What I Eat in a Day for Gut Healing, Balanced Hormones & Blood Sugar

all the little things I add in to help reduce acne, inflammation and nourish internally

Hi guys!

I hope you all had a lovely week! This year, I’ve faced a few health challenges, so right now, I’m really focusing on simplicity and nourishment, but also trying not to be so strict—finding more balance.

Over the past couple of months, my main focus has been calming my nervous system and establishing a healthy routine that really works for me. I think it’s important to note that when looking at what someone else is doing, it’s crucial to remember that what works for them might not work for you. You can experiment with different things, take bits and pieces of information, and try implementing them into your routine. I also recommend speaking with a functional doctor, naturopath, or specialist to see if it might work well for you.

I’ve said it before, but before adding any supplements or spending money on them, I always get testing done. What works for me might not be right for you—everyone’s body is so bio-individual. And another thing: food comes first! You can’t out-supplement a poor diet or lifestyle, and you definitely can’t outwork a bad diet.

Another shift I’ve made over the years is in how I approach wellness, nutrition, and exercise. I like to think of food as fuel for my body. If I want to feel my best, look my best, perform my best, and have clear thinking and mental clarity, I need to nourish my body with the right fuel. This is also why I’m anti-calorie counting. I believe it creates an unhealthy mindset around food, makes eating feel restrictive, and stresses out your nervous system. When people start counting calories, they often end up eating low-calorie foods that might be lacking in essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and protein. To have strong brainpower, long-lasting energy, thick shiny hair, glowing skin, and overall vitality, you can’t deprive your body of nutrients.

It’s all about balance, not extremes. Keep things simple, go back to the basics of food and nutrition, and don’t overthink it. Be in tune with what your body loves, what makes you feel good, and just live your life!

Honestly, I feel like I’ve never felt better than I do right now. I’m way less restrictive than I used to be, I don’t experience decision fatigue, and my body is really thanking me for it. I realize this may sound overwhelming—because I do set aside a lot of time each day to focus on my health—but it’s what I prioritize. Without our health, we truly have nothing. So, I wake up earlier to get it all done and structure my days in a way that works for me.

Okay, enough of my little rant! Let’s dive into the routines I’ve been loving and why I do them. This isn’t an everyday thing, but more of an ideal day. I also want to mention that I’m currently working on healing my gut and skin, so this is very specific to what I’m doing right now.

SHOP HERE

Everything mentioned in this post is linked for you here if you want to look into my daily essentials further!

Liquids

When I wake up:

First, I get rid of any bacteria in my mouth by tongue scraping and brushing my teeth before consuming any liquids. This gets rid of all of the bacteria from the night before so you’re not swallowing it with your water.

• After cleansing my mouth, I drink 950mL of filtered room-temperature water before anything else.

Then I’ll either heat up my homemade bone broth (recipe posted on my Substack and IG) or drink Kroma’s Bone Broth (which is great for travel).

• Bone Broth: 1 large cup of grass-fed beef or pasture-raised chicken bone broth.

• Greens Juice with cucumber, celery, aloe vera, turmeric, ginger, and lemon. (This is a new addition)

• “Beauty Water” - before my workout

- 1 scoop Armra Colostrum

- 1 scoop Holiss All-in-One Gut Support Powder

- 1 tincture of Lemme Sea Moss

- Serving of Buoy Electrolyte Minerals

• Pistachio Collagen Matcha with Cinnamon

- 1 packet Pique Tea Matcha

- 1 scoop Perfect Keto Cinnamon Toast Collagen (frothed into my milk – makes it super creamy)

- 1/2 cup water at 170°F (this temperature is key—too hot and it burns the leaves, making it taste grassy)

- 1/2 cup pistachio milk (I either make my own or love Elmhurst—it froths so well!)

Throughout the day: I try to drink around 3-3.5 liters of filtered water.

I’ll also enjoy some tea before bed. Here are a few favorites:

Dandelion Tea - for water retention, detoxification, bloating, and liver health

Valerian, Tulsi, and Chamomile Tea to relax

Vanilla Cookie Calm or Cinnamon Roll Rooibos —both are warm, cozy, calming and delicious

Elderberry, Lemon Balm Tea—for immune support if I feel run down

What I Eat In A Day:

I like to start my day with a savory, high-protein breakfast. It keeps me full for a long time and helps me stay focused and energized. After quitting coffee, I realized how dependent I had been on caffeine, so one of my goals this year is to not rely on anything to feel good or energized. A high-protein breakfast gives me the fuel I need to feel amazing. I also love meals that are quick, easy, and satisfying, so I don’t have to spend too much time deciding what to eat.

