What I Eat in a Day: Anti-Inflammatory Diet

I've been dealing with arthritis for a while now, and figuring out how to eat in a way that doesn't actively work against my body has been a real journey. This is episode two of my what-I-eat-in-a-day series, anti-inflammatory edition, and a lot happened this particular day, from my morning at the coffee shop to a cardio Pilates class I was terrified of, to one of the cleanest dinners I've made in a while.

Living with Arthritis (and a Herniated Disc)

If you're new here: I have arthritis. I was diagnosed a few years ago and it changed a lot about how I approach food, movement, and pretty much everything else. I used to be a travel and food producer. I spent years on set with my best friend Katie, long days, heavy equipment, uncomfortable positions, and that work took a real toll on my body. Katie and I both ended up with issues at our L4/L5. There's apparently a nickname for it in the entertainment industry. Neither of us are particularly surprised.

Managing arthritis means I have to be thoughtful without being obsessive about what I eat. My approach is to focus on inclusion rather than exclusion, loading up on foods that actively help my body rather than eliminating everything that might not be perfect. That philosophy matters to me personally for reasons beyond arthritis. So these what-I-eat-in-a-day videos are not about showing you a flawless day. They're about what a realistic, reasonably healthy day actually looks like for me.

At the time I filmed this, I was also dealing with a flare-up, not from anything I ate but from jumping back into reformer Pilates way too aggressively. I fell in love with Pilates because it's the kind of workout I can actually do while my body heals, but instead of easing in I was doing four or five classes a week and my body was not happy about it. I'm still working on it. I'm also trying to get things mostly under control before our wedding in Santorini this summer, which, at the time of filming, was only a few months away.

Morning: Vitamins and Overnight Oats

I start every morning with Mary Ruth's Organics liquid vitamins, specifically the hair growth formula. I'm growing my hair out for the wedding and these have been making a noticeable difference. I actually met the Mary Ruth's reps at the Natural Products West Expo in Anaheim and asked if I should double up (I was taking two different formulas at the time). They very politely told me I was overdosing on vitamins and to please pick one. So I'm finishing this bottle before repurchasing the one I like most.

Breakfast was Oats Overnight in the peanut butter cookie dough cacao crunch flavor. Technically George's (we share). The instructions say to pour milk in first, then the oats. I did it backwards and the consistency came out on the runnier side. That's actually fine with me because runny means I can drink it on the go, and I was heading to the coffee shop. This brand is not sponsored but I genuinely recommend it. It's plant-based protein, around 20 grams of protein per serving, and packed with superfoods: chia seeds, flax seeds, good fiber. I don't love the flavor of whey protein so the fact that this isn't whey is a big deal for me. It's not a low-calorie food and it's not designed for weight loss, but it's nutritious, filling, and it actually keeps me going until mid-morning.

At the Coffee Shop: Double Matcha and the Best Granola Bar

I own Kona Loa Coffee Crown Valley, a coffee shop in South OC, and I developed a drink for March called the Double Matcha. I only planned to keep it on the menu for a month because it's a little involved to make, but it has been our best seller. It's somehow outselling our coffee, which is wild because our coffee is really good. If you're ever driving down to San Diego, we're right off the freeway on Crown Valley. Swing by. I might be there.

The double matcha has over 9 grams of ceremonial-grade matcha per order. I have opinions about the word "ceremonial" and whether anyone actually polices that label, but that's a separate conversation. What I can tell you is the cold foam tastes like ice cream. My ritual for any drink with cold foam: I drink the bottom latte up through the foam for the first few sips, then mix it all together after that. George finds this excessive. He is correct but I'm not changing.

My mid-morning snack was the granola bar we sell at the shop, and I will not pretend to be unbiased here but I mean it when I say it is my favorite granola bar. It's gluten-free, incredibly dense, and loaded with good stuff: pecans, almonds, coconut, sunflower seeds, dates, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, dried apricots, golden raisins, and honey. I usually don't finish the whole thing in one sitting and half of it keeps me full for hours.

Lunch: A Yakamos-Inspired Fruit Salad

I left the coffee shop later than planned, as always, so I went straight home without stopping for a proper lunch. Since Pilates was coming up and I didn't want anything too heavy, I made a salad, specifically a salad inspired by a meal I had at Yakamos, a tiny restaurant in Irvine that does Japanese-French fusion craft ramen. Their house salad is one of those things you order by accident and it completely stops you in your tracks. It was fruity, nutty, layered with flavors I wasn't expecting. George was there, George does not like salads, and even he loved it.

My version used what I had at home: mixed greens, sliced apples, chopped mango, blueberries, honey-toasted walnuts, cranberries, sesame seeds, and a yuzu dressing. The vibe I was going for was fruity, nutty, umami, leafy. I didn't have the exact same ingredients as Yakamos but I got the spirit right. George recognized it immediately. He said, "I know what this is. The Yakamos salad." Then he fed me a bite that was way too large. I have molars on only one side of my mouth, which is a long story, and tiny bites are important. We're still working on this communication issue.

Post-Pilates: SEEQ Protein and a Snack Discovery

The cardio sculpt Pilates class was my first time doing that format and I was genuinely nervous going in. I hate cardio. It's too tiring and I don't think it's fun, and my reasons pretty much end there. But it ended up being a great class and I felt really good coming out of it.

Right after, I had a scoop of SEEQ protein in strawberry lemonade. SEEQ is my favorite protein right now and I have a slightly embarrassing number of flavors in my pantry. It's not a thick milkshake-style protein: water consistency, almost like protein-enhanced water, which makes it really easy to actually drink. One scoop is 22 grams of protein, zero grams of sugar, one gram of carbs, and 100 calories. Since I'd already had the overnight oats for breakfast I only did one scoop today. Sometimes I mix it with a Sprite Zero and it becomes a little protein spritz situation. Genuinely delicious.

My afternoon snack was a total discovery: sea salt and vinegar pistachios. I found them at the grocery store and was genuinely surprised flavored pistachios existed. I've been eating plain pistachios my whole life and I feel like I've been missing out. For the record, the number one recommended nut on an anti-inflammatory diet is actually walnut. I don't love walnuts. I'm doing my best. Pistachios are still very good for you because of their healthy fats and I stand by this choice.

Dinner: Three Clean Whole Foods Dishes

This dinner is one of my favorites to make: quick, clean, and genuinely delicious. Three dishes, all whole foods, all built to work with an anti-inflammatory eating approach.

Shishito Peppers

Just oil, shishitos, and salt in a screaming hot pan. I want the skin to crackle and blister, with a little char, removed from heat quickly so they don't go limp. Shishitos are great for inflammation: high in capsaicin, vitamin A, and vitamin C. One of them was spicy, as one always is, and George and I spent several anxious seconds wondering which bites were going to get us. We both declared ourselves safe. We were.

Stir-Fried Chinese Cauliflower

Chinese cauliflower has a completely different texture than regular cauliflower: crunchier, snappier, with a much bolder flavor. I cooked it in a dry, screaming-hot pan to get a good char on the bottom, then added