The "Model Diet" - JNT Nutrition Rules

Being a fairly fit and little model typically comes with one of two assumptions; Either I am one of those lucky gals who eats whatever, whenever and stays itty bitty, or I am lumped in with the negative stereotype that as a model I must have an eating disorder.
NEITHER of these are true, actually.

Michael Sullivan Photography ©2010

In fact, there was a time when I had all the beer & pizza I wanted.... and it showed! Even 30lbs heavier I was still pretty damn sexy, but I was far from healthy! Working for several years as a personal trainer & fitness instructor opened my eyes to a lot of knowledge & had a huge impact in shaping my current eating habits. Nowadays I have what most would consider a very 'strict diet.' This is partially for my job, but mainly I eat this way for my own health and wellbeing! 

---

This post will give you an idea of what the JNT "Model Diet" looks like.
I'll give ya a hint; it's NOT this:

This is a 'Do what I say, ignore what I Instagram' kind of post...
Click below to see how I'm SUPPOSED to eat!

Just to state up front, I hate the word "diet" because diets don't work! For simplicities sake though, I do refer to my rather particular eating habits as my "Model Diet." To be honest though, I would try to follow these rules just the same even if my job didn't involve being in front of a camera constantly.

I'm all about being HEALTHY.

Consider this: 80% of the typical American diet is NOT food. Rather it is comprised of 'food-like stuffs' that have been sprayed 25 times with pesticides, jam packed with preservatives, over processed, and then deep fried and salted with a jumbo-sized, sugary battery acid to wash it down. 

I am proud to say that I am NOT the typical American and do not eat as such. I eat FOOD and I try to make healthy eating a habit. To make sure that happens, I have a few rules regarding my nutrition that I follow:

First off - I ALWAYS eat breakfast. This starts a trend throughout the day because....

Secondly - I eat every 2-3 hours. I pretty much eat constantly! This keeps my metabolism going and keeps me from going in to HULKSMASH mode. Trust me, you do not want to see me hungry. But...

Third - I follow serving size. If "4 pieces" is a serving, than I only eat 4 pieces. If I'm still hungry, I'll wait 15 minutes (that's how long it takes for your body to recognize when it's full) and then eat something else. A general rule for portion control is the size of your fist and smaller. When you look at it that way, most entree sizes in the U.S. should be cut into thirds. An Asian proverb states to eat to 75% full. Basically, if you're so full that you're physically in pain (lol) you've probably ate too much!

Also - I drink water CONSTANTLY. A good rule of thumb for how many ounces of water you should drink per diem is to cut your body weight in half. A common cause of overeating is misreading your body's signals. Often when you think you're hungry you are actually just dehydrated. Try drinking a full 8oz glass of water first, wait 15, and see if you're still hungry after.

I also try to eat certified organic, local, and gluten-free as often as possible.
Yes, I am one of THOSE.

In addition to the above rules, there are a lot of unhealthy options out there that I just avoid in general. Here is a list of the types of food I do NOT eat. 

   *No fried foods
   *No soda
   *No sugar*
   *No salt
   *No butter
   *No cheese**
   *No Fish**
   *No peanut butter**
   *No simple carbs***
   *No frozen foods
   *No canned foods
   *NO microwaves - no matter what!
   *No condiments - excluding olive oil or certain vinaigrette dressings.
   *No beer *Supah Sad Face!*
   (It really should say "No Alcohol" ... but I'm just one little model; not
   some kind of super-being!! So I stick to red wine & vodka.)

With the exception of ** items, I stick to these rules 90% of the time and therefore don't feel bad when I allow myself something 'naughty.'
Like a slice of pizza with the photog AFTER an awesome shoot! 

Or maybe even something REALLY naughty.. like BREAD, RED MEAT and FRIES! A very rare indulgence.

---

Speaking of which, my diet restrictions often come up when booking photo shoots. Especially all day shoots, or when being hosted while traveling.
Snacks during a shoot are always appreciated!
Here are some amazingly awesome ideas of things I WILL eat =)

~unsalted almonds
~fresh fruit
~fresh veggies
~hummus
~pretty much any Food Should Taste Good product
~Odwalla Super food, berries go-mega, or Protein bars
~Steel cut oats with added nuts/seeds/fruits
~Big, green leafy salads. If you think iceberg lettuce counts, I'll be happy to educate you on what a real salad is =)
~Avocado!! I AM a Cali gurl, after all.
~Beans; black or pinto mainly, but I'm open
~Lean, free range, antibiotic-free chicken breast
~Green tea or unsweetened black tea (fresh brewed)
~Coconut water (no added juice)
~WATER!!!

All of the above will make for one happy little badass!

---

And one more small, model request:
When shooting I try to refrain from eating and drinking as much as possible to keep my make up perfect. Certain conditions can make this dangerous though, or at the very least may release aforementioned Hulk Jin, so a STRAW is always appreciated hee hee!

XoXo
JNT
Got some great, model approved snack ideas? Please feel free to share! 

---

Follow

Sign up to get JNT straight to your inbox!

*A note on the sugar: It's pretty much impossible to avoid. As much as I try to stick to fruit (MY candy) our diet is saturated in High Fructose Corn Syrup and other globby, sugar stuffs. When I can't avoid it, say when buying a protein bar, I always read labels and try to avoid anything with more than 8 grams of sugar: 8 grams being the max sugar your body can utilize in one sitting. Anything above that goes straight to 'storage' ie fat. Just as an example: an Arizona tea typically has 30+grams of sugar in one can.

**A note on the cheese: You'll notice I said no cheese, not no dairy. I pretty much don't eat dairy with the exception of yogurt every other day or so (although ice cream is a total weak spot of mine). I lucked out though, because I actually don't like cheese. Yes, I'm aware most of you just went into shock from reading that, but it's true and yes I'm already aware of how 'crazy' that is (lol). Since cheese is nothing but fat, oil, and unnecessary calories though, I've come to terms with my weirdness. I also do not enjoy fish nor peanut butter. Just more craziness. I am however, always open to trying new things =)

***If you are not sure the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates, please feel free to ask! I will happily elaborate!