Birthday nutrition- my approach as a nutritionist

This weekend it’s my birthday - hip hip hooray! 

Of course my mum is buzzing that I'm home and asking what I’d like as a present, what I’d like to do, etc. 

And I don’t really mind. I don’t need things. I don’t want to make a fuss. But I guess it’s nice to mark the day in some way, because otherwise it’s just any other day. 

The challenge here for many, is that by marking that one day, they look to food - which isn’t a bad thing, birthday cake is AMAZING! 

Cake happiness

Then that one meal with family, turns into another meal with friends, into another meal with whoever else is interesting and before you know it, it’s a birthday week, month or festival. 

I was always a fan of the birthday festival (a month long celebration) in my 20s, but that was less as an eating festival, as much as an excuse to travel and get away somewhere new. 

So what will I being doing about my birthday nutrition, as a nutrition coach? 

Once I’ve got my gym location set up (I’ve been fussy this time!), I’ll likely get some lifting or a run in to kick off the day. Plus a banana and protein yoghurt pouch to give me some good energy and recovery. Birthday’s don’t tend to stop me going to the gym because I really enjoy it! Unless it’s a Thursday or Sunday - rest day. 

Then the fun begins! 

So my birthday falls on Saturday this year, which means pancake day. This isn’t unusual - every week we have pancakes because I love them. 

This week we tried out cottage cheese pancakes on Tuesday to see if they were worth the hype and to embrace the higher protein amount (½ banana, ½ cup oats, ¼ cup low fat cottage cheese, ½ tsp vanilla, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 egg - blitz and cook!). They were pretty good! 

There’s a very high chance we’ll kick off Saturday with some of these, scrambled eggs and a couple of bacon rashers. 

Note: I’m not going into a day of celebrations without making sure I’ve got a good meal and dose of protein behind me already. I’m not ‘saving up’ for later, I’m making sure I feel good all day. 

If I was heading out for breakfast and I wanted pancakes, I’d prioritise my own breakfast with eggs and some veggies in there - something like a huevos rancheros. And I’d share a batch of pancakes. Often restaurant pancakes mean well, but are covered in bacon, syrup, cream, whatever else and it’s just too much for me to enjoy without feeling sick. So load up on the good quality nutrients and enjoy a small stack to share :) 

Weekly pancakes

From there, we’re heading out for a day at the Edinburgh Festival. This means walking, some beers and likely meals on the go. 

The first thing I’ll be considering before I go: snacks! 

I know from experience that being preoccupied with thinking about food is massively unhelpful. Thinking about where the next meal is, what if I get hungry before that, what if they don’t have anything I like, what if it doesn’t have enough protein/veggies/carbs, what if…? If I'm trying to lose fat or build muscle, I don’t want to be worrying about whether I will get the right amount of something and then not be able to be present in the social plans. 

Travel snack bag

So this is the snack bag: 

1. Water - yes, not food, but good to be hydrated and will help me tune into my hunger cues.

2. Protein bar of some kind - currently trying out Roam Foods - not the cheapest, but I also think that’s a very good thing, as it means that I think about it before I have one and whether I need a meal or a bar. If I’m fully hungry and have the option to, I’ll make a meal. If I don’t have an option to cook this is going to give me some great protein. It’s basically a bar of meat. But that’s going to do more than a chocolate bar with whey and flavourings added to it, which nine times out of ten leave me with a sore stomach! 

3. Nuts - either a bag of cashews or almonds, or one of those small sleeves of mixed nuts and fruit. 

4. Fruit - a banana or apple - depending how soon I’m likely to eat it, I don’t want a mushy banana in my bag, even though I’ve made that mistake many times before. 

5. Chewing gum - again, not a snack. But sometimes if I’ve been out for a meal or had something sweet, the after taste will leave me feeling like i’m still hungry/snacky, and start looking for chocolate or anything else I might be craving. In lieu of brushing my teeth, this can be helpful! 

The advantage to pretty much all of this - it won’t go bad or spoil if i don’t eat it on the day. It can go back in the cupboard and I can have it another day. Or stay in my bag for the next trip out (minus the banana). So there’s no feeling of being wasteful or guilty that may cause me to overeat. 

So now we’ve got the snacks prepared and ready for any eventuality, what about the rest of the day? 

There will no doubt be some pints consumed through the day, before a show, at a show, in the (*fingers crossed*) sun for no real reason other than we can. And that’s absolutely fine. I’ll drink some water in between and stop before we get the train home. 

I may set a limit of how many drinks I’ll have. Say 3-5. But honestly, at this point, because I don’t drink very often, my body tends to feel slow and heavy and I stop myself before I get too far anyway. Especially if it’s not a night out raving. 

The next big event, the food. 

We will inevitably eat out. Whether that’s a pizza truck, a sit down Thai restaurant or something else on the go, that will be determined on the go. 

This is where trying to do certain things becomes more flexible for me. It’s my birthday. So I’m going to eat a meal I enjoy, that makes me happy. The up side - I like how I eat 80-90% of the time anyway. So I will look for something that has protein in it, and I will likely order a side of veggies, because I love veggies. 

I may have something fried. 

I may have a piece of cake. 

But I will mostly listen to what I want, rather than having a blow out ‘because it’s my birthday’. Because I really don’t enjoy spending the day feeling bloating and uncomfortable, so I’ll do what I can to avoid that, to enjoy the day as much as possible! 

I imagine my sleep will be a little less good that night because I’ll have had a few drinks and some out of the ordinary food. So I’ll get up and drink a load of water, get out for a walk, and have a good protein filled breakfast. 

Then I’ll get on with my usual meal prep and daily life. 

It doesn’t need to drag out to Monday, just because Monday, or birthday. 

I can just slip back into my regular routine, like brushing my teeth in the morning. You just get up and pick up the usually daily actions. 

If something comes up that day that’s out of the norm, I’ll approach it like any other day. 

So my main takeaways for managing my nutrition over my birthday weekend: 

1. Eat a good breakfast with protein in it 

2. Have snacks ready in my bag to save being worried about food 

3. Hydrate 

4. Choose food that I want and will make me feel good, rather than for the sake of it 

5. Relax and be present with family 

What’s your approach at your birthday?