The Perfect Day Of Eating

The Perfect Day Of Eating

Will this be your best day ever? Or your beastliest? What you put in your mouth will have a lot to do with the answer. Food can help fuel body and mind to ensure that you perform at the peak of your abilities. 

Or it can sabotage your best efforts, leaving you panicked, drained, and floundering. Are you eating your way to disaster, or triumph? Let's go through your daily menu of foods and tasks to help you snack, slurp, and sup your way to success.

9 am: Water

You know you’re supposed to have multiple glasses a day. But it’s better to sip a little water all day long instead of chugging a giant glass when you suddenly feel parched. "If your tongue feels dry to the touch or your pee is bright yellow, you’re dehydrated," says Alpert. 

10 am: Stretch and walk

Get up, stretch, and stroll every hour to hour-and-a-half, says Heidi Skolnik, MS, a nutritionist at the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Walk to a coworker’s cube instead of shooting off an e-mail or take the internal stairs when you head to another floor in your office.

 

10:30 to 11 am: Small snack

Eat every 3 to 4 hours to keep energy up and avoid big mealtime binges. For fiber and protein, try an apple with a string cheese or a handful of nuts (especially if you didn’t have them at breakfast). "Everyone should have an apple in her desk drawer," says Alpert. "They’re the perfect take-along snack—they don’t bruise in your purse and they’re easy to eat anywhere." Or try yogurt (Koff likes the nonfat Greek kind) with some berries.

Bonus Tip: Sit whenever you eat, says Koff. Take small bites and try to drag out your snack for as long as possible (ideally 10 to 15 minutes). Research shows the more chewing you do, the more nutrients your body absorbs.

Calorie Count: 150 to 300 calories

11:30 am to Noon: Water, vitamin, and a walk

Finish your glass, refill it, and swallow your multivitamin. "I recommend clients take their multi shortly before lunch because the B vitamins and certain minerals help your body utilize carbs so you have more post-meal energy," says Koff. Then get up and stretch at your desk. These moves also help keep energy up, so you’re not tempted to snack out of boredom or fatigue. Plus, some movement before lunch jump-starts your digestive system, Koff says.

1 to 1:30 pm: Lunch

Build yourself a rainbow salad, says Alpert. Start with dark, leafy greens and pile them high with a mix of colorful veggies, protein, and good-for-you fats. Try tomatoes, carrots, peppers, and mushrooms for a healthy mix of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Add 1/4 cup of avocado for healthy, monounsaturated fat, and ½ cup of protein, like tuna fish, grilled chicken, turkey, beans, or lentils. "Get adventurous with different veggies every day," Alpert says. "The more color and variety, the better."

All of the nutritionists gave the okay on dressing, but don’t drown your salad in it, and choose a light version or an olive oil-based one. "You want some fat in your salad because it helps your body digest fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K," says Skolnick. Wash your meal down with water.

Bonus Tip: If you want, have a slice of whole grain bread on the side. "People love bread," says Alpert. "If you’ll feel deprived without it, I’d rather you have the 100 or so calories here than risk going overboard later."

Calorie count: 400 to 500 calories

2pm: Water and a walk

Doing this now will help you make a sensible choice when those 4 o’clock cravings strike. "Get outside if you can, especially if you didn’t go out for lunch," says Koff. "The fresh air and sunshine will boost your spirits and stop you from overeating because of a bad mood."

3:30 to 4 pm: Afternoon snack

Welcome to the witching hour: Almost everyone needs to snack between lunch and dinner, says Alpert. For a fiber-protein mix, try a 6-ounce yogurt (the natural milk sugars help with sweet cravings) and a handful of high-fiber cereal. Have a banana with a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter. "Or pick something fun," says Koff, like an ounce of dark chocolate (70% cacao). It’s packed with polyphenols, a type of antioxidant shown to help lower blood pressure, keep your brain sharp, and more.

Bonus Tip: Let your appetite be your guide here—you may not need the same type of snack every day. If you had a big lunch, you may only need a small nibble. If you plan to hit the gym after work, you may want to eat more or save some of your snack until closer to your workout (an hour or so beforehand).

Calorie count: 150 to 250 calories

 

6 to 7 pm: Walk or work out

If you didn’t walk in the morning, now is a good time to squeeze in some exercise. "When you’re home waiting before dinner is when the munchies happen," says Alpert. She recommends some kind of regular predinner activity to all her clients, whether it’s just circling your block a couple of times or going to the gym. "When you have something scheduled, you’re less likely to float in and out of the kitchen." It’s also a smart to try to include walking in your commute. If you drive to work, pick a far-away parking spot, says Alpert. If you take a train or bus, hop off a stop earlier than your usual and hoof it the rest of the way.

7:30 pm: Dinner

Start this meal off with soup, recommend our experts. Studies show that people who do end up eating less overall. Have a cup of a low-fat broth-based kind, like minestrone, miso, or gazpacho. For the main meal, "I’d like to see a nice portion, 3 or 4 ounces, of grilled wild salmon because it has lean protein and provides healthy omega-3 fats," says Alpert. Add cooked vegetables like sautéed broccoli or spinach and 1/2 cup of brown rice.

For a nonfish option, try turkey meatballs (roll in some whole oats for extra fiber and spices for antioxidants) over a bed of spaghetti squash, which has the texture of pasta but counts as a veggie serving. Use 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, and sprinkle a handful of pine nuts on top for extracrunchy texture. Have water with dinner, ideally, but a small (4 ounce) glass of wine is fine from time to time, our nutritionists concurred.

Bonus Tip: Stick to proper portions, especially when it comes to your proteins and carbs.

Calorie count: 400 to 500 calories

9:30 pm: Dessert

Wait an hour or so after dinner for a before-bed snack. You don’t have to strictly follow the fiber-protein rule, but it should be more than just empty calories. A few options: A tablespoon of chocolate drizzled over 1/2 cup of berries, apple slices with honey, or coconut water or orange juice ice pops.

Calorie count: 100 to 150 calories

 

10:30 to 11 pm: Head to bed

Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night; less than that, and you up your risk for a host of health problems, including weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and more, not to mention the odds that you’ll feel more tired, frazzled, and likely to overeat the next day. Drink another glass of water shortly before bed, and give yourself plenty of time to wind down with a calming routine, such as a bath or reading in bed.