The great thing about being a nutritionist is that there are so many applications of the job and no two days are alike. Here’s an example of one of my days at Middleberg Nutrition, the NYC-based private nutrition practice where I work:
6:10am My alarm goes off, but I’ve probably woken up a bit before it. I usually pop out of bed, and I must say that the post-Daylight Savings mornings are nice and bright! From there, I tongue scrape + teeth brush…then I dry brush my whole body from bottom to top. Once I’ve finished these self-care routines, I put on my exercise clothes on (favorites include Lululemon + Alo Yoga) and head to the kitchen for a half-caff coffee with steamed milk. I think this is part of the reason I get up in the morning….coffee, alone time, and a workout. Because I’m 5 ½ months pregnant, I’ve been limiting my caffeine intake, but a half-caff hits the spot. I vary my milks between organic dairy, coconut, or another non-dairy milk. These days, I also tend to need something to eat before working out — usually a ½ banana and 1 tbsp of Once Again Sunflower Seed or 88 Acres Pumpkin Seed butter.
6:30am Workout time! I am a runner and usually head into Central Park for an hour and run to podcasts (favorites include: Oprah’s SuperSoul & MasterClass, The Ultimate Health, and MindBodyGreen). When not running, you can find me at Emily T’s East 63rd Street 7am SoulCycle class or at Exhale Core Fusion. However, since I haven’t been allowed to run during pregnancy, I’ve been hitting the gym for some treadmill power-walking or ellipticalling — made possible by Netflix.
7:30am Depending on the day, work can start anywhere from 7:30am to 10am. No matter what my schedule is, having a solid breakfast is non-negotiable. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I usually choose eggs, oatmeal or a smoothie — but sometimes I see clients super early and love to grab a Splendid Spoon Smoothie to start the day off right. Another favorite is this incredible Green Smoothie.
8:30am Walk to work! I LOVE walking in NYC. There’s something about cool, crisp, fall air that makes me SO happy.
9am-1pm Meeting with my private nutrition clients, working on meal plans, checking food journals for accountability and feedback, catching up with the Middleberg Team. My mornings tend to go super quickly, but I hydrate as much as possible, trying to hit at least 3 liters of water per day. When I need a snack to tide me over, I’ve been loving the warmth of the Splendid Spoon Vegan Bone Broth with a handful of roasted chickpeas paired with herbal tea.
1pm Lunchtime! I try to bring my lunch and my default is definitely a Splendid Spoon Soup + a side salad. So satisfying! I like that I can grab it out of the freezer in the morning, pop it in the fridge at work, and it’s mostly defrosted by the time I’m ready to eat!
2pm-7:30pm Afternoons and evenings vary based on the day and timing of my clients. Some days when I have a break, I try to get out of the office for a coffee, networking meeting, or walk. I contribute to various media outlets and block off time during the afternoon to focus on writing. To keep myself focused, I use an app called FocusKeeper. I pop in my earbuds and pump out some work. It really helps!
At Middleberg Nutrition, we focus a lot on protein and produce at snack time, aiming to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner with a filling, nutritious item. My afternoon snack go-to’s are apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and some nuts or seeds, or hummus and veggies. Recently, I’ve been upping my healthy fat intake for the baby and love a good brown rice cake or high fiber cracker with avocado and tomato.
5:30pm-8pm When I’ve finished with my last client, I usually walk home, stopping on my way for some last minute dinner ingredients.
When I get home, I start preparing dinner. Since I’m big into time management, I try to prep my food and then get in a stretch or bath while dinner cooks. During my pregnancy, I’ve had super tight hips, so I may do a short Obé Prenatal Yoga flow to decompress from the day or I’ll run an epsom salt bath. My favorite recipe this Fall has been a Roasted Acorn Squash stuffed with Chickpea Ragout that I made for our Middleberg ReNew week (an online one-week “reset” week, which we offer on-demand as well). In a pinch, the Splendid Spoon Lentil Kale Soup comes to the dinnertime rescue! Did you know that 1 cup of lentils has more protein than 2 eggs?
8:30pm I have a sweet tooth and have some sort of sweet treat a few nights a week. Dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao is my favorite, but I also love frozen red grapes or a “hot cacao” made up of a blend of heated almond or coconut milk, 1 medjool date, and 1–2 tablespoons of Cacao powder.
9:30–10pm Early to bed, early to rise… I try to wind down the evening around 9pm, cutting screen-time and getting into bed on the earlier side. Sleep hygiene is of primary importance to me, so I use a white noise machine and a sleep mask. I read my Kindle before I sleep (cheating the screen-time rule a little!), breathing in the calming scents of Aura Cacia “Chill Pill” essential oils coming from my diffuser.
I go to bed excited about my morning routine and the new opportunities that each days brings!
Have questions or want to learn more about Middleberg Nutrition? Email me at eliza@middlebergnutrition and follow my day-to-day happenings on Instagram @ElizaSavageNutrition!