Last week I was sitting down with a new potential client. Like so many of my clients I’ve worked with, this young woman just wasn’t getting the results she wanted from going to the gym on her own. She told me she’s taken spin classes, Zumba and countless cardio and strength classes on and off for years. She’d lose some weight then gain it back and sometimes more a few months later. I could see the frustration on her face as she told me her story. All too often I hear the same story and see the same frustration.

Her next question then came as no surprise when she asked “What do you eat?”

I explained to her that I don’t believe in dieting for either myself or my clients. My goal as their personal trainer is to inspire and instill healthy eating habits. That means

eating whole, minimally processed foods
eating when hungry
drinking plenty of water
eating appropriate portions
eating the rainbow when it comes to fruits and vegetables

I also explained to her that my goal is different then hers so that’s going to change what I eat compared to her. My goal is to gain weight and muscle. So unlike her where she needs to limit how much she eats, I need to do the opposite and eat more than my body needs in a day.

While all of what I said makes sense and sounds good, a picture speaks a thousand words! So the other day I took a picture of what I had for dinner.

I started with an organic kale and spinach side salad mix. I topped it with some organic blueberries (yes fruit in a salad), some sliced almonds and sprinked it with organic chia seeds and hemp seeds. Both chia and hemp seeds are great toppings to add to just about everything! They’re both a great source of protein and hemp is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.

I’m late to the kale party but love adding it to so many things such as salads, scrambled eggs, smoothies (though it’ll turn then green) and even pasta dishes. Yes, pasta. Hi, my name is Craig and I eat pasta. Not only do I eat pasta I actually cook pasta. And for those of you that know me that’s saying something because I hate to cook. Yes, you read that right, I’m a Nutritionist that hates to cook.

Having said that, it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to cook. I’m actually a pretty good cook so I’ve been told. I’m not going to whip up a gourmet meal but I can hold my own in the kitchen.

For the main course I made a pasta dish with whole wheat pasta, ground turkey, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, kale and some store bought tomato sauce. Nothing too fancy but quick, healthy and inexpensive to make. I always have a serving of protein with every meal, in this case I used lean ground turkey instead of ground beef.

Do I eat pasta at every meal? Of course not. But I also don’t restrict what I eat. I talk to so many people who don’t eat this, or don’t eat that because so-and-so magazine, friend, or “Influencer” said they don’t eat this so it must work for everyone. Wrong people! You have to find what works for you and your body. I teach my clients no food is off limits BUT it’s all about moderation.

I remind my clients to keep it simple when it comes to nutrition. What you eat doesn’t have to be that complicated.

If you need help figuring out what to eat or have questions email me here!

What Do You Eat?