Jamie Mok lives a busy life as a registered dietitian, yoga instructor, and mom of two kids under 4. It shapes her philosophy around food.
“When I approach clients, I understand that they’re juggling the demands of daily life,” Mok told Business Insider. “So finding a way to eat healthy can feel overwhelming and challenging,” whether a client doesn’t have time to cook a full meal from scratch or the money to spend on strictly whole foods.
Just as she does in her own life, Mok encourages “learning how to make convenient foods work for you,” focusing on small, sustainable changes that lead to a more whole-foods-focused diet overall.
In addition to working as a dietitian in Los Angeles, Mok, whose kids are almost 4 and 1, gets a lot of her exercise playing with them and taking them on stroller walks. She also leads yoga classes a few times a week and aims to take one or two Barry’s Bootcamp classes when her schedule allows, to focus more on strength training.
Because her routine is so in flux, she tries to stick to a well-rounded diet rich in protein and fiber. “Generally speaking, I feel like my day-to-day covers my bases” for feeling energized before and after workouts, she said.
Mok shared what she typically eats in a day, and how staying flexible helps her pack her nutrients in.
She starts her day with protein- and fiber-packed oats
Mok usually starts her mornings with oatmeal made with steel-cut oats and soy milk, topped with ground flaxseed, chia seeds, frozen wild blueberries, nuts, cinnamon, and almond butter. Sometimes, she switches it up and has whole-wheat toast topped with avocado and two over-easy eggs. Either option offers a satiating balance of protein and fiber.
“That helps to keep me satisfied and fueled all morning,” she said. “I generally advise my clients against skipping breakfast because it often backfires, whether they’re experiencing energy slumps or they end up overeating later in the day.”
Lunch usually involves leftovers and pickled veggies
Mok makes her lunch at home, sometimes packing it as a to-go meal when she travels for work.
“I’m all about a hearty lunch, veggie-centric and something that’s easy to assemble,” she said. A go-to favorite is making a wrap using whole-wheat lavash, a thin Middle Eastern flatbread, and stuffing it with hummus or smashed white beans, leftover roasted vegetables, leafy greens, and pickled onions.
“I intentionally prepare a lot of veggies at dinner time so that I have leftovers for the next day,” she said. Similarly, she’ll repurpose leftover cooked grains like rice and quinoa to build quick bowls or salads, adding tofu, beans, and homemade dressing. To keep her meals from feeling boring, she often adds pickled vegetables, roasted nuts or seeds, and crushed seaweed to add crunch and flavor.
She always ends lunch with a large cup of hot ginger tea, which offers antioxidants that can aid in digestion. Mok, who eats seafood and eggs, said she primarily focuses on plant-based foods to increase her fiber intake and the variety of plants she eats.
“Prebiotic fiber is what feeds our gut microbes,” she said. “The more foods that we offer, the more healthy bacteria we’re feeding.”
Snacks include nuts, hummus, fruit, and less-sugary protein bars
“I am an afternoon snack gal,” she said. “I have to be intentional about incorporating protein with some fiber to help bridge the gap until dinner time.”
If she’s in a rush, she opts for fruit and a protein bar with minimal additives and less added sugar. If she’s home, she likes dipping raw veggies and toasted whole-wheat pita bread into hummus.
She also makes sure to drink water throughout the day, as hydration is key for aiding digestion and transporting nutrients. She sips from a one-liter Stanley cup all day.
She makes sheet-pan dinners to introduce her kids to new foods
Mok usually prepares a family-style, sheet-pan dinner, utilizing her rice cooker to speed up the process.
The recipes themselves really vary. “I strive for variety by introducing different foods and flavors to my kids alongside their familiar favorites,” such as pasta, rice, and tofu.
The components always include a base protein, a carb, and plenty of vegetables. A recent meal included roasted salmon and vegetables with steamed rice wrapped in seaweed. Or she might make a quick pasta with marinara, switching up the type of pasta (often using a whole-wheat or chickpea-based noodle) and the vegetables. Other favorites include a brothy tofu noodle soup or bean-based chili.
She always follows dinner with fresh, seasonal fruit such as melon, clementines, or pomelos.
While her kids will sometimes have other snacks, like ice cream or fruit snacks, Mok tries to emphasize less processed options, such as her homemade smoothie pops.
“I really try and not make foods forbidden, just kind of surround them with more helpful choices and put some boundaries,” she said.
Bedtime treats are stuffed dates, popcorn, and herbal tea
Sometimes, if her family eats dinner early, Mok craves a bedtime snack.
“A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, you must not have dessert,'” she said. “I do honor what I’m craving.”
Some of her favorites are dates stuffed with nut butter and topped with coconut shreds or apple rings drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate chips, both offering a little more fiber.
For a savory option, Mok and her husband like to make stove-top popcorn with sea salt, another high-fiber snack.
Lastly, she loves a mug of herbal tea such as peppermint or chamomile to help her relax and wind down.
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