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My Week In Food: Libby Limon
My approach to nutrition is one of balance; I'm not one for extreme or fad diets and generally eat what and when I want. My nutritional knowledge has allowed me to do this, as it means that I can make informed choices. This was really a revelation for me, as it is a far cry from my teenage years and early twenties when I struggled with my weight and had a whole host of health problems including severe IBS, hormonal imbalance, recurrent tonsillitis and UTIs. I love being a nutritional therapist and sharing this knowledge, showing people good healthy nutrition is more about what you put in than what you take out.
My diet is predominantly plant-based, but I do eat some fish and meat. I avoid cow’s dairy where I can, but still have sheep, goat and buffalo as these are easier to digest. I generally have a low gluten diet too. I am genetically a poor metaboliser of sugars, over-absorber of fats and have poor appetite regulation (these are known as the obesity genes), so it's important for me have lots of good quality proteins. I batch cook/prepare lots of things at the weekend for the week ahead or choose recipes that can be quickly thrown together.
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Monday
Wake up: Green tea.
Breakfast: It’s an early morning in my Marylebone clinic, so breakfast needs to be quick: a boiled egg and a ¼ avocado mashed together and spread on omega 3 German style rye toast. This is what I have most often for breakfast - I can pre-make the egg, which makes it super quick and easy. With this, I have my convenient strip of VITL supplements, which are designed to support modern living and energyproduction.I also have a green juice made from celery, cucumber, ginger, lemon, parsley and kale. My genetics mean I have some slow liver detoxification pathways, so a daily green vegetable juice (batch made on the weekend and frozen) really helps with my hormone balance and keeps my skin clear with a healthy glow.
Mid-morning: Green tea.
Lunch: A Detox box from Pod containing salmon, avocado, edamame, kelp noodles and a nori wrap. I am at a nutrition seminar all day. I wish I was more organised to pre-make a packed lunch but this week, I am just too busy. Luckily London has great healthy options for take-out.
Snack: Pulsin' Vanilla Choc Chip protein bar . I love these vegan protein bars as they mean I can have a sweet treat that isn't going to disrupt my blood sugar and will give me a slow sustainable use of energy. It keeps me going through my evening clinic in Clerkenwell.
Dinner: Baked sweet potato with homemade baked beans and goat’s cheese. It’s a horrible rainy, miserable day outside and it’s been a really long day at work, so I really fancy comfort food when I get home. I don't really feel like proper cooking either, so I bake off whole sweet potatoes and have with some homemade baked beans from the freezer with goat’s cheese on top.
Dessert: 2 squares of dark Green & Black’s chocolate - I’m obsessed.
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Tuesday
Wake up: Green tea.
Breakfast: I'm totally obsessed with figs, they’re one of my favourite fruits. Ihave them with goat's curd cheese on omega 3 German style rye toast.I also take my VITL supplement and have a green juice too.
Snack: I’m running around town teaching yoga today, so I have a quick mid-morning pit stop atWholefoods to rehydrate and nourish with Unoco Raw Coconut Water andClearspring Tamari almonds.
Lunch: I’m back home for a late lunch and make a quick vegan cream of mushroom soup.The creaminess comes from cashew nuts which also add protein and make itsuper filling. I add reishi powder for an immunity boost.
Dinner: Gluten-free buckwheat (soba) noodles with Taifun basil tofu and a sauce withfresh tomatoes, onions and peppers. I add nutritional yeast as a vegan butcheesy-flavoured condiment. It’s perfectly vegetarian but still a highprotein substitute for midweek pasta. It only takes 10 minutes to throw together.
Dessert: 2 squares of dark Green & Black’s chocolate.
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Wednesday
Wake up: Green tea.
Breakfast: Smoked salmon and a ¼ avocado on omega 3 German style rye toast. VITL supplements and a green juice.
Mid-morning: Matcha almond milk latte with cinnamon.
Lunch: I am doing recipe development for a new product we are bringing out with VITL, so I had one of these recipes for lunch, plus a cherry almond vanilla smoothie made with frozen dark cherries, live Greek yoghurt, almonds, almond milk and VITL’s new 'secret ingredient'... coming soon! It was a light lunch easily digested before a weights training session I had with a PT friend - I'm on a mission to mix up my fitness at the moment.
Dessert: 2 squares of dark Green & Black’s chocolate.
Dinner: I'm teaching a private yoga client this evening, so don't have time for aproper evening meal with my hubby. I have an open sandwich with hummus,grated carrot, avocado, raw sauerkraut and lettuce with a bit of Caribbeanhot sauce on rye bread.
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Thursday
Wake up: Green tea
Breakfast: Buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil on omega 3 German style rye toast, VITL supplements and a green juice.
Mid-morning: 2 cups of green tea.
Lunch: I’m in the VITL office all day and again I haven't been organised enough to prepare anything to take with me. I head to Waitrose and pick up ingredients to throw together a healthy salad in the office kitchen - puy lentils, beetroot, feta and watercress - delicious and cost-effective.
Dessert: 2 squares of dark Green & Black’s chocolate.
Dinner: Healthy fish and chips: steamed cod, baked cayenne spiced sweet potato wedges and peas.
In the evening I went to see Skyfall at the cinema and had popcorn as a snack - not healthy at all. Popcorn as a healthy snack is a marketing myth, it is not nutrient-dense and is very high in simple carbs. Nonetheless, it was delicious and a must as far as I am concerned at the cinema.
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Friday
Wake up: Green tea.
Breakfast: A green smoothie with hemp protein, spinach, frozen pineapple chunks, coconut yoghurt and coconut water. VITL supplements.
Lunch: I’m working from home, so I make a quick salad with leftover sweet potato and peas with quinoa, lentils, watercress and feta.
Dinner: I'm not a big drinker, but still like that feeling of a Friday wind-down so I have a Kombucha and fried off padron peppers. Then I make cauliflower egg fried rice. Grated cauliflower makes the rice, which is then stir-fried in coconut oil with veggies, a tamari scrambled egg, edamame beans, garlic, ginger and chilli.
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Saturday
Wake up: Green tea.
Brunch: I still have some leftover baked sweet potato, so I make a hash with onions, chilli, mushrooms and serve it with a poached egg on top. I also have my VITL supplements and a green juice.
Late Lunch: I’m running around so I don't have time to cook and pick up a Glorious Mumbai Lentil & Chickpea soup. I add an additional carton of organic chickpeas to increase the fibre and protein.
Dinner: I’m out for dinner with friends. They choose for us to go to Chick 'n Sours in Dalston. They only serve fried chicken, not something I usually eat, but I am open to anything as long the quality of the ingredients are good. Also, I strongly believe in the 80/20 rule and I'm not precious about eating healthy all the time - life is too short. I have Asian-inspired fried chicken on a lettuce leaf topped with loads of delicious pickled veggies. We have sides of smashed cucumbers, watermelon salad and some fries too.
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Sunday
Wake up: Green tea.
Brunch: I’m still full from last night’s feast, so I opt for a lighter vegan brunch of mushrooms, spinach and cashews stir-fried with garlic on rye toast, plus my VITL supplements and a green juice.
I take our dog for a long walk and pick up a decaf soy latte from my favourite coffee shop at Kensal Rise Cable co.
Late Lunch: I make a broccoli tart with a gluten-free base of broccoli and then a filling of balsamic onions and tender-stem broccoli as a side salad.
Dinner: I’m not really hungry, so I have some figs, apple, cucumber and cherry tomatoes with goat’s cheese and chutney.
Follow us at @getthegloss and Libby @libbylimon .