What DO you eat?

This is usually one of the first questions I get when people learn about my dietary lifestyle. I work with a lot of people who grew up on meat and potatoes, have little experience with ethnic foods, and are often sitting around our lunch room table with processed foods from the cafeteria. I find it ironic that they think I'm the weird one for eating the foods that I do, when they're the ones putting harmful chemicals and low-nutrient foods into their bodies on a very regular basis. My coworkers and CrossFit family are two very different groups of people. While my coworkers' food often makes me cringe when I see them shoveling it into their mouths, I have much more respect for my paleo pals. We actually eat a lot more similarly than they might think. We both avoid processed foods, dairy, and gluten. We both think of food as fuel for our body, and therefore choose nutritionally dense foods whenever possible. Now to be clear, my diet is far from perfect. I have cheat meals. I bring microwavable meals to work on occasion. That being said, I try to eat clean at least 85% of the time. Could I improve? Most definitely. But I feel healthy, I'm performing and recovering well as a CrossFitter, and my blood work and yearly physicals are in excellent condition.

A typical food day for me: (not including my Vega protein shakes after a WOD)

0730: Breakfast #1 (yes, I eat more than one!):
- Black coffee on days off work, loose-leaf Yerba Mate tea on work days
- 2 rice cakes with a very thin layer of raw and unsalted almond butter (this stuff is addicting...I think I need some right now!)

0930: Breakfast #2
- organic carrot with the peel on (1 large or 2 smaller)
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- coconut milk yogurt or homemade gluten/dairy-free breakfast bars (I'll include a recipe later).

1130: Lunch
- leftovers from the night before (we often make lots for dinner so we have enough for both of our lunches)
- piece of fruit (usually a banana)
- more Yerba Mate tea    

1500: Afternoon break
- usually a pear or small mixed greens salad

1730: Dinner
- Usually quinoa or rice/rice noodle-based
- Large serving of green vegetables
- tofu
- Most of our entrees start with a stiryfry-type sauteing of onions, garlic, red peppers

1900: Snack time!
*Note: I do not think late night snacking is smart/beneficial to your health. BUT, I find that if I don't eat again after dinner, that I wake up with a very hungry stomach. I could make lots of improvements on this portion of the day, but at this time, I am letting myself indulge :)
- Air pop popcorn
- Red wine