Our Nutritionist Jordan Shares How She Nourishes Her Body on a Typical Day

I’m a full-time qualified nutritionist and GAPS practitioner, as well as a photographer, food stylist and recipe developer on weekends, so it’s safe to say I’m a busy gal. However, just because life can get a little hectic at times, that doesn’t mean that I let my healthy food choices slide or sacrifice my health in any way. Nourishing my body is my number one priority as it allows me to feel amazing and vibrant so I can keep going full steam ahead.

‘Taking care of yourself is the most powerful way to begin taking care of others’.

My Food Philosophy

I’ve been on a ketogenic, therapeutic gut healing diet for nearly 2 years now. That basically means I avoid any food that doesn’t agree with MY individual body, this includes; gluten, wheat, soy, dairy (except grass-fed butter/ ghee as I believe they’re superfoods), processed oils, all sugars, flours and refined and processed foods aren’t able to pass through my lips. I’m on a REAL food diet where I’m using food as my medicine. I put a lot of focus onto the quality of my ingredients and choose to eat seasonal, organic and spray free produce as well as organic/ free-range meats, eggs and fresh seafood. I eat foods that stabilise my blood sugar and energy levels and don’t cause high cortisol, inflammation or immune isssues. My diet consists of lots of fibre rich vegetables, broths and soups, homemade fermented foods and quality fats and proteins. Its simple food, that is incredibly nourishing, healing and I love it.

That Sounds Too Hard…

‘Your health is an investment, not an expense’

Many people that come to me for a nutrition consultation often say ‘I’m too busy to eat healthy food, it’s just too much effort’ or even ‘That sounds too hard, I’m a lazy person’. If I’m being honest, I really believe that it can be as easy or as hard as you choose to make it. I understand that making wise food choices can be challenging for many people, especially when stress levels begin to rise, schedules fill up,’ 3pm-itis’ sets in or when you develop intense sugar cravings. However, eating real food is a choice, and there are many things you can do to make it easier for yourself and for your family to consistently make healthier food choices, and trust me, it does get easier with practice.

What A Typical Day Of Food Looks Like For Me

Breakfast

To be honest I’m not much of a breakfast person anymore (I used to be), but now I have either a Bulletproof Coffee or I’ll add turmeric to it and create an anti-inflammatory Turmeric & Vanilla Bulletproof Coffee. This usually gives me enough energy and sustains me right through until lunchtime, so I generally don’t have to eat again until 1 or 2pm. This allows me to do a bit of intermittent fasting and I love the way that makes me feel. If I have one of those days where I do wake up ravenous I love to have either my Zucchini & Dill Fritters or Golden Cauliflower Fritters with avocado or cultured cashew cheese and fermented veggies on top. These dishes always fill me up so I usually end up having a late lunch (2-3pm) as a result.

Lunch

It’s usually the same thing, leftovers from the previous night’s dinner with a big glass of fermented juice and/ or fermented veggies on the side.

I’m a big believer in cook once, eat twice.

We’re lucky enough to have an oven and a Thermomix at Changing Habits which makes reheating meals really easy. On those rarer occasions I don’t have any leftovers from dinner, I make my Keto Green Lemon Smoothy which is packed full of nourishing, nutrient dense ingredients like; leafy greens, herbs, quality fats, collagen, fibre, as well as pre and probiotics to feed my good gut bacteria. This smoothy is really well-balanced for my needs and lasts me up until dinner time. But to be honest, I do prefer a warm meal, I think it’s the Dutch in me.

Dinner

Most days my slow cooker gets a really great workout. Before I leave for work I’ll either put on a chicken soup, meat and veggie stew, some type of slow cooked meat or even a bone broth to cook all day while I’m at work. Then when I come home all I have to prepare are the vegetables. I love quick and easy sides like cauliflower puree, broccoli chips or I’ll create a one pan wonder meal consisting of; chopped veggies drizzled in ghee or coconut oil, herbs, salt and spices, all fried until crispy and golden. As soon as the vegetables are ready, I will serve them up with some slow cooked meat with a big bowl of fermented veggies or a fermented juice. Cooking this way always allows me to have leftovers. On the days I don’t feel like meat, I’ll have fresh seafood instead. On those days I want to have a lighter meal, I will make some yummy homemade sushi.

Desserts and Snacks

To be honest I try to stay away from having too many ‘sweets’ otherwise I start to develop sweet cravings later on in the day. I love my savoury snacks and my latest obsession is my Golden Cashew Cheese or this incredible Bacon & Garlic Pate that my boyfriend makes for me with my Turmeric Seedy Crackers or cucumber sticks. It’s absolutely heavenly. If I do want a little sweet treat I’ll make either some Chocolate Bulletproof Ice-Cream or Choc Cashew Protein Bites. If I’ve eaten really well and I feel completely nourished, I don’t need or want a dessert so I’ll have a herbal or ginger tea to help me wind down before bedtime with some gut healing Green or Berry Gummies.

Summary

These are the things that save me the most time in the kitchen;

• At the start of every week I make a big batch of fermented veggies, coconut yoghurt and coconut water kefir or fermented juices – all of which I consume daily as these are my staples and allow me to improve my gut health, which improves my overall health
• I also make batches of condiments such as; cashew cheese, cheese-free pesto, guacamole, fermented tomato salsa and curry paste (some of them are freezeable) – these are quick easy flavour bomb additions to salad, roasted vegetables and/ or meat, dolloped on top of fritters, frittata or seafood
• I use my slow cooker A LOT which saves me so much time
• I make a big batch of bone broth once a week so I can use it as the base in my pureed vegetables, soups, stews and gravies
• I  keep my meals simple, you really don’t need millions of ingredients to add flavour to your dishes

I believe we can all learn and share real food tips and tricks with each other to help one another out. If you have any amazing time saving tips or incredible recipes you would like to share with us and others, please comment below.

For other recipe ideas, the Changing Habits Recipe Book has over 140 healthy and easy to follow recipes that taste delicious.