A Self Love Diet: A Full Day of Deliciously Nutrient-Rich Meals

No one feels well after a meal that's been seasoned with self-criticism. Integrative nutritionist, Jennie Miremadi, is showing us how to eat on a self love diet - clean, mindful and deeply self-nurturing. Explore our deliciously balanced approach here, then enjoy this full day of self-love recipes breakfast to dinner. 

Last week, I shared a self love diet with seven emotionally healthy ideas for approaching your food with more self-love. If you’re feeling inspired to try it, but want a little more guidance on what a typical day might look like, I created this “Day on a Self-Love Diet” plan just for you...

 A Self Love Diet

Before you eat today, remind yourself that when you nourish your body with nutrient-rich, whole foods-based meals, you show your body that it’s worth caring for. You’re also setting a kind and loving tone for the day, which is exactly how you want to kick things off.

Plan to include protein, healthy fat and fiber-rich carbs at each meal today. This combination of macronutrients will not only stabilize your blood sugar so that you have sustained energy, it will help keep you satiated. Consider leaving out gluten, dairy, and refined sugar today. Most of my clients feel much better when they remove these items from their diet, and I think you probably will too.

Protein | Some good protein sources include organic turkey, chicken and eggs, wild Alaskan salmon (and other wild fatty fish), grass-fed beef and wild game, collagen peptides, vegan protein powder (I like pure hemp seed- or pumpkin seed-based powders), nuts and seeds.

Fat | Examples of healthy fiber rich carbs include non-starchy vegetables (e.g. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, leafy greens), starchy vegetables (e.g. sweet potatoes, acorn squash), gluten-free grains (e.g. amaranth, quinoa) and legumes (e.g. chickpeas, black beans). Choose your favorites, but aim to fill at least half of your plate with non-starchy veggies!

Fiber | Good sources of healthy fat include nuts, seeds, avocados, ghee, coconut oil, coconut milk, and coconut butter, extra-virgin olive oil, olives, avocado oil, wild Alaskan salmon, homemade nut milks, walnut, hazelnut and pecan oils. The Meal Plan

Wondering how to put it all together into meals? I’ve created a sample self love diet meal plan for you to try today...

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Start Each Meal Mindfully

Once your meals are cooked and ready to eat, find a comfortable place to sit. Before you take a bite, put away anything that might distract you from your food -- books, phone, computer, TV, etc. Then, tune into the physical hunger levels in your body. Eat slowly, tasting (and enjoying) each bite you take. When you’re full, stop eating. Remind yourself that you’re respecting your body by listening to it’s needs. And, by being fully present with your food, you’re allowing yourself to experience more pleasure from it, which is an act of self-love.

Learn more about mindful eating with these tips.

When Cravings Strike, Seek Balance If you want a treat today, give yourself total permission to have it. Eat the amount that satisfies your physical hunger and make sure you enjoy every bite without the shame or guilt that often accompanies an indulgence. Now, check in with yourself. How do you feel after eating it? If you feel unwell, please don’t judge yourself for having eaten it. Simply make a note of the way the food made you feel so you can decide whether you want to eat it next time.

If you’d like a delicious treat, but want to avoid feeling unwell, think about trying a dairy-, gluten-, and refined sugar-free dessert, made from real, whole foods. Grab a quick and easy recipe below.

Be Kind To Yourself

Connect | Today, start noticing how the food that you eat makes you feel. I suggest writing your observations down in a food journal (or food journal app) after each meal. As you begin to identify how your body reacts to different foods, you’ll be more inclined to start choosing the foods that give you energy and make you feel great, and pass on the ones that leave you feeling unwell. As this becomes the gauge for your food choices, you’ll find it easier to make sustainable healthy changes.

If you’d like to take things to the next level, I recommend trying a full elimination diet down the line -- it’s the best way to pinpoint which foods are triggering symptoms and inflammation.

Trust | Your body is the best tool you have to figure out which foods are working for it.  Honor your body today by trusting what it’s telling you. Here’s how: mindfully eat whole-foods based meals, connect to how the food that you eat makes you feel and then trust the messages that your body gives you without second guessing yourself. We all have a unique biochemistry -- so even if a particular food works well for 99% of the population, if it doesn’t make you feel well, then it’s not for you.

Release Perfection | If you decide to follow this self-love food plan today and it doesn’t go the way you wanted it to, that’s okay. No one is perfect -- can you practice letting go of having this expectation for yourself? Can you try to let your best be good enough? And, even if you weren’t able to do your best, can you try to have compassion for yourself? If this is hard for you, try envisioning an older and wiser version of yourself coming in and comforting you. What would she say to you that you might not be able to say to yourself right now? Allow the words to fill you up with love. Now check in with yourself. Are you still having self-punishing thoughts? You have the power to stop your inner critic and replace it with love. Why not give it a try?

Trying the day's worth of tips and recipes? Let us know how
it goes in the comments below! 

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