Food Diaries: Carolyn McAnlis, nutrition manager at SWEAT Fitness

"If you fail to prepare then prepare to fail."

That's the motto of Carolyn McAnlis, RDN, LDN, the nutrition manager and corporate wellness director at SWEAT Fitness.

In keeping with that philosophy, she always packs a bag with fruit or granola bars so that she has a defense against all of those tempting unhealthy food choices when hunger strikes.

McAnlis follows a whole foods approach to nutrition and estimates nearly 90 percent of the foods she eats are made from scratch. On Sundays, she makes her own chicken or vegetable stock plus lots of soups, stews and stir-fry recipes to get her through a week of unprocessed eating.

"As dietitians, we're learning new things about the body all of the time," said McAnlis. "Twenty years ago fat was the enemy; now sugar is the new enemy. We still don't know how these things will affect the body, which is why I try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible."

As the nutrition director at SWEAT, McAnlis recognizes that eating healthy can often seem like a costly endeavor; but with a few tried-and-true tips, you can eat cheap without cruising into a fast food drive-thru.

"Eating seasonally makes your weekly grocery bill so much cheaper," said McAnlis. "Right now I'm stocking up on winter foods like citrus fruits, potatoes and bananas and avoiding any berries because they're more expensive out of season, plus they don't taste as fresh."

"If you need to buy produce that isn't in season, make sure you pick frozen fruits and veggies over canned as they tend to have a lot of added sugar in them."

Below, in her own words, McAnlis shares her typical day of healthy eating:

Breakfast: Oats with ground flaxseed, chia seeds, and cinnamon, topped with apple.

"I'm not a morning person at all, so I need something that is easy, quick, and also healthy. I always start the day with a high-carb, whole grain meal. In the winter, it's usually oatmeal; I add some seeds or nut butter for protein and fat, which helps keep me full until lunch, and top it with fruit for natural sweetness. Sometimes I even prep the oats the night before – if I'm running late I just eat it cold."

Mid-morning: Green tea.

"I drink a lot of tea, especially in the winter. I'll have a coffee every once in awhile, but usually it's 3-4 cups of tea per day – green tea in the morning and afternoon, and decaf herbal teas after dinner."

Lunch: Vegetarian Chili with avocado on crackers.

"In the winter, I make a lot of soup and chili! I'll make a big pot over the weekend, then freeze half of it and eat the other half throughout the week. Soups are great because they are warm, filling, and inexpensive to make if you use produce that is in season or frozen veggies. Sometimes I add meat, and sometimes I leave it vegetarian. If it's vegetarian, it's very low in fat, but also contains lots of vitamins that need fat to be absorbed, so I'll have some avocado on crackers on the side to increase the absorption of those vitamins. Yes, really, I think about vitamin absorption over lunch."

Snack: 2 clementines and a small handful of almonds.

"I'm usually hungry every few hours, so I've found snacking and eating small meals works best for me. It prevents me from getting too hungry, which causes me to overeat or make poor choices. I try to eat seasonally (read: cheap) — clementines are so good right now."

Dinner: Salmon with potato and cauliflower mash, roasted butternut squash, and steamed broccoli.

"Fish is a great protein and provides unsaturated, heart-healthy fats. I usually buy salmon when it's on sale and throw it in the freezer for later.  It doesn't need much — I just pan fry or bake it with some vegetables."

Evening snacks: Dark chocolate and herbal tea, popcorn with cinnamon.

"I usually need something sweet at the end of dinner; I think it's a habit from childhood that I just couldn't shake. So, I'll have a small square or two of dark (really dark, 85 percent) chocolate and that's enough to satisfy my craving.  It's the only dessert I keep in my house – if I buy ice cream, I will eat ice cream (sounds overly simple, but makes perfect sense, doesn't it?).

On this night, I was still hungry after dinner, so I air-popped some popcorn and sprinkled cinnamon on top. Popcorn is a really healthy snack – it's a whole grain and is high in fiber — but the microwave, bagged versions are loaded with added oils and artificial stuff so I steer clear of those and pop it myself."

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