What I Eat In A Day: A Nutritional Therapist with IBD (GF/DF)

Hi everyone and welcome back to the blog. I absolutely love reading and watching ‘What I Eat In A Day’ videos so decided to revisit this topic on my blog- with my own gluten and dairy free what I eat in a Day (as a Nutritional Therapist who is dealing with intolerances and Crohn’s disease).  A head’s up before we begin- this is not meant to be representative of everyone’s diet with IBD and gut conditions- as I’ve mentioned before, everybody is different. Also, it’s a working from home day- I might do another post focusing on what I eat when on the go.

8am: Rise and shine! I am starting the day with a big cup of peppermint tea and then it’s on to a smoothie. I used to only juice but I was finding I was struggling to get enough protein and good fats into my breakfasts (I just wasn’t eating enough) so I began experimenting with smoothies as well. Therefore, I tend to juice if I am eating a good size breakfast as  (such as Nutribix) and make a smoothie if I want a meal replacement. I make this turmeric protein smoothie like I do most mornings.  

I like it because it’s full of protein and good fats (from the avocado, nut butter and pea protein powder).  I don’t add any veggies to my smoothies as I find these difficult to digest unless they’re completely juiced (smoothies blend fibre but juicing breaks it down and removes a lot of it). I’m going to embedd a video from my Facebook page (go give me a thumbs up over there!) below so you can see how I make this smoothie- or you can read the full recipe here 

10.30am: Snack time

I always snack. I know it’s not always necessary but I am trying to gain weight (that’s my excuse) and so like today, I’ll usually end up having a quick snack before lunch. This time it’s another cup of peppermint tea and a Nakd bar (I love these as they’re nutrient-dense gluten-free) I will sometimes also add nut butter to my nakd bars- this is high in fat so helps the sugars from the fruit digest more slowly.  Back to work!

12.3opm : Lunch time

It’s lunch time! Today I am having a bit of a concoction as I ended up walking to the co-op for inspiration. I am having cooked chicken, courgette noodles, rice noodles and a gluten free stir fry sauce ( The co-op were reducing these sauces to 75p- I am gutted as they only had one left and seem to be out of stock online- but they are really yummy and as you can see, really natural and free from lots of allergens. If anyone knows where else I can get these from, please do let me know!

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16:00: Snack (again)

I now crack open the rice crackers with hummus and then cave and have one (or ten) with dark chocolate hazelnut butter. This spread is vegan and so yummy– I’d recommend it as a healthier replacement for Nutella and I add it to anything if I have got a sweet tooth!. I remember I haven’t taken my supplements for the day (oops!) so I take my turmeric and omega 3 fish oil supplements (read my supplements for gut health blog post for info)

18.00 Dinner time

For dinner, it is fish and sweet potato. This isn’t rare as fish and sweet potato is my go to meal at the moment- I’m cooking this turmeric fish recipe that I make a lot.

I am lucky that I’ve always loved fish- I know it’s not for everybody. But if you struggle with your gut health, fish can be a great food: it’s lighter and easier to digest as a protein source than red meat and it will help with Vitamin D and Omega 3 too: both crucial to inflammation. This is sea bream- which is perfect if you don’t love the ‘fishy taste’. I love sweet potatoes too and sometimes mix it up by adding goat’s cheese and sauerkraut for the all important fermented foods!

20:00 Snack time (yes I know, no shame)

I am always craving sweet things so I decide to make a lazy attempt at a ‘mini’ apple crumble- I peel, chop and then bake 2 small apples and cover with some gluten free oats and flour. I stir in a little bit of coconut oil and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes. I add a few cacao nibs and another spoonful of the dark chocolate hazelnut butter (oops! I have eaten a lot of nut butter today) and eat the whole thing! Oops, oh well apples are good for us!

22:00 Bedtime

A cup of chamomile tea before bed. I also take my Azathioprine- my medication for Crohn’s and use a magnesium spray on my wrists, in the hope it will help me nod off.

Liked this? I’ve since done another version of ‘What I Eat in A Day’ which you can watch below!

So that’s my ‘what I eat in a day’!As you can see, I definitely do over-rely on things I can eat, e.g nut butter, avocados. but on the whole, try to keep it as healthy as I can. I’d love to hear what you eat in a day? 

Further Reading

My Gut Health Shopping List- What I buy- supplements, food and more

My Nutrition Services- Work me 1-2-1 to figure out your diet and intolerances. I specialise in gut health conditions.