Throughout the day I ate meals with protein. I also ate more, which would help to gain weight and build muscle. Breakfast and Dinner are the two meals that I cram a lot of calories into. On days I don’t have school I usually eat leftovers for lunch. I tweak my meals to contain as many nutrient packed foods as I can, without getting bored of eating the same thing. I used an app called MyFitnessPal which helps you calculate the number of calories you’ve consumed throughout the day, and tells you if you’re getting a balanced diet based on what you eat. It can also help you reach a specific calorie goal within a certain amount of time.
Protein Based Diet
Breakfast
Each morning I made eggs a protein shake, which consists of:
- 1 Banana
- 1 tbsp. Peanut Butter
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Cup Greek Yogurt
- 1 Cup Fruit
Snacks
Lots of granola bars, nuts, and crackers kept me filled up and helped reach my calorie goal.
Dinner
I included meat with varying levels of protein into each meal for dinner. Specifically, I ate lots of red meat, white meat, and fish. Salmon has omega-3 fatty acids, which help with mood, concentration, and are very important to maintaining a healthy body. About once a week I ate salmon for dinner.
Vegetarian Diet
I experimented with a vegetarian-like diet to compare my previous diet. Basically, I subtracted meat from my breakfast and dinner, with the exception of fish. When I didn’t eat fish, I ate pasta, along with vegetables. My breakfast remained the same. Nothing drastic changed in my day-to-day life, just my energy level. It was harder to get protein so I used protein drinks and snack bars.
Experience
Making food has added another part of my day that I look forward to. Throughout this journey, the protein based diet helped me the most. I felt I had more energy to exercise in the morning, focus on school, and have some left over for the rest of the day. The meals I prepared were very filling and beneficial for muscle growth. After a few weeks of eating more meat, I felt less brain-fog, and more energy. I anticipated noticing these results, but I didn’t expect it to come so quickly. I now notice when I get energy from food, when I’m in need of energy, and what to eat to get that energy.