For those of you who are really familiar with the food blogging world, then you know all about the “What I Ate” Wednesday trend. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and feature my eats from yesterday. I’ll do a quick analysis at the end to see how it fit within the Fuhrman plan.
Pretty much every morning for breakfast I have a green smoothie. My recipe includes hemp seeds and water to make homemade hemp milk, frozen fruit, dates, prunes, cacao powder, tofu, flax meal and plenty of greens. My typical recipe is here, although I’ve stopped using pomegranate juice and I sometime use the whole pomegranate seed instead (I buy them frozen).
Yesterday I used about 1 1/2 cups of fresh broccoli sprouts I bought at the farmers’ market this weekend, so the smoothie wasn’t green in color like it usually is. I also used about 1/2 cup of fresh arugula.
I make a fresh batch of breakfast smoothie every other day. I fill the Vitamix container to the very top so I have enough for leftovers. On the first day, I have a full glass, Alan has a full glass plus the smaller glass, and then I have the third full glass the next morning and he has oatmeal.
For lunch, I typically have a fresh salad with beans, a creamy dressing made from avocados, chopped vegetables, onions, fresh avocado, seeds and whatever else is laying around, but yesterday I had leftover Peanut Butter Veggie Stir-Fry and some extra garbanzo beans.
The leftovers:
Combined to make lunch:
For dessert I made another green smoothie, this time with about half of a frozen banana, frozen peaches, frozen strawberries, flax meal, hazelnuts and water to make hazelnut milk, three dates and another bunch of arugula.
I know when I’m eating enough food but not too much when I have a good appetite for each meal. Yesterday this was the case, although I missed my fresh green salad. Dinner included leftovers again from my Kale & Bean Mix with Tangy Cashew Sauce plus some chopped red bell pepper. I added about 1/2 of a large sweet potato along with the greens:
I didn’t take the picture with the cashew cream on top, but I used about three large tablespoons. Dessert was fresh fruit:
So there you have it, a day in the life of a healthy, vegan eater. As far as following Dr. Fuhrman’s plan, I obviously missed the green salad, although I did get about half the recommended daily intake of fresh greens in smoothie form. I am probably eating too much fruit right now, I estimate I got about six servings yesterday. Dr. Fuhrman doesn’t limit fruit except that he advises eating the minimum amount of veggies before eating more fruit beyond four servings. I did fine on cooked greens and got about the right amount of beans as well. I probably was a little high on the nuts and seeds, but I find that I require a higher-fat intake to feel satisfied. As far as grains and starches, I got about one serving total (1/2 sweet potato and 1/2 serving of brown rice) which is about ideal for me and within Dr. Fuhrman’s guidelines.
I loved the discussion from yesterday’s post about fat-shaming and how we interpret the message that too much body fat can contribute to disease. I certainly don’t think that we should feel bad or shameful about ourselves, whether it is because of being overweight or for whatever other reason. Being mean to ourselves or others doesn’t do any good. Period. The benefit from recognizing our weaknesses comes when we start a journey towards making our lives healthier and happier. I am on that journey as well and I enjoy learning from you lovely readers each and every day.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Loved seeing what a day’s worth of eating looks like, Carrie. I sometimes don’t get quite enough greens in, but at least I now have a good idea of where I need to improve. I am loving Dr. Fuhrman’s plan so much! (oh, and by the way….the manna breads have been awesome!!!)
Have an awesome day!
Hi Gina, thanks for the comment! Don’t you love how the Manna breads can be kept in the freezer for so long? I think I still have one or two loaves floating around from the sampler pack they sent me.
I have gotten a good response from my photo diary, so I will probably do it again next week. It was an interesting experiment for me to actually look at what I ate in one day (sometimes I don’t think about it, I just eat). 
Take care!
Carrie, I’ve loved your blog since I first starting reading about a year ago. I haven’t commented in months (sorry, not you, me) but I always read. I had to say today though that I loved this post! I liked seeing your daily eats, it’s really inspiring, from one vegan to another. I hope you come back next week with another WIAW!
Oh, and I actually have been juicing carrots, oranges and ginger together after seeing your Pin
Hi Briana! Thanks so much for the comment. I am so happy you read my blog and like it.
I liked posting my food “diary” too, I learned from the experience. I will do it again next week for sure. In regards to the Pin, I thought the juice was so pretty but I haven’t tried it yet. Glad to hear it’s good. 
Thanks for sharing. I am interested in trying Dr Fuhrman’ plan, but am not sure about it. Does it require special cooking appliances like a Vitamix? Is it time consuming? I did try macrobiotics in the past, but the time it took to do it correctly just became too consuming. Are smoothies a large part of it? I never liked smoothies with or without dairy!
Hi Paula! I would strongly suggest you start by reading Dr. Fuhrman’s book, Eat to Live, if you haven’t already. Special appliances aren’t a must, but a Vitamix or a high-speed blender helps make the food more delicious, like blending bean and veggie soups, making nut-based cream sauces or making green smoothies. It is not absolutely necessary, though, a regular blender or a hand-immersion blender works, too.
Macrobiotics is a whole different animal than Dr. Fuhrman’s and, to be honest, I could never understand the philosophy behind macrobiotics. Dr. Fuhrman’s plan is very common sense and straight-forward: eat green vegetables, both raw and cooked, fresh fruit, some starch and whole grains, beans, and a certain amount of nuts, seeds and avocados. I have personally found it to be uncomplicated. The best part? I have more energy and fewer health problems than I ever have in my whole life.
Good luck and keep in touch!
I am going to go look for that book. I’ve have been searching for an uncomplicated and healthy diet. I am vegetarian, but you cut out meat and you’re there. I want to get healthy & feel the way your blog says you feel. I am jealous. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Paula. There is a 2011 edition of the book but you can also buy the older version, they are very similar (I think the older one is from 2003 or around there). I bet you can find a cheap used copy on Amazon. Take some time and read the book and see if his approach speaks to you. I was most taken in by the stories of transformation in people who were really sick. Since I suffered horribly from migraines, I was desperate and was so inspired by Dr. Fuhrman’s message of hope. I am still blown away by the fact that my health is so closely tied to what I eat. I literally have so much energy now that I (almost) don’t know what to do with it. It is part of my mission in life to help people with their own journey to feeling great and enjoying all of the wonderful things that life has to offer. Keep me updated!
Great post! I have done the WIAW thing a few times and I agree, it’s a nice tool to consider what you ate on any given day. I haven’t done it lately because it’s been tough to find the time to photograph all my food in a day!
I’ve been thinking of going more towards Dr. Furhrman’s plan. I saw him speak in the fall and it made so much sense. Not that I have done anything about it lately…but I think I will be moving in that direction.
Hi Jen! Thanks for the comment. Where did you hear Dr. Fuhrman speak? I have yet to hear him in person. Have you read the book yet? That would be a great first step. Keep me updated on your progress!
{ 1 trackback }