Please critique this average day for me

idiotglee

I honestly can't judge how healthy it is.

Breakfast:
Tea with soy milk and sugar free hazelnut syrup
19 calories
15 carbs
1 fat
1 protein
35 sodium
2 sugar

Maple and pecan plait
484 calories
46 carbs
30 fat
6 protein
17 sugar

Lunch:
150g brocolli and 50g onion w/ dairy-free cheese sauce + an egg
230 calories
26 carbs
7 fat
17 protein
600 sodium
9 sugar

Dinner:
Sainsbury's "Be Good to Yourself" custard, 150g grated carrot, cinnamon and orange essential oil
389 calories
64 carbs
8 fat
16 protein
1 sodium
11 sugar

Now this leaves me under by about 300 calories - 100 of which I fill up with teas, maybe a biscuit or a bite of whatever communal snack's left out at work, and the rest of which I tend to save up and have a larger meal at some point later in the week. But what you see above is more-or-less what I'm eating on a day-to-day basis. I feel fine. I don't feel hungry. But is it healthy?

Comments / advice appreciated! Thank you

GeorgiPorgi1989

Hey there. Not sure what your goals are but having a look I'd advise to change your plan up a bit as your protein intake is a bit low. Not sure on your fitness levels either but protein intake is something to look at if you exercise frequently.

cityruss

Healthy? Depends on your definition of healthy.

You feel fine, check. You don't feel hungry, check.

What are your goals? Are you happy eating this diet?

Do all these numbers when added up meet your calorie and macronutrient goals you have set yourself?

idiotglee

I don't really know what my goals are, or should be!

I'm trying to navigate maintenance, but I know I want to consistently under-eat, in order to have the occasional day when I can really go crazy.

I've been very inactive until now (I mean, I have to walk to get places, but that's maybe 30mins walking a day?) - but this week I've added yoga to my daily routine. At the moment it's 20 mins a day while I get used to the asanas, but I plan to add in more postures until I have a regular routine of an hour a day. But I'm not sure what this change will mean for my diet.

While I know how to work out my calorie goals, I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to the macronutrients.

vegout2

If you are struggling to understand heathy eating can I suggest that you have a look at some fantastic bloggers for ideas and inspiration. A couple that spring to mind are Natasha corrett at honestly healthy and Janey Halliday at fit for a princess. Both give fantastic advice on how to eat healthy food that tastes great and is easy to put together and janey also understands the various motivational and pitfall issues that strike most women and often derail their attempts. Just looking at you sample menus it strikes me as being incredibly low on protein and rather high on sugars. Research now shows that it's not just the calories that you need to take notice of but the sources of those calories too. For example many diet foods are labelled as low fat but are then stuffed with sugar to make them taste good. Sugar is a carb and if you eat more than about 25g of sugar per day your body stores it as fat. It's taken me ages to get my head around changing my inbuilt low fat Is good, high fat is bad thinking, but by following a healthy eating programme based around the JERF principle(just eat real food) and learning what is a healthy portion I've dropped 2 dress sizes and lost 2 stone over the last 6 months. Good luck with everything

flabassmcgee

Doesn't seem like enough calories for maintenance, to be honest.

idiotglee

furioushummingbird wrote: »

Doesn't seem like enough calories for maintenance, to be honest.

You're right - my TDEE is 1480. The above menu + 100cal grace for extra teas and a biscuit leaves me 200 under goal. That's not enough for a decent meal, so I save it up for a splurge later in the week.

yarwell

The egg, onion, broccoli, carrot and tea are fine. I would toss the rest and rethink.

idiotglee

vegout2 wrote: »

If you are struggling to understand heathy eating can I suggest that you have a look at some fantastic bloggers for ideas and inspiration. A couple that spring to mind are Natasha corrett at honestly healthy and Janey Halliday at fit for a princess.

Thank you - I'll check them out!

vegout2 wrote: »

Research now shows that it's not just the calories that you need to take notice of but the sources of those calories too.

This is exactly what I'm struggling with. I know nutrients matter - but I don't know how much I need of what, and there seems be be so much conflicting information out there!

Francl27

Not enough protein by a long shot. Shoot for 20-25% protein. I would add 100g of veggies somewhere as well. Ditch whatever your mocha and pecan thing is and eat something with fruit and protein instead (ideally 20-30g of protein for 400 calories).

Zaria_Athena

I'd increase your protein, particularly at breakfast.

cityruss

vegout2 wrote: »

If you are struggling to understand heathy eating can I suggest that you have a look at some fantastic bloggers for ideas and inspiration. A couple that spring to mind are Natasha corrett at honestly healthy and Janey Halliday at fit for a princess. Both give fantastic advice on how to eat healthy food that tastes great and is easy to put together and janey also understands the various motivational and pitfall issues that strike most women and often derail their attempts. Just looking at you sample menus it strikes me as being incredibly low on protein and rather high on sugars. Research now shows that it's not just the calories that you need to take notice of but the sources of those calories too. For example many diet foods are labelled as low fat but are then stuffed with sugar to make them taste good. Sugar is a carb and if you eat more than about 25g of sugar per day your body stores it as fat. It's taken me ages to get my head around changing my inbuilt low fat Is good, high fat is bad thinking, but by following a healthy eating programme based around the JERF principle(just eat real food) and learning what is a healthy portion I've dropped 2 dress sizes and lost 2 stone over the last 6 months. Good luck with everything

I'd be really interested to see the supporting evidence on this.

vegout2

The various research reports I have seen are all based around the balance between fructose and glucose. Fructose can only be broken down and used by the liver (approx 20g max/ day) so if much of the food you eat is comprised of high fructose sweetener then the body has no choice but to store it up as fat. More research coming from both WHO and various universities is also pointing to the values and benefits of eating fat, especially those found in nuts, seeds, avocados etc.

cityruss

vegout2 wrote: »

The various research reports I have seen are all based around the balance between fructose and glucose. Fructose can only be broken down and used by the liver (approx 20g max/ day) so if much of the food you eat is comprised of high fructose sweetener then the body has no choice but to store it up as fat. More research coming from both WHO and various universities is also pointing to the values and benefits of eating fat, especially those found in nuts, seeds, avocados etc.

Could you point me in the direction of the research please.

njitaliana

Your daily food log has categories for you to try meet each day, called macros. This is where it tells you how much you should have in the way of protein, carbs, fiber, etc. If a plait and a custard are dessert type foods, then your carb count/sugar count is probably high, and your protein count is probably low. Try to get more protein by eating things like eggs, lowfat cheese, lowfat yogurt, nuts, seeds, beans, tofu, lean meats/fish/poultry. On South Beach Diet, they say to have 5 1/2 servings of vegetables a day. 1 cup is a serving of raw veggies. 1/2 cup is a serving of cooked. So, I'd try to eat more veggies with lunch and dinner and more protein at each meal.