Healthy eating goes beyond calories, fats and carbohydrates. Getting enough protein, fiber and nutrients like vitamins and minerals plays an essential role to health, as does avoiding alarming amounts of sugar and sodium.
I teamed up with another Swanson employee, Alex, to track five days of our very different eating plans. You’ll find these tracking lists below, and you’ll hear from our nutritionist, Britta, as to what we do well and what we can improve on.
A little background: I’ve been on Weight Watchers for about six months and strive to meet my target Smart Point number each day. Alex doesn’t follow a specific meal plan, but he’s overall in much better shape than I am and has a more consistent fitness schedule.
Update: Alex drinks an average of 80-100 ounces of water per day. Jenna drinks an average of 80 ounces of water per day.
Alex's Weekly Meal Plan
| Monday |
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| Breakfast: English muffin bread (2 slices) Peanut butter (2 tablespoons) Coffee (24 ounces) |
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| Lunch: Nature Valley Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Bar Diet Mountain Dew (20 ounces) |
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| Dinner: Culver's cheeseburger Culver's French fries (small) Culver's chicken tenders (2) Diet Mountain Dew (18 ounces) |
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| Other: Nature Valley Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Protein Bar Light Natural Mozzarella String Cheese Pacific Gold beef jerky |
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| Tuesday |
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| Breakfast: English muffin bread (2 slices) Peanut butter (2 tablespoons) Coffee (24 ounces) |
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| Lunch: Homemade chicken salad Diet Mountain Dew (20 ounces) |
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| Dinner: Stouffer's Lasagna with Meat & Sauce Breadstick |
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| Other: Swanson Health Products Peak Protein Powder (1 scoop) Founders Azacca Ale (12 ounces) |
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| Wednesday |
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| Breakfast: Coffee (24 ounces) |
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| Lunch: Homemade turkey sandwich on wheat bread Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips Diet Mountain Dew (20 ounces) |
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| Dinner: Costco frozen pepperoni pizza Celery and carrot sticks Bleu cheese (1 ounce) |
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| Other: English muffin bread (1 slice) Peanut butter (1 tablespoon) Tangerine Founders Azacca Ale (12 ounces) |
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| Thursday |
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| Breakfast: Whole grain bread (1 slice) Peanut butter (2 tablespoons) Coffee (24 ounces) |
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| Lunch: Homemade chicken salad Diet Mountain Dew (20 ounces) |
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| Dinner: Grilled cheese sandwich Campbell's Creamy Tomato Soup (1 cup) Saltines (10 crackers) Peanut butter (2 tablespoons) |
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| Other: Diet Mountain Dew (20 ounces) Mountain Dew Kick Start (16 ounces) Nature Valley Peanut Butter Bar Pacific Gold beef jerky |
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| Friday |
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| Breakfast: Whole grain bread (1 slice) Peanut butter (2 tablespoons) Coffee (24 ounces) |
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| Lunch: BBQ ribs (2) American cheese slice (1) Diet Mountain Dew (20 ounces) |
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| Dinner: Burger King Whopper sandwich Burger King French fries (medium) Diet Coke (30 ounces) |
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| Other: Alaskan Brewery Company Smoked Porter (16 ounces) |
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Nutritionist Assessment: For someone who is frequently hitting the gym, Alex's high protein intake is great! The main thing I would really like to see in his diet is more fruits and vegetables. For example, he could add in a banana or an apple for a snack, raw veggies as part of his lunch or sneak in some steamed vegetables as a side at dinner. His daily fiber intake is lower than ideal. Adding in those fruits and vegetables will help boost that, along with providing many of the nutrients he’s missing without them. He could also try swapping in a whole wheat version of English muffin at breakfast to boost the fiber intake, as whole grains are lacking in his diet as well. There is nothing wrong with having the occasional splurge of a fast food dinner or an afternoon soda, but limiting it to no more than once a week would be a good idea.
Jenna’s Weekly Meal Plan
| Monday |
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| Breakfast: Premier Protein Chocolate protein shake with espresso over ice Cuties California mandarins (2) Lemon poppy seed muffins (2 mini, homemade) |
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| Lunch: Hawaiian Chicken (homemade, chicken and pineapple with soy/brown sugar sauce) Baby bell peppers (5) Wholly Guacamole side |
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| Dinner: Vegetable Korma Garlic Naan bred |
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| Other: Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies (2) |
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| Tuesday |
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| Breakfast: Kix cereal with unsweetened almond milk Premier Protein Chocolate protein shake with espresso over ice Cuties California mandarins (2) |
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| Lunch: Hawaiian Chicken Baby bell peppers (5) Wholly Guacamole side |
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| Dinner: White Albacore tuna with Frank's Buffalo sauce and Bolthouse Farms Ranch Yogurt Dressing Wheat Thins Reduced Fat Bibb lettuce Cucumber Cherubs salad tomatoes Red pepper slices |
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| Other: Whole cashews (1/4 cup) Lemon poppy seed muffins (2 mini, homemade) Fat Free Cool Whip |
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| Wednesday |
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| Breakfast: Food for Life Ezekiel whole grain sprouted bread PB2 powdered peanut butter Premier Protein Chocolate protein shake with espresso over ice Cuties California mandarins (2) |
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| Lunch: Hawaiian Chicken with salsa Chicken and dumpling soup (cup) with Saltine crackers (4) Baby bell peppers (5) |
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| Dinner: Perkins Spinach & Mushroom Scramble |
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| Other: Pink Lady apple Almond butter |
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| Thursday |
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| Breakfast: Kix cereal with unsweetened almond milk Premier Protein Chocolate protein shake with espresso over ice Banana |
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| Lunch: Half turkey sandwich with vegetables (no cheese or sauce) Tomato basil soup (bowl) with Saltine crackers (4) |
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| Dinner: Salad with spinach, turkey bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, pecans, Cherubs tomatoes and Bolthouse Farms Bleu Cheese Yogurt Dressing Laughing Cow white cheddar cheese wedge Wheat Thins Reduced Fat |
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| Other: Trader Joe's 100 calorie dark chocolate bar (70% cacao) |
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| Friday |
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| Breakfast: Premier Protein Chocolate protein shake with espresso over ice Lemon poppy seed muffins (2 mini, homemade) English muffin with PB2 |
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| Lunch: Beef Rosemary Stuffed Mushrooms Edamame Hummus with pita chips (8) and mixed vegetables Cinnamon donut |
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| Dinner: Sweet potato roll Shrimp tempura roll Seaweed salad Miso soup |
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| Other: Laughing Cow Swiss cheese wedge Wheat Thins Reduced Fat Pink Lady apple |
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Nutritionist Assessment: Looking at this weekly food journal, it’s clear that Jenna is following a well-structured diet plan. She is including daily fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low-fat dairy and healthy fats. I would like to see a few more whole grain substitutions in this diet, like swapping out the carb-loaded muffins and the Kix cereal for something less processed like oatmeal or whole wheat toast. I love that she includes little cheats and treats into the diet—it’s all about balance.
From the Nutritionist: How to Analyze Your Diet
To analyze your own food journal, it’s important to first know your individual nutritional requirements. Your caloric and nutrient recommendations will vary based on your height, weight and activity level. Once your caloric level is calculated, you can determine the amount of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates/fiber, fat) and serving sizes of different food groups (fruits and vegetables) that would be best for your body. Having a food journal is a very useful tool for tracking where you might be falling short on your requirements and where you may be overindulging.
What tips do you have for ensuring a healthy eating plan?
