A couple of mornings ago I woke up to a text message from my sister about how miserable she was from something she ate the night before. It’s no secret that our family was cursed with the sensitive tummy gene… we get it straight from our daddio (although he may or may not refuse to admit it!). Anything with grease, oil, fattiness, creamy sauces, cheese, milk, processed fats, etc. might taste good in the moment but after a few hours pass we feel like absolute crap.
Trust me, if you’ve ever been around my household after a meal you will hear at least a couple of us (OK, mainly me) complaining about our stomachs and how disgusting we feel. But after 22 years of going in and out of that vicious cycle, I am proud to say I have pretty much escaped it.
And I did it in the most simple of ways: by cutting out everything that bothered my stomach. Otherwise known as going vegan – but not a junk food vegan. I am a plant-based vegan that avoids processed foods, grease and wheat.
Anyway, after talking to my sister about how motivated she is to start eating in a way that aids her body instead of fights it, I typed up a handy little list for her of what I eat on an average day. This is for all of you sensitive tummies out there! You don’t have to follow the guidelines completely by any means, but hopefully you can find some things in here that work for you and help you in your quest for the optimal you.
Also, another thing that will help SO much is eating small portions throughout the day instead of huge meals every time you get super hungry, because doing that never agrees with the stomach. I still love to go out to eat and go to nice meals socially, but I have let go of the obsession of ordering something and eating the whole thing and just getting used to eating part of it and taking the rest home.
Here we go!
Day 1:
Breakfast: Green smoothie with ½ cup spinach, ½ cup kale, ½ cup blueberries, 1 spoonful almond butter, ½ cup almond milk (use whatever kind of milk sounds best to you! But cutting out dairy where you can will definitely help your tummy). You can also add some protein powder in these to make them more filling and give you more energy. I like vanilla hemp protein from the brand Manitoba Harvest. I also top it with some sugar-free granola (they sell a bunch at Whole Foods)
Snack: fruit – usually a peach, pear or banana
Lunch: Big salad with kale, spinach, arugula, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, walnuts and tofu or tempeh. I use lime juice for dressing or sometimes oil-free balsamic. NOTE: I usually sautee my tempeh in garlic and a TINY bit of coconut oil before I eat it… gives it such a better flavor.
Snack: Kind bar or Larabar (my favorites are the Almond Coconut Kind bar and the Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar)
Dinner: Roasted sweet potatoes and Brussel sprouts with 1 cup quinoa or brown rice, and 1 cup of steamed kale or spinach. 
Day 2:
Breakfast: Gluten-free oatmeal blended with 3 strawberries, 5 cherries and a handful of blueberries. Topped with walnuts and cinnamon
Snack: a piece of fruit
Lunch: Avocado, roasted sweet potato, sauteed tempeh and kale salad with lime juice or balsamic
Snack: Coconut yogurt with granola, banana and slivered almonds
Dinner: Broccoli. Cauliflower, spinach and bean sprouts sautéed in garlic served over quinoa or brown rice
Day 3:
Breakfast: Fruit smoothie: 1 banana, 2 dates, 1 pear, sprinkle of cinnamon, 2 tbsps vanilla hemp protein, ½ cup almond milk. Topped with granola and fresh blueberries
Snack: almonds or walnuts
Lunch: Big salad with kale, spinach, carrots, avocado, cherry tomatoes, tempeh, hummus and lime juice
Snack: piece of fruit
Dinner: ½ cup black beans, guacamole, corn and broccoli over quinoa
Dessert: raw chocolate peanut butter cups!
This is just a list of some options in a SEA of choices. Please come to me for any questions about specific recipes or alternate changes you can make. I promise, if you battle a sensitive stomach, these options will keep you full, satisfied, and feeling great.