What I eat in a day to fuel my body for when I workout at the gym and have soccer practice all in the same day. Yes, I am a vegan athlete and yes I eat a lot! The past few years I’ve learned what foods are important for my body’s recovery and fuel, and what foods aren’t. People think all I eat are salads and leaves, but trust me there’s so much more to the vegan lifestyle than that. This is what a typical day of eating looks like for me when I have a double session day.
For more recipes and detailed explanations, these meals and more are listed in my amazon ebook!
8am - Breakfast: Green Tea & Oatmeal
I love to start my day with some green tea and oatmeal. I drink one cup of plain green tea, with no added sugar or milk. With my oatmeal on the other hand, I like to dress it up. The essentials are rolled oats, fruit (dried or fresh), seeds, and protein powder. My oatmeal is never the same, I am always changing it up or adding something new to it everyday. For example, some days I’ll make overnight oats and other days I’ll put it in the oven, it all depends on how I am feeling that day.
In my oatmeal I like to have:
Rolled oats
Mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
Seeds (pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds)
Tahini (made from sesame seeds)
Protein powder (depending what type I have: brown rice, soy, hemp, etc.)
Agave syrup
Granola
Here’s an example of what one of my leg days look like:
- Cardio Warm-Up
- Band Glutes Activation
- Cardio Leg-Based Super Set
- Deadlift Pyramid Set
- 3 Machines
- 300 Abs
12pm (noon) - Post Workout Meal: Protein Smoothie
After my workouts I need to replenish my body with what it’s lost. One of my favourite post workout meals are protein enhanced smoothies. I’m not a huge fan of the classic protein shake, I hate the taste and the texture of the lingering powder disgusts me. I started to make protein enhanced smoothies and they taste so much better! I alway add a banana, since they are high in carbs and potassium. I also add one scoop of protein powder, this is for building muscle as well as repairing muscle and tissue. After these essentials I add whatever other fruit I have and blend for a yummy smoothie.
In my smoothie in the photo above:
Banana
Strawberry
Mango
Protein powder (depending what type I have: brown rice, soy, hemp, etc.)
Soy milk & water mixture
2pm - Lunch: Power Bowl Salad
This is one of my favourite go to meals one of my friends introduced to me. It’s perfect for when I have no clue what to eat. It’s so easy, I just look what I have in the fridge, merge it all together, add some spinach, balsamic vinegar, and it’s a super healthy power bowl salad!
In power bowl salad above:
Crispy tofu or tempeh (cooked in tomato sauce & different spices)
Beans
Cherry tomatos
Red onion
Spinach
Brown rice
Salt & pepper
Olive oil & balsamic vinegar
5pm - Snack: Avocado Toast
When I first became vegan, I had no idea about nutrition so most of the time I just ate avocado toast. This is one of my favourite snacks, you can eat it plain, spicy, etc. and it’s healthy!
Avocado toast above:
Multigrain bread
Avocado
Himalayan salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Soccer Practice:
I play for a second division soccer team in Spain. A typical training session consists of running laps around the field for 5-10 minutes, following with a dynamic warm-up. After an agility circuit, then a passing exercise, small sided games, and ending with some finishing or a small scrimmage.
8:30pm - Dinner: Burrito
This is the first meal I learned how to cook when first started my transition to becoming vegan. It’s so simple, yet so delicious! This meal is very complete it has your protein, carb, and fat source, as well as other great nutrients your body needs. The essentials are black beans, corn, and brown rice. After that I like to had some more veggies and toppings to my liking.
In side the burrito above:
Black beans
Brown rice
Corn
Bell pepper
Red onion
Spinach
Toppings:
Vegan cheese
Salsa
Avocado
Lemon juice
If you enjoyed these meal ideas in What I Eat In A Day and want to see more, you can check out the meal recipes, ideas, and more in my Amazon ebook!
Also, if you want some step by step visual cooking tips on some of my go to meals, check out my YouTube Channel for cooking videos!