If you’ve read any of the latest issues of People magazine, you may have noticed their weekly celebrity “What I Eat In A Day” feature.
While it’s always fun to get a glimpse into the real lives of our favorite celebrities, I think this particular column is not only misleading but also quite dangerous.
Many of the featured celebrities are listed as eating somewhere around 1200 calories per day, making it seem like this is what anyone who wants a body like theirs should also do.
In one feature where the celebrity actually did eat a higher amount of calories, the nutritionist recommended she scale her portions back—even though the celebrity in question leads a highly active lifestyle and is far from overweight!
By only showing one day in the life, with no disclaimers about how much these women are consuming on average in a week or month, I think the article unintentionally sends out a dangerous message, especially to impressionable kids and teenagers wishing to emulate their favorite celebs.
The featured women look healthy and vibrant, which most likely means they’re either eating more than they claim or are just not giving the full picture by mentioning occasional splurges on drinks, dinners out, or other indulgences to account for the extra calories keeping them properly fueled.
(While 1200 calories per day may be healthy for some individuals, the USDA lists a much higher number as the average caloric needs of a young and active woman not looking to lose weight.)
I wanted to publish today’s post as my answer to the “What I Eat In A Day” feature; to show an alternative to the Hollywood standard of eating. Not all healthy women are eating the way Hollywood would like you to believe, and no one should ever make you feel guilty for eating a less-than-“perfect” diet or indulging in dessert.
When I read the weekly features, I’m shocked at how clean these girls eat. Eating clean is great… but eating should also be fun. Unless you get enjoyment out of eating only steamed veggies and proteins every day (which is perfectly fine if you really do), you’re missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures.
(For more on this topic, see my post on Orthorexia – The New Eating Disorder.)
*Disclaimer: As always, be sure to listen to your own body or ask a doctor or nutritionist if you’re concerned about how many calories and other nutrients you should be eating.
Just like the magazine feature shouldn’t be used as a guide for how much to eat for your own ideal health, today’s post is also just showing what works for one person.
So many people write to me and ask for meal plans, and it scares me because bloggers on the internet—unless they are also certified nutritionists or health professionals—should not be writing meal plans for people they’ve never met. This is an alarming way that some bloggers seem to be making money, so please be careful and trust your health only to a professional.
**To clarify: The photos in this post were taken either before or after eating. They were styled for food photography purposes and do not show the actual portions eaten.
What I Eat In A Day
As a teenager, I loved sleeping until noon. Now I somehow wake up naturally around 4 am, and I immediately go looking for food!
There really isn’t a typical day for me in terms of variety; but the amount I eat stays pretty constant. Exercise includes running once or twice a week (sometimes more, sometimes less) and walking quite a bit since I live in a city.
I enjoy being outside and am not really a gym person.
Morning:
I’ll usually grab a small handful of raw nuts, seeds, or some coconut butter.
Today my hand found the bag of cashews. If I’m going running, I might make a cup of coffee and eat a bit more. Otherwise, I just sip water as I make real breakfast.
Breakfast:
Breakfast this morning was a giant bowl of peanut butter oat bran.
I cooked 1.5 servings of oat bran with unsweetened cashewmilk then stirred in some peanut butter and melted a piece of a 95% chocolate bar.
If you happen to run into me at 9 am, I’ve probably already eaten chocolate at least once.
Lunch:
Lunch is usually comprised of whatever leftovers I can find in the fridge.
Some mornings are so busy that I have to pull something from the freezer. I often will make huge batches of recipes so I can keep the freezer well-stocked at all times.
And by well-stocked, I mean things may or may not fall out when you open it…
Lunch today was rice, white beans, and homemade Coconut Curry.
Snack:
Snack was one of my favorite things – I call them “Extra Melty Gooey Brownies.”
They are so fantastically delicious… but I’ve never posted the recipe because they are so gooey that they often fall apart! Plus, I know not everyone is as big a fan of super gooey brownies as I am.
*Edit: By popular request, the recipe can now be found in my brownie recipe archives: Healthy Brownies And Baked Goods
If it’s a baking day and I’ve eaten a lot of samples, I’ll sometimes just sample my way through snacktime and never actually sit down for a real snack.
Dinner:
Giant Monster Salad:
- 1 Large Avocado
- Raw Almonds
- Frozen Raspberries
- Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- Homemade Sesame Ginger Dressing
- Trader Joes Organic Kale
Tahini and a baked sweet potato, cooked extra long until it is all sweet and caramelized.
How To Cook Sweet Potatoes – 3 secret tricks
Night Snack:
2 servings of Creamy Pistachio Ice Cream – One of my top 5 favorite recipes from my new cookbook.
Surprise! For once, it’s not chocolate!
(Photo credit: Probably my mom, back in like 2005… I found this picture buried in a folder on my computer.)
Daily Total: 2,958 calories
(15g total added sugar for the day, and it easily meets the RDA for protein, calcium, and other nutrients vegans are always being asked about. I don’t worry about protein but do take daily Vitamins D, B12, and an Omega 3 supplement.)
Edit due to popular request: Link To Full Nutrition Facts
You must have an amazing metabolism – that’s about twice what I eat and I’m probably twice your size! It’s funny how different people’s bodies can work!
