most part; chicken - sometimes I eat it fine, others there's problems; most other meats cause problems.

Can you do shellfish and other seafood besides fish?

I would probably go ahead and do eggs and fish with shellfish if possible. I'm no fan of seafood, but it's good for you. Also, make fish stock. It's so good for you. Any stock is, honestly, and it might be ok for you where meat is not -- lots of nutrients.

Simple process: big, big salads (lots of veggies with some seeds in it, olive oil as a dressing with salt/pepper) and then either some nice fish or some nice eggs (any way you like them).

Way I figure it, you do two meals a day plus snacks (that's how i eat, so that's how I figure it), and you can have eggs/veg for breakfast and fish/veg for dinner and perhaps some nuts and fruit for snack and DONE.