Diane Sanfilippo is a certified nutrition consultant and the New York Times best-selling author of Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle. She is also the force behind the extremely popular health blog, Balanced Bites, and The Balanced Bites Podcast. And if that’s not impressive enough, she even has a line of spice blends. Diane’s newest book, Keto Quick Start, was just released, and in celebration, she’s giving us the scoop on what she consumes in a typical day when she’s traveling for work. 

Breakfast

What I eat: Flax crackers with avocado and smoked salmon with some red onion and capers. Also, half-caff coffee with unsweetened coconut milk.
The time I eat it: 8:15 A.M.
How I make or where I get it: I’m currently traveling for work, so I picked up the flax crackers here in Los Angeles at Erewhon Market and the rest were items served at a breakfast buffet at the event I’m attending.

Snack

What I eat: I didn’t have a mid-morning snack today! Often when I’m busy and eat a solid breakfast I don’t.

Lunch

What I eat: Mixed greens salad with feta, carrots, and cucumbers, lemon and olive oil dressing, chicken/beef/grilled veggie kabobs, Tzatziki sauce. Sparkling mineral water.
The time I eat it: 12 P.M.
How I made it or where I got it: Again, at an event today but that doesn’t mean I can’t make healthy choices. I skipped the bread and the sweets and opted for meat and vegetables as I typically eat for lunch!

Snack

What I eat: I sipped on some more half-caff coffee with unsweetened coconut milk and ate a packet of vegan Phat Fudge (I’m not vegan but I don’t do well with butter in the original variety).
The time I eat it: Around 2pm in meetings.
How I make it or where I get it: At my event, I had the Phat Fudge in my purse since I carry it when I travel and keep it handy at home, too.

Dinner

What I eat: Salmon with an herb crust, sautéed mushrooms, and a mixed greens salad topped with some kabocha squash. Sparkling mineral water.
The time I eat it: 7:30pm
How I make it or where I get it: The Draycott restaurant in Pacific Palisades, CA (Los Angeles area). It’s sometimes hard to pick healthy options at a buffet-style meal, but I stick with protein and veggies and skip the bread and any fried items.

Snack

What I eat: No evening snack.
Workout I do: A mini hotel workout – used my travel bands and did bodyweight movements.
Rounds of the following for 10 minutes after warming up and stretching a bit first:

  • 5 pushups
  • 10 situps
  • 15 air squats
  • 20 walking lunges

Time I do it: 7 AM, just about 20 minutes total.
Overall thoughts about your day today and how you feel:
I feel really great. My energy was even all day and I felt satiated and full without dipping in energy or triggering cravings. I think a lot of people have trouble when they’re away from home but sticking to the same decision-making principles no matter where you are is the key! And, anytime I travel, I purchase a few items at a grocery store to keep on-hand in a mini-fridge and this saves me if the options being served at a meal aren’t ideal.
What are other wellness activities or habits that make you feel like your best self?
Being prepared is my number one habit to helping keep my stress level down and keep my nutrition on point – which helps me to feel my best overall. When I travel with snacks or stop at a grocery store, that small amount of planning or forethought keeps me from feeling frantic or worrying about getting healthy food when I’m at the mercy of a busy travel schedule or a flight being delayed, for example.
Anything else you’d like to add:
It may seem odd that I haven’t listed many snacks (and many days I don’t snack at all!), but that’s a result of eating keto (which is a higher protein and fat percentage), which means I’m satiated for longer between meals. This is not only a way to promote burning body fat all day but a way to feel calmer and less stressed about eating too often throughout the day!