I’ve been on this health and fitness journey for about 5 years now, i’m an avid believer in a healthy active lifestyle but that isn’t only going for a run or to the gym but also what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat it.

Growing up my family has always been very active and fairly healthy. We would eat steak and salads, roasted vegetables and roast chicken but with that said there are definitely many things that we could do to improve our eating habits in and around the kitchen.

I think that every person is subject to their own ‘diet’. I’ve tried many things to see what works for my body and what doesn’t, what leaves me fuller for longer and what makes me feel fatigued really quickly – i’ve been vegetarian, i’ve been paleo, i’ve been ‘eat whatever you want and hope for the best’ but over the years i’ve really got the hang of what I love to eat and what fuels me the right way. Nowadays I’d say i’m more of a paleo based eater – I don’t eat many grains, however I do enjoy the odd rice bowl here and there. I don’t have lactose, although I am not lactose intolerant I find that having milk or yoghurt makes me extremely nauseous and so I prefer to steer clear of it.

After years of understanding my body and food I like to call myself an intuitive eater, I listen to my body and I give it what it needs whether that’s fruit, veggies, nuts, chicken or meat, smoothies – whatever else, even sometimes chocolate! You don’t have to eat how I eat but I hope it inspires you to find out more about what your body enjoys on your fitness journey!

I was home for 3 months on holiday before going back to uni and I think that was the most difficult part about eating healthy. My mum loves spoiling me and buying me my favourite chocolates and feeding me my favourite meals however, it’s also the easiest way to derail from the point of the healthy lifestyle. (It’s okay mom, still love you!)

I find that in my area there really is a shortage of farmers markets and places to get food other then the supermarkets so when I go, I definitely try to keep it as organic and as free range as possible (as much as the budget can allow ofcourse) but if you live near food markets that offer these then go for it! You’ll probably save a bunch too!

I would say healthy snacks are one of the easier ways to keep it healthy whether you are at home or not, I always like to make sure that i’m fully stocked on those so when I am feeling peckish and go to the fridge or pantry – there is always something good and wholesome for me to eat.

FIRST GROCERY TIP: Go shopping with a snack or some water, never on an empty stomach or else you’ll end up buying the whole shop and getting things you don’t really need! Trust me, I’ve been there!

SECOND TIP: I’ve learned that it’s best to stick to the parameters of the supermarket just because that’s usually where all the fresh produce is, the stuff in the middle can get a bit confusing and seem healthy when it’s not but there are a few things I do get from the middle but then I know there is a plan and a purpose, not just wandering around aimlessly.

THIRD TIP: Don’t fixate too much on labels. Although its important to understand what you are buying and are going to put into your body – I find that the more people fixate, the less enjoyable it comes. Start small and grow from there.

FOURTH TIP: Keep it sustainable. The way 2019 is going, it’s shameful to not try and reduce, reuse and recycle EVERYTHING. I would highly recommend keeping already used grocery bags / material bags in your boot so that when you go to the shops, you don’t have to purchase some more!

This grocery shop was a stock up of the big one I did last week. Other things I add to my list is Almond milk and Kombucha, which I find really helps with my digestive system / IBS, Gluten free choc chip cookies (guilty pleasure), Spinach – the darker the green, the better it is for you! I also add fruits such as banana’s, strawberries which are high in a antioxidants and grapes. Although I don’t eat it often, I buy the brown and wild rice for those days where im craving something hearty!

FIFTH TIP: Do your own grocery shopping. I always find that when I do the shopping, there is less chance of me buying things I shouldn’t be buying.

Getting healthy definitely is a personal thing, you have to make the decision and commit to it but once you get the knick of it, it’s so much more inviting and exciting!

Finding a routine in the gym is one thing but finding a routine in the kitchen is a whole different ball game, especially when you’ve chosen to have a lifestyle change.  

Health starts in the kitchen and proceeds to the gym, if your lifestyle out of gym is out of wack so will your lifestyle in the gym.

I don’t necessary label my sort of “diet” but if I had to, I would call myself a Flexitarian – I eat what I want, when I want. I give my body what it needs to strive on and not the opposite. Of course I crave the odd cheat meal here and there but over these past few weeks i’ve come to realise that you can replace almost every unhealthy thing with a healthier alternative and still enjoy it!

I believe that humans weren’t created to diet. Our bodies will do whatever it can to survive, our bodies need calories, nutrients and energy! But I am just a little white girl living in a little neighbourhood trying to help people make the best decisions for themselves.

This past week I decided to take a day and document what I eat. It’s a very real depiction of my every day eating, nothing fancy just nutritious food that my body needs to give me the energy for the day ahead.

Also remember that everyone’s bodies are different and what my body needs can be completely different to what your body needs come the time of day, I just hope to ignite those creative juices and help you get inspired in the kitchen!

BREAKFAST:

Normally every morning I will wake up and make myself a herbal tea and a smoothie.

I find that when I wake up i’m either extremely starving or not hungry at all – there’s no inbetween but I make sure to always put something in my body before I go and exercise so my body has some energy to work off.

Quick side note: If you’d like to see what goes into my meals you can watch my first ever YouTube video, I give you a run down of the ingredients that go into every meal and snack, the video is at the end of the post. (p.s your support would be greatly appreciated!)

MORNING SNACK:

Because on this day I didn’t go to gym, it was my day off I didn’t find myself scratching in the kitchen as often as I do when I do train so I just a simple snack like apples and peanut butter did me well.

LUNCH:

Salads are my be all and end all. If I could have salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner I probably would. Infact, I almost do – so there’s that answered. Usually for my lunches I have whatever we had the night before and in this instance we had roast chicken and veg so I made a chicken salad with an ice cold glass of water and lemon.

AFTERNOON SNACK:

Usually around 4PM my body wakes up and realises how hungry it actually is and I find myself needing to eat almost everything in sight so I like to eat something that I know will sustain me but won’t make me too full for dinner – Avo is a big part of my diet (and feta, feta is life) and I find that eating healthy fats around this time tend to leave me feeling fuller for longer rather than eating starch like toast. So I decided to have avo on a rice cake with some feta sprinkled over – YUM.

DINNER:

Dinner is hands down my most favourite meal of the day, it just leaves me feeling SO satisfied and also because my parents are great cooks so I think that counts too. We had my brother and his girlfriend come round for dinner so we decided on a good old Cape Town braai with salad, veg and some rice.

I don’t count calories, I don’t judge people who do but I am not a fan of it – If I had one piece of advice to give I would say listen to your body. Drink water often, when you feel hungry nourish your body with nutrients not junk food. Take note of what foods make you feel good and what doesn’t and use that as a guide to help you understand your body better.

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way an expert on nutrition and this post should not be taken too seriously. I am purely documenting my own habits and not advising anyone to do as I do. It’s all for fun.

I hope you enjoyed the post and the video! If so please share, like and subscribe and let me know if you’d like to see more of these!

Lots of love, Jeanna x