Foods We Eat Every Day as Vegetarians

My tips this week bring you into the MVF kitchen to show you the foods we eat every day as vegetarians. I hope by showing you this, you might consider eating them too! The number one question I get asked is, what do you eat? This Tuesday, I get to answer!

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

Foods We Eat Every Day as Vegetarians in the MVF Kitchen

My original inspiration for this blog was born out of wanting to answer the question, “Tara, what do you eat?”. Being a vegetarian, athlete, parent, health enthusiast, and holding a science-based doctorate degree, there are many areas of my life where people get the opportunity to ask me what I eat. My hope has always been to show you what we eat, why, and how I cook our food to support our active + healthy lifestyles. So, here we go, another Tuesday, another tips!

A Day in the Life in the MVF Kitchen

A typical day starts out with water + a pre-run snack of an easily digestible carbohydrate source (pretzels or a banana usually). Run depends on the phase of training/day of the week lasting anywhere from 1-2.5 hours. During the run I take in water + an electrolyte source (my favorite being Skratch Labs Orange). Post-run, I immediately drink more water + a protein shake (Momentous plant-protein). Next is coffee or tea, breakfast of carbs + protein. I aim to hit my protein goals 3-4x/day with my meals or snacks. My lunch is typically broken up into 2 smaller lunches of a green smoothie with greens, ginger, turmeric, berries + protein powder followed by a more typical lunch of carbs/fruit + protein. Dinner is based around another plant-based protein source, veggies, and carbs are scaled up or down based on training volume. A typical day for Mr. MVF looks a little different to accommodate his schedule but starts out essentially the same + he usually takes his mid-day meals/snacks with him so he has them available to him throughout the day. Meal prep, a stocked pantry, and a plan is the key to making this happen!

Foods We Eat Every Day

These are a few foods that make their way onto our plates every single day for various reasons. Every week in my tips, I try give you a sneak peak + a little science behind why I choose what we eat on regular rotation. After years of preventing + treating illnesses of all kinds, I make it a priority to put these foods on our plates every day:

Walnuts
Apples
Beans/Tofu
Protein Powder
Greens
Whole Grains

How I Choose Our Foods

Ultimately, I prioritize our health first. If we can eat one food over another + it helps us fight disease, maintain our weight, and fuel our workouts, I’m going to choose a food that gives us a better advantage on accomplishing that. After years of struggling with disordered eating, I no longer see food as good or bad. Some foods have more nutritional value, and I try to prioritize those. So, when choosing our foods, the only foods off limits are animals. Otherwise, if we want to eat something, we do.

Additionally, I choose our foods in order of priority. We hit our protein goals first, then aim to eat as many different plants every week as we can to boost our microbiome. Next, I prioritize whole colorful foods with high fiber + complex carbohydrates. In following the 80/20 rule, I leave 20% of our food choices for fun / taste / spontaneity / social eating with friends + family.

Beyond the Plate

I have been writing + creating here on MyVegetarianFamily.com for the last 7 years. Part of my mission statement is to help you eat meatless meals effortlessly. In committing to making my mess my message, I don’t shy away from writing about my difficulties with RED-s and orthorexia. Effortless eating goes beyond meal prepping + stocking your pantry. Sometimes, effortless eating means stressing less about your food choices. My best advice is to set a foundation of healthy habits. The more plants you eat, the more you will want to eat. Refer back to my writings on The 80/20 Method, or The Plate Method. In the same token, the more you move, the more you want to move. Find purposeful movement every day + make your meals fuel whatever you set out to do.

Food For Thought

There is no such thing as a perfect diet. What works for me, might not work for you. So, don’t aim for perfection, aim to choose foods that nourish your body + give you the energy to be the best version of yourself. Above all, enjoy good foods in the company of good people in and out of your kitchen.

All the best,

Tara 👩🏻‍🌾💚