Join Chicago-area pediatric dietitian Betsy Hjelmgren and her husband, David, as they venture on their own nutrition journey this August. Their vlog contains all the laughs, fun banter and tips you would expect from a great couple attempting a restrictive diet rollercoaster. Tune in as Betsy learns to truly appreciate the difficulties clients and families face when embarking on a new diet with nothing but a few handouts and some encouragement from others!
We made it through day 1 and 2! Yesterday, David was starving and couldn’t figure out what to eat. He ended the day 1000 calories in deficit according to his calorie app. Today, our teenage daughter had friends in and ordered pizza…. David’s favorite. He’s feeling the hurt of not filling up on chips, pretzels, and breads – easy to grab fillers!
From my side (Betsy), breakfast is tough. I’m often running out the door on the way to work, and very frequently grab something I can eat in the car. My go-to bars, granolas, sweetened yogurts and other carb-y crutches are not in line with the plan because they either contain flour, sugar, or an oil high in omega-6 fats. Soooo…. today I grabbed yesterday’s leftover oatmeal and threw in a handful of nuts and a gigantic spoonful of natural peanut butter and ran out the door. When I got to the office, my first patient was already waiting. I didn’t eat until 10:30, and then felt like there was a heavy bomb in my stomach. YIKES!!!! But at least I wasn’t starving I guess. LOL!
Breakfast
- Oatmeal with milk and cinnamon (Betsy)
- Mixed salted nuts (Betsy)
- Natural peanut butter (Betsy)
- Cheerios (plain) with milk (David)
- Blueberries (David)
Lunch
- Strawberries, blueberries, bing cherries (Betsy)
- Cheddar cheese (Betsy)
- Turkey tacos (David)
- Peach (David)
Dinner
- Grilled salmon – marinated in 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup EVOO, 2 tsp fresh ginger, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- Corn on the cob with Land-O-Lakes butter with olive oil spread
- Greek salad (tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, Vidalia onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, olive oil, oregano)
- Brown rice – fried in 2 Tbsp olive oil with 2 Tbsp sauteed onion, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 cup frozen green peas, and 2 omega-3 enriched eggs
- Red wine
Snacks
- Fresh cut veggies (cucumber, tomato, carrots, peppers)
- Homemade tzatziki (2 cups Greek yogurt, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 cucumber thinly sliced, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp dried dill)
Daily stats
Betsy – 2,233 calories, 89g protein
David – 2,214 calories, 117g protein
Send your anti-inflammatory diet or any pediatric nutrition questions or comments our way! Let’s chat!
