A Day in the Life of the (Modified) Wahls Diet

As I follow the diet from Minding My Mitochondria, I've made a few modifications. Here's a quote from Dr. Wahls from Facebook which gives a summary of the diet:

The Wahls Foundation
think of the wahls diet as a phased approach. phase 1 = 9 cups of vegetables and berries, phase 2= gluten free, dairy free; phase 3= paleo (no grain, no legumes) phase 4 = food allergy testing, elimination diet. If one feels like they have all the benefit they need -- they can stay at phase one. If you are looking for more benefits, keep advancing.

I've followed phases 1 and 2 quite closely, with just a few tweaks. Because I'm a vegetarian, the phase 3 paleo is where I've made some modifications (no meat, still eating grains now and then). I've also had food allergy testing (phase 4), so I know what to avoid there.

Here is a sample menu of what I might eat in a day:

Breakfast:

A smoothie made in my Vitamix. I start with a base or orange juice, add a banana, 3 - 4 kale leaves, and a handful of baby spinach leaves. I add a bit more fruit depending on what I have on hand. Dr. Wahls promotes the use of berries, so this is my first choice. I've also been using up frozen fruit from our summer harvests, so sometimes add a few frozen pear slices, cherries, or frozen peaches. I also add other veggies based on what I have on hand. This is often a stalk of celery, a few baby carrots, and during the summer and fall also included fresh veggies from the garden: tomatoes, cucumber, etc.

Snack:

If there is extra smoothie from breakfast (there usually is - that Vitamix container is huge!) I take that to work with me and drink it mid-morning. I also snack on dried fruit and nuts.

Lunch:

On a work day, I usually have vegetable soup (made much like my smoothies - a large variety of veggies and kale) or veggies, a rice/quinoa mix, and a few pieces of tofu (this is where I diverge from phase 3, the paelo part of her diet.) If I'm home, I might have a bowl of soup and a large salad.

Dinner:

This is my favorite meal, and I love to create a plate of food with lots of colors! I always try to have leftovers in the fridge, as it makes a quick dinner so much easier. I am really enjoying cooking, so I tend to cook several dishes at a time and then work through the leftovers. Dinner is usually about a third of a plate of salad (based on either baby spinach or a packaged spring mix), one other veggie dish, and a serving of greens (cooked kale or red chard.)

I also eat quinoa, and so my dinner plate might include a serving of that in place of one of the other things above.

Dessert:

This is the other area where I don't striclty follow the Wahls diet. She promotes giving up white sugar, and while I'm trying, I'm having a hard time with that. I still eat a bit of dark chocolate, I make tapioca pudding, and sometimes splurge on a vegan, gluten-free dessert I've found out and about.

I'll be sharing some favorite recipes as I continue to blog.

If you're interested in following the Wahls diet, I would encourage you to try to follow it as much as you can, and then to make modifications if you need to.