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My Week In Food: Shona Vertue
My approach to nutrition has been a varied one. After many years of attempting different diets and nutritional philosophies, I firmly believe that the best way to maintain a healthy diet is to first make a decision that you are worth it! I know that might sound a little simplistic but when you decide to truly value yourself and your body, you will choose healthier meals. I don't agree with 'dieting' as I know first-hand it doesn't work, mostly because it isn't sustainable. Instead, I encourage 'eating-to-nourish'. When we work towards nourishment, our food choices will best reflect what we need to feel energised, efficient and strong.
Not one-size-fits-all, but there are some basics that I always encourage. Balanced macrobiotics (carbs, proteins and fats) are a good start, start your day with protein and last but not least, mum was right - you need to eat more greens.
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Monday
Breakfast The most important meal of the day always contains protein. However, even before that, I will have my warm apple cider vinegar with lemon juice and manuka honey. After that, it’s usually an egg white omelette with kale or whatever greens I have left over in the fridge. I also take zinc & magnesium, fish oils, a probiotic and a wellness tablet with food.
Lunch This meal was inspired by my good friend, chef and Sydney café owner Corinna Kovner. She created this falafel and kale fry up (in coconut oil of course) with a drizzling of poached egg and halloumi (the best cheese in the world…then comes Burrata, my second favourite).
Dinner Tonight is a big bowl of roasted veggies. It’s so cold at the moment and I can feel my body craving this sort of food. Sweet potato, kale and capsicum (aka red peppers - excuse my Australian terminology).
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Tuesday
Breakfast No time for an omelette this morning, so it was my go-to green smoothie. Spirulina, rice protein, pea protein, avocado, banana, oat milk, coconut oil, gotu kola, ice and a sprinkle of bee pollen are all very potent ingredients that keep me full and nutrient dense for a few hours. I have back-to-back sessions today and have no idea when I will next get a chance to eat. Sometimes I have to make breakfast very calorific so that I last into the late afternoon. Coconut oil is a great way to do that - it also contains MCT (medium chain triglycerides), shorter chain fatty acids that are easier for the body to burn.
Late Lunch I didn’t get to eat today until around 2pm which is late as I had breakfast at 6am. I don’t believe in snacking, (hence my filling smoothie above). This is broccoli and polenta from Pizza East in Notting Hill. It’s my favourite.
Dinner Shitaake soup from Daylesford. Wasn’t too hungry after my late lunch. Soup is such a wonderful dinner option so that you don’t wind up going to bed with a full belly. It is also a lot easier on the digestive system.
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Wednesday
Breakfast Another delicious egg white omelette, but I had run out of greens. Just a bit of salt and basil did the trick. Food shouldn’t NEED sauces - healthy food has flavour on its own.
Lunch Who says you can’t have breakfast for lunch? Eggs, smashed peas, avocado, grilled tomato on sourdough bread - so good.
Dinner Yes, it’s a tad naughty, but sometimes I’m just too exhausted to cook. A cheeky smoothie for dinner gives me the protein hit I need. This is one of my favourites: cacao, banana, avocado, rice milk, ice, cacao nibs, rice and pea protein and bee pollen.
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Thursday
Breakfast Lots of veggies all mixed in with some folded eggs. Had a bit of extra time, so Richie Norton @thestrengthtemple cooked up a storm, (lucky me!)
Lunch Quick meeting at Egg Break means I get to eat breakfast again! I had the polenta eggs with mushroom ragu. It’s one of my favourite dishes on the menu.
Dinner Pho. It’s so cold at the moment (I’m Australian and will basically never stop complaining about the cold or the weather), so I have decided to opt in for an easily digestible Vietnamese noodle soup.
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Friday
Breakfast A big fat serving of folded eggs to get me through my back-to-back sessions.
Lunch Quick pit-stop at my new favourite - the Clean and Lean café and Bodyism gym in Notting Hill. I used to work with them and the whole menu has been designed by top personal trainers. The coffee is divine and so are their toasties made on their special Paleo bread.
Dinner Mixed veggies and coconut rice. Coconut is the best thing since sliced bread (but is much better for you than sliced bread). I didn’t get a lot of greens in today, so I went in for a second serving of greens.
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Saturday
Breakfast I’ve run out of eggs! So I’ve had to go with oats. To be honest, I feel very sluggish when I start my morning on a carbohydrate dominant meal, so with this bowl of porridge, I’ve added some rice and pea protein powder, and have taken 4 of my BCAAs (branch chain amino acids - the building blocks of protein).
Lunch Date with friends at another one of my favourite spots, Pizza East in Notting Hill. Polenta and broccoli dish with a soy cappuccino.
Dinner Savoury crèpe with tomato and cheese with a big bowl of rocket and courgette.
Dessert This is a scrumptious Nutella crèpe and yes - I have dessert. Not routinely like a ‘cheat meal’, but if and when I get a craving for sweet things, I don’t believe in restriction. It just tends to lead towards bingeing and I’ve been down that road before. Feelings of guilt are some of the most dangerous reactions that you can have to your food.
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Sunday
Breakfast Green smoothie for a lazy Sunday morning: baby spinach, coconut water, banana, kale, cucumber and ice - refreshing and nutritious.
Snack Pre workout coffee!!! Yum! Don’t worry, I made sure I was hydrated.
Lunch Big bowl of porridge because it’s FREEZING! I sprinkled it with desiccated coconut and strawberries.
Mid afternoon snack Another green smoothie to get a big hit of greens. This beautiful Thai mango was going off, so I threw it into the blender with some spirulina, spinach, rice milk and ice. Perfect.
Dinner Pumpkin soup with oat cream and sunflower seeds. The recipe was inspired by the Chef on my retreat in Ibiza in November ( @daisydoesntdiet ). It’s very warming, but also really easy on digestion before bed. I prefer to wake up fresh on a Monday morning, so I like to finish my week with a lovely healthy meal.
Feeling inspired? Find more healthy living motivation courtesy of our Project Me health and fitness guide. Click here to find out more .