Katie, I think you are adorable inside and out! My thoughts are that you are very blessed to have such an amazing metabolism. I’m sure many women do eat as much as you do in a day, but end up gaining weight doing so. I love sugar as much as you do, but have a hard time not eating way too much once I eat a little. So I have to make it more of a rarity. But I’m learning to not look at this as a negative, just as my way to find balance and good health just as you have with giving up running. Thanks for sharing your talents with us!
Or how one of you are lying …? Bodies are more similar than you might think! Surprised there’s not more scepticism at this post – here’s how I maintain an anorexic BMI (defined as at or below 17.5), I just eat 3000 calories a day and have a naturally thin frame…. readers please do yourself a favour and don’t believe this ! Katie, please don’t give us this bull. Your low calorie recipes are great for dieters… but it’s surprising you freely eat 3000 calories a day and yet you know so much about how to do single serve low calorie desserts… most “naturally thin” people would not have a clue, nor would they be interested…
Dang, I wish I could eat this many calories in a day! I’m 17, 5’2 and dance 2x week for 3 hours and do other little cardio things throughout the week and if I even go over 1,400 calories I gain weight like the plague! Sucks to have a slow metabolism….I’m jealous of you!
I trust the effort you put into these calculations, but it seems like you’re miscalculating somewhere. I tried counting up these calories and it seems like you didn’t eat more than around 1,500 calories a day. Nonetheless, I appreciate the point this posts make that ultimately different bodies require different caloric needs. Unless you’re sedentary and 5’0 you really shouldn’t be consuming 1,000 or 1,200 calories a day.
Katie,
I have just come across this post going through your recipes (which I ADORE btw)
I have anorexia, and after being discharged from hospital last year- am recovering well. However I am struggling with the amount I have to eat to maintain my weight (3,000kcals) I always thought everyone was eating less than me- and although I know this is not the case, my irrational thoughts can occasionally get the better of me; not helped by people online only claiming to eat “1200kcals a day”. This post made me contempt and happy with what I am eating- and am DEFINATELY going to keep it up. To see someone as gorgeous and healthy as you eat this much in a day has helped me rationalise the thoughts that claim it would make me “fat”.
I cannot thank you enough Xx
I love this post!
Kate, you are such an inspiration for me!
I am recovering from severe anorexia, and back in eating disorder days,
I counted EVERY calorie like a maniac.
LOTS of restricting, and I only got 1400 a day (and I’m a TEENAGER).
After going to treatment, I used a beautiful new system, EXCHANGES!!!
like the diabetic ones.
It would really mean a lot to me, Katie, if you could include diabetic exchanges in you recipes. in the nutrition facts.
You rock, girl!!
My dietician would love you.:-D
Thank you for your being you and showing a fun way to eat healthy! I was wondering if there is a substitute for coconut oil when you make your chocolate bars. I am allergic to coconut but would love to make these!!
Kind Regards, Robin
Wow, Katie, I’ve got to say that your metabolism must be crazy-fast! I don’t really count calories, but I do keep track of fruit/vegetable servings to be sure I’m getting a good mix of nutrients. I probably eat about half that in a day (give or take), and even when I was a full-time varsity athlete I doubt I got over 2500.
It’s probably good for people–especially teenagers who are still growing–to see that some people DO need that many calories to maintain a healthy weight. (I know some other athletes who have to take supplements/force themselves to really chow down to keep up with their caloric needs.) But yeah, that’s not an average number. You’re definitely right when you suggest people should consult their doctor when making dietary decisions. Great advice and great perspective on the many types of people out there!
Always fun to see what other people eat. Appreciate your blog and that your recipes are so doable (ie I have most of the ingredients on hand). You’re doing a great job!
I have been in recovery for anorexia the past month and a half. Forth time in recovery, but being healthy this time around (and delicious). I am still struggling with overcoming my fear of calories and fat though… and seeing what you did really inspires me. I have no clue what “normal” eating consists of, if i eat too much or too little. And you are very fit and seeing how many calories you take in helps me calm down that i should stop worrying about my intake and just concentrate fully on the healthy part.
P.s. i put up my instagram of the meals i make (my food porn lol) as im an inspired health chef if youd like to check it out. Most of it is meals i make for myself. 🙂 much love gorgeous!
There seem to be a few people saying Katie can’t be eating that much, or she’d put on weight. I think we all need to remember that there are many factors influencing an individual’s weight. Metabolism, activity levels, stress levels, hormones, amount and type of exercise, toxic loading (look it up), climate, and even psychological problems, and they are just off the top of my head. Calories does not equal weight. A combination of all the things I just mentioned, calories, and probably other things I haven’t thought of (like genetics, or age?) = weight. Calories would probably be one of the last things I’d try and conrol, tbh (but maybe that’s because it seems too much like a hard slog!). Take this with a pinch of salt, but imo, Katie may be quite an active person (I’m only guessing), and seems to be trying to eat ‘clean’, therefore reducing her toxic load, therefore reducing the need to store fat as a place to deposit toxins (if I understand correctly). Personally, I think the importance of clean eating is generally underestimated, but then again, I’m no expert.