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
OMG Katie!! Thank you so much for this. I always feel so guilty about not eating perfectly. You are so lovely and honest. Keep doing what you’re doing!! xx
honest?
You should put your focus on your patients, not people you don’t know personally. What purpose does this serve for you? Being a registered dietitian is only useful for your clients, and plenty of dietitians give generic advice that doesn’t apply to everyone AND ARE EVEN HYPOCRITICAL. So spread your negativity and opinions somewhere else. She is NOT telling people to eat what she eats or how much others should eat. YOU should be helping those who already are thinking unhealthy, and quite frankly maybe you shouldn’t be helping them either (you’re very judgemental for a dietitian, which may work for those poor insecure clients you have, but not for everyone). Also Oklahoma is known as a very overweight state (look at statistics), so your client base probably does need to loose weight….but stick to where you’re from. You’re not helping by spreading negativity and obsessing about Katie and her life. You’re certainly not making a difference by replying to a post, just being a bully and taking away from the people who have real feedback to give in relation to Katie’s webpage and blogs. (Sorry I did as well to respond, I have only amazing things to say about the recipes and Katie, as I mention in another reply I have)
Everything you eat looks delicious Katie! And so healthy! You are an inspiration. I love your blog 🙂
I think I’ve already commented on this before, but wanted to again–just yesterday I was looking at a magazine and saw a “what celebs eat in a day” article in which said celebs claimed to sustain themselves on carrot sticks and lemon water. I immediately felt like a fat pig haha. That’s when I remembered this post and remembered that our bodies need calories from (mostly) healthy foods in order to function. I’ve struggled with orthorexia in the past and normally such an article would have made me feel guilty about eating for at least the rest of the day, but I was able to peacefully eat my lunch knowing that it was nourishing my body. Thank you for being authentic and for sharing this. I read the post months ago and even now it is still helping me.
I want to comment on this post (in response to commenters much more than Katie) to say that I am a 43-year-old adult woman who has no idea how many calories she eats in a day and who never has tracked a calorie in her life. Before you make assumptions, I am probably 15-20 pounds overweight (I gained weight afte rhaving two kids and it never really came off) and a size 12, so not a “perfect” model-sized body or anything, though my health is fine. I eat a pretty healthy diet (I come here for the lower-sugar healthy treat recipes, esp. for my kids) but I just can’t think about food THIS MUCH. I feel sad when I see how much mental energy we put into this as women. I feel like we all could have cured cancer or created world peace by now with the focus and effort put into thinking about calories and our bodies. 🙁 Yes, I feel bad or negative about my body sometimes, like everyone, but man, that I have to walk away from that crap. I am worth more than that.
Katie, I would LOVE your recipe for “extra melty gooey brownies”! Would you consider posting it?
It is posted 🙂
Katie,I love your site,also have your cookbook?.I went vegan 5 months ago,and have a 3 year old daughter with a dairy and gluten allergy(also raising vegan) I always loved to bake but lost the love for it when i was diagnosed with a gluten allergy.When i found your site and cookbook you made me fall in love baking again?now you can’t keep me out of the kitchen.I just wanted to tell you what an insperation you have been to me and to thank you.You truly are talented.Looking forward to the next cookbook!!?-Brenda???
Katie, I just want to stand up and give you a clap for taking D, B12 and Omega 3. I was raised by a vegan dietitian and It’s panic-inducing to see vegan influencers on the internet spouting about how you don’t need to supplement. Most people (vegan or otherwise) don’t eat anywhere near well enough to get their nutrients without supplementation, and as a dietitian my mum has seen so many sick vegans who are trying to prove something without supplements and just give veganism a bad name. The three supplements you’ve named are the perfect supplementation program for vegans IMO and I’m just so pleased by your good example in this area.
Now I’ll get down from my high horse and say – thank you so much for your beautiful site and recipes! I looooove brownies.
i love it
Katie i love your recipes love it
Your calorie content is amazing but you are an active young woman! I am female over 65 . I truly agree that eating should still be fun now and then. I used to do the same as you when I was young and raising my family. Thankfully I am probably only 8 lbs. over my ideal weight. I will continue to use my treadmill and eat veggies from our garden etc.
Please don’t believe this is her daily average! Keep on doing what you are doing if it works for you and good luck!