My day-to-day job as a dietitian involves listening to my patients and clients describing their daily food choices.  I also help them to dive deep into the reasons for these choices in the context of their lifestyle. It's a fascinating job and I love it.

This month I thought it would be fun to flip-reverse it and give you a little insight into what I choose to eat each day. Of course, I must emphasise that my food intake changes each day, week, month and year depending on my mood, how busy I am, how much I am exercising, whether I am at home or travelling, as well as on what I fancy eating! This is certainly not a blueprint of what I think everyone should eat, as we are all beautifully unique, but here is a little snapshot of a foodie working day in the life of a vegan dietitian. Perhaps you might find a little inspiration in it.

Breakfast

I love breakfast. As long as I haven’t eaten too late the night before (which can happen), I am usually up for breakfast not long after I have woken up. I try to get washed, dressed and ready for the day before breakfast on working days, but I always ensure I have a good amount of time to sit at either my breakfast bar, or on my settee, and enjoy my breakfast with a cup of rooibos tea to ease into the day. I specifically choose rooibos tea with my breakfast because it is lower in tannins than black tea, meaning that it won't have a detrimental impact on iron absorption from my meal. I’ll move on to regular black tea with unsweetened soya milk from around mid-morning, as it's my favourite beverage.

So, what’s on the menu? I usually choose between a big smoothie or a fruit and nut bowl. My smoothie is either bright green or blueberry, and will be made with banana, frozen and/or fresh fruits, greens, flaxseeds and I sometimes add a protein powder (currently the one from this company) and a date for extra sweetness. My fruit and nut bowl will usually be fresh blueberries with soya yogurt, mixed raw nuts, seeds, and raisins, and sometimes some cacao nibs for an earthy crunch. Occasionally I'll also add a spoon of peanut or almond butter to the top.

Lunch

I aim for a decent-sized, wholesome lunch, as I know when I don't eat enough I get overly peckish in the afternoon and I'll ultimately start scouring the cupboards for something else to satisfy me. 

If I am organised, I may have some leftovers from dinner the night before. I love going to my fridge, or opening my lunch box whilst at my NHS desk, to a nutritious and filling homemade meal that will keep me fuelled through the afternoon. It may be something like a Moroccan sweet potato stew, a creamy pasta with broccoli, or delicious Dhal. If I haven’t been so prepared, I’ll rely on what’s in my fridge. It might be some tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions and peppers that I can chop up into a salad with some chickpeas, olive oil and vinegar and serve with gluten-free wraps and avocado or store-bought hummus and pre-cooked brown rice. 

Habit plays a big role what many of us eat and drink each day, and I have a long-held habit of finishing every meal with a rooibos tea and something sweet. For lunch this is usually fresh fruit such as an apple or a pear, and sometimes a square or two of dark chocolate.

Snacks

Some days I rely on snacks more than others. If I do snack, it is usually mid-afternoon when I might feel hungry and grab a snack to top up my energy. This might be a handful of mixed nuts, some dark chocolate, another piece of fruit, or some rice cakes and hummus or nut butter.

Dinner

With things feeling busy this summer, I have been eating lots of Buddha bowls (as you may have noticed on my social media accounts!). I love the simplicity of choosing a protein, a carbohydrate and some veggies and throwing them together with a delicious sauce of tahini, tamari, maple syrup and lemon juice. I try to keep some tofu and tempeh in my fridge specifically for these meals, as well as dry brown rice and a mix of seasonal veggies. Quick cook veggies that you can stir fry in a few minutes work well for this, and in the summer, it is often courgette, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. If I have longer to spend on dinner, I'll do a tray of roast veggies and add red onion and aubergine.

With a little more time and when I want different flavours, I’ll aim to batch cook something new. This sometimes goes well and sometimes doesn’t, but I'll always eat it all so nothing goes to waste! It might be something like a lentil Bolognese, a summer vegetable gratin or a tofu curry. I regularly use Deliciously Ella recipes, as I find them so fresh and tasty, and not too rich to have daily. 

Batch cooking really is a bit of a game-changer. It doesn’t take much more time, but it means you can have delicious ready-made vegan meals ready for you in the fridge or freezer for another night. It is also great when you have a family to feed; just double up the portions, to feed 8 instead of 4 for example, and that’s another night sorted. If you live alone, or you are catering for two, those extra meals can go in the freezer and be enjoyed a few weeks down the line. If you do this regularly, you could create quite a library of frozen meals. Just remember to mark them with what they are and when you made them (I’ve got a tub of purple mash in my freezer that I’ve yet to defrost and identify!).

Again, I finish my meal with a rooibos tea and something sweet. If I am still hungry it might be some berries, yogurt and nuts (a smaller version of breakfast), or if I just need a little something I’ll have some frozen grapes or a date or two. Most of the time I avoid snacking later in the evening, as I know it makes me feel groggy the following morning and not really hungry for breakfast. This can go on to mess up my eating routine a little. Eating regular meals at similar times each day is really helpful, particularly if you experience poor digestion or IBS.

Over the years I have been able to nurture a very positive and healthy relationship with food. Most of the time I will eat when I am hungry and continue until I am satisfied. I choose whole plant foods almost all of the time, but I also have the odd alcoholic drink, a few crisps at a family gathering, or a sugary dessert when the occasion calls for it. If you're not there yet, that's OK. Our psychology around food can take time and effort to change, but once you're there, it's so worth it! If you'd like support, do get in touch.

I hope that has given you a bit of an insight into how I eat on most of my working days. When it comes to the weekend or holidays, you'll probably see more brunches and snacks! I am by no means perfect, and this is not a ‘perfect’ day of eating, but it works well for me. 

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Hello! I'm Rosie, a vegan and plant-based registered dietitian, I work in the NHS and I am founder of Rosemary Nutrition & Dietetics.

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