Hey Reader,​

Let’s face it, as human beings we like to know what other people are doing. What they buy, how they spend their time, what they eat. Maybe there’s a tiny bit of nosiness involved. ;)

When it comes to food, though, that curiosity can actually be useful. Seeing what someone else eats can give you ideas and make nutrition feel a little more concrete.

Recently, one of my clients told me she’d love to see what I eat. She wasn’t looking for a meal plan to copy, she was just curious about what my meals actually look like, where I get my protein, what portions I eat, and maybe a few ideas she could borrow for herself.

Food tracking is actually one of the things we’ve been doing in The Consistency Project, my 10-week group nutrition coaching program. We started by tracking for a week so we could get a clearer picture of what was already happening, then use that information to guide some next steps.

Right now, our focus is protein.

And that got me thinking: I bet she’s probably not the only person who’d be curious to see what I eat in real life.

So I pulled 6 days from my actual Cronometer food log and put them together for you too.

You’ll see Greek yogurt, protein smoothies, salmon, tuna packets and meal-prepped pasta salad.

You’ll also see pizza, restaurant food, convenience foods, and snacks like gummy bears, Pocky sticks, and one of my favorites, yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

Basically, a pretty normal mix of foods I eat for nutrition, foods that make life easier, and foods I simply enjoy.

​Take a peek inside my food log here.​

And just to be clear, this is an example of what works for me. Your calorie needs, protein needs, preferences, appetite, schedule and goals may look very different.

The reason we’ve been looking at food logs inside The Consistency Project is that they give us something incredibly useful:

Information. Data. Insight.

During our first week, my clients tracked what they were eating. Now we’re using some of that information as we work on our current practice: getting enough protein.

Because there can be a pretty big gap between what we think we’re doing and what we’re actually doing.

Someone might tell me, “I eat protein at every meal.”

And they do.

But when we look at the actual amounts, breakfast might have 8 grams, lunch 15, and dinner 20. Suddenly we can see why their daily protein intake is lower than they realized.

It can work the other direction too.

You might assume you’re eating tons of carbs, not enough food overall, way too much fat, or hardly any calcium. Then you track for a week and discover the numbers tell a different story.

That’s why I occasionally track my own food too.

I don’t track every day, and I have no desire to. It takes time, and I don’t need that level of information all the time.

But I might track for a week or two when I want to make some adjustments, when my training changes, when I’m preparing for a big hiking trip or event, or when I simply want to check whether what I think I’m eating lines up with reality.

I can look at things like protein, carbohydrates and fat, but also fiber and micronutrients like vitamin D, iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Sometimes that helps uncover potential nutrient gaps you may want to bring up with your doctor. Depending on the nutrient and your individual situation, they may recommend blood work or other follow-up before deciding whether supplementation would be helpful or necessary.

Seven days won’t tell you everything about your nutrition.

But it can give you some pretty useful clues about your usual patterns.

And sometimes seeing the pattern is the first step toward knowing what to practice next.

​See my 6-day food log here.​

Could you commit to tracking your food for 7 days? Hit reply and tell me. I’ll send you an invite to the app I use with my clients. If you track 7 complete days, I’ll take a look and send you a few patterns I notice and some practical ideas you could experiment with.

Free, because apparently looking at food logs is my idea of fun. 😆

Until Next Time,