Breakfasts:

- Super greens wrap with pasture-raised eggs on a grain-free Siete cassava tortilla

- Coconut yogurt and chia pudding protein parfait

- Omelette with lots of veggies, wild salmon, avocado, and greens

- Sweet potato avocado toast with egg or salmon (or both!)

- Pasture-raised chicken sausages with sautéed spinach, avocado, and some berries

I do love smoothies, but I tend to gravitate toward heartier breakfasts in the fall.

Lunch:

- Lettuce cups stuffed with a protein and healthy fats (I post different variations on my Instagram)

- Soup with protein

- Cauliflower rice, salmon, avocado, protein bowl

- Salad with protein

Dinner:

- Grass-fed beef bowls (I make different variations, like taco bowls, bibimbap bowls, sesame-ginger-lime bowls, deconstructed burger bowls)

- Sheet pan dinner with veggies, protein, and a slow-burning carb

- Sweet potato noodle dish with protein

- Tacos (with Siete tortillas) – I rotate between fish, chicken, shrimp, beef, or turkey

- One-pot meals (turkey and sweet potato veggie chili, chicken coconut curry, egg roll in a bowl, beef and broccoli stir fry, lentil pasta with sauce and protein like homemade pesto or roasted red pepper sauce)

Snacks/Dessert:

- I love ending the night with a couple of squares of Hu Kitchen Dark Chocolate with Cashew Butter and Pure Vanilla Bean or their Dark Chocolate Covered Cashews - this brand knows what they are doing, their chocolates are SO good with such pure and simple ingredients.

- Chomps Beef Sticks (a pantry and purse staple!)

Movement:

- Pilates 3x a week - depending on where I am, I’ll either go to my favorite reformer class in that city or do mat classes from Pilates by Bryony

- Strength training/weights 2x a week (this is new for me, but I’m loving it)

- My goal is to hit 15k steps each day

- Stretching every day, even if it’s just for 5 minutes, is really important to me

Beauty Tools and Wellness Rituals

- Infrared Sauna Blanket and LED Red Light Mask 5x a week or more (30min-1hr) – this has been one of the best investments I’ve made for my health! I swear by it (I have a whole blog post on how it’s helped with my acne). (I have a code STEPHR for 20% off)

- Cold shower or cold plunge after sauna (if I have access to one).

- Daily lymphatic drainage: I use my Skin Gym Gua Sha, Skinny Confidential ice roller, and Foreo Bear 2 micro-current device (it only takes about 10 minutes and it’s totally worth it for snatching, sculpting, and de-puffing the face).

- After my workout, I aim for 5-10 minutes of breathwork or meditation using the Open or Bryony app.

Supplements

My Beauty Water (I drink this before workouts):

- 1 scoop Armra Colostrum - I never ever get sick and this is a big reason why. It helps support gut health, immunity, reduces inflammation and improves skin health

- 1 scoop Holiss Gut Support Powder (L-Glutamine, Slippery Elm, Marshmellow Root, Lemon Balm, Licorice Root, Zinc)

- Buoy Hydration Electrolytes

- Lemme Sea Moss

AM:

- Vitex - helps treat hormonal acne

- Guggul - helps fight cystic acne

- Ritual synbiotic pre, pro and postbiotic - to balance bacteria in the gut, help with bloating, digestion, immunity and nutrient absorption

- AG1 (this covers omegas too) - helps fill in any gaps and deficiencies

- Promix raw liver capsules

PM:

- Cymbiotika magnesium

Other supplements I take as needed:

- Digestive enzymes (especially when eating out or consuming harder-to-digest foods; Arrae Bloat is amazing—high-quality ingredients)

- Cymbiotika glutathione & Vitamin C

- Rainbo Mushrooms Lion’s Mane (for brain fog, focus, and memory)

- Beekeepers Natural Throat Spray (for immune support, especially when traveling or feeling under the weather)

That’s it for now! I hope this gives you some ideas to try in your own routine. Let me know what works for you, and remember—health is about consistency and balance, not perfection.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Xx