After being diagnosed with diabetes at 22, I adopted what I now know was basically a keto diet. My doctors told me I’d have to keep an eye on how I ate to stay healthy, and I took it to heart. I wanted to get off of insulin, so I decided to say goodbye to processed carbs and sugar like baked goods and white bread — and it has seriously paid off.
For more than 15 years, eating this way has helped me manage my diabetes — but it’s also given me a ton of energy and helped me maintain my weight and stay in shape.
When my trainer Peter formally introduced me to the ketogenic lifestyle a few years ago, I realized all I had to do to feel even better was give my body more healthy fats (like avocado, coconut oil, and butter) so it had more of that fuel to burn.
Today, eating keto is second nature to me. I feel incredible on the high-fat, moderate-protein, and very-low-carb plan (seriously, I couldn’t tell you the last time I even craved sweets) and wouldn’t go back to the sugar-eating ways of before my diabetes diagnosis for anything in the world.
Here’s what a typical day of the keto diet looks like for me these days.
Breakfast
Since getting into keto, I don’t usually eat a traditional breakfast. I’m a huge fan of bulletproof coffee, so I typically brew myself a nice coffee and blend it with butter, MCT oil, and collagen; sometimes a bit of cream.
I sip on my frothy drink throughout the morning and love that the fat in it fuels my body and that it gives me a steady stream of caffeine and energy to start the day with.
If I do feel like cooking up a morning meal, though, I keep it simple with scrambled eggs, peppers, and onion with a side of avocado.
Post-Workout
If I exercise in the morning, I sometimes need a little something to tide me over until my first full meal of the day — especially if I work out really hard.
Usually, in this case, I’ll have an electrolyte drink or a bit of a keto-friendly bar (I love the TRUWOMEN plant protein bars).
If I just do something light, though, that bulletproof coffee usually keeps me going until lunchtime.
Lunch
Around two o’clock or so, I’ll make myself lunch. If I’m craving something cozy, I’ll make a simple soup loaded with different vegetables and a protein, and top it with some cheese.
Otherwise, I go for a big salad. I always start with lots of greens, then add veggies like tomatoes, olives, and green and red peppers. From there, avocado and some sort of vinaigrette dressing made with olive oil and spices add healthy fats. I top it all off with some sort of protein, like shrimp, chicken, beef, lamb, or fish.
When in doubt, though, I whip out my favorite cookbook, Keto Comfort Foods, and make a recipe from there.
Snacks
Though I don’t usually snack a lot (I feel very satisfied on keto), I do enjoy munching on something in the afternoon every once in a while.
Since I usually have lots of vegetables lying around, a quick DIY veggie platter does the job in a pinch.
I really enjoy savory flavors, though, so I love snacking on chips. Give me a bowl of salt and vinegar chips and I’m happy. I’ve also been enjoying seeds lately, because they’re salty and crunch and easy to grab when you just want a little something.
If I have time, though, perhaps my favorite snack is homemade kale chips. They’re so easy to make (I just dress kale with olive oil and a little salt and toss it in the oven) and taste way better when you bake them yourself.
Dinner
Around six o’clock, I sit down with my kids to have dinner. I usually don’t need much at this point, so I often go for some grilled vegetables with a plant-based protein like chickpeas.
I also love cauliflower mash (or even a bit of sweet potato mash) at dinner.
When in doubt, though, I go for the same veggie-protein-fat combo I have at lunchtime.
Dessert
I don’t really have a sweet tooth at all anymore (really, you could put cake in front of me and I wouldn’t want it), but I do really enjoy a glass of red wine after dinner.
I order my wine from Dry Farm Wines, which delivers these great, super-natural wines that don’t contain any preservatives and are a lot lower in sugar and alcohol than your standard bottles.
I still want to do my body good when I treat myself, and a nice, clean glass of wine helps me do just that.