What I Ate Today: Katie McK.

Holistic Squid weighs in with a nutrient-dense spin on Katie McK.'s diet. Katie, age 27, is a science writer and author of beatricebiologist.com a rad blog that makes science interesting and funny.

Breakfast: 2% Greek Yogurt (I used to put TJ's granola in it, but now I'm eating it alone.)

Lunch: Sourdough bread pizza with homemade sauce, mozzarella, artichoke heart, roasted garlic, and basil.

Dinner: Slow cooker lentil soup: garlic, onion, lots of spices, veggie broth, tomatoes, lentils topped with cilantro and parsley, served with sourdough bread and butter.

Snacks: My go-to snack is a piece of fruit (peach, nectarine, or banana) and a couple gulps of kefir.

Exercise: Jogging twice a week on average, yoga classes once a week. I also take a break at work to go for a 15-20 minute walk most days. And sometimes I do lunges around the office rather than normal walking. Yeah, I'm THAT person.

Supplements: I also take fish oil and a multivitamin everyday.

Dietary History:  I'm no longer vegetarian. I eat chicken and fish, although rarely. I still don't eat beef or pork, except when I accidentally eat my friends' pork dumplings from a Chinese restaurant. Seriously.

Dietary goals: I'm trying to eat things that will make me feel good and not leave me feeling tired or depleted. My goal is just overall well-being, I guess you could say.

Challenges: I definitely feel short on time, and even when I do have time to cook, I feel low on inspiration. When I look through cookbooks, I often feel discouraged by the long line of ingredients. My husband and I are also trying to save money, so I'm trying to make things that will be tasty and not require a lot of exotic ingredients. My kitchen is also tiny with limited counter space, so I really don't like making anything complicated or time consuming, because while I like cooking, I actually don't like being in my kitchen. I'm just looking for simple, back-to-basics kind of ideas.

Holistic Squid gives Katie a thumbs up…

…for home cooked meals; nutrient dense choices like butter, kefir and fish oil; and moderate exercise. A few suggestions:

• Switch to full fat yogurt – no reason to skimp on fats. Add some berries – fresh or frozen for flavor and antioxidants. Consider having eggs a few times per week for a nutrient-dense and energy packed start to your day. Or bring along a hard boiled egg for a mid-morning snack. This is especially important since your meat sources are limited.
• Use homemade chicken or fish stock for your soups which is rich with minerals and gelatin, plus packed with flavor too. You can use your slow cooker and not spend much time in the kitchen , but if you don't feel like making yours from scratch RealFoodDevotee.com in LA will deliver to your door.
• Make your own kefir from grass-fed milk. It will be richer in fat-soluble vitamins and probiotics, and it's fairly simple, requiring only a few minutes each day in the kitchen. You can buy kefir grains here, and as a scientist the biology of it all may really turn you on.
• Check in with your body regarding the bread/carbs. If you are feeling tired or depleted, it may benefit you to decrease the grains and replace with some protein and fat in lunch and/or dinner such as grilled salmon.
• Finally, when you are eating a truly nutrient-dense diet you really won't need that multi-vitamin. That will save a few dollars that you can put back into your budget for ‘real' food.

Some smart reader suggestions that Holistic Squid also recommends:

• Add a little sour cream or Greek yogurt to the lentil soup for extra good fat, fat-soluble vitamins, and enzymes.
• Instead of fish oil, take cod liver oil (find quality cod liver oil supplements here). You can read why fermented cod liver oil is a great upgrade from fish oil here.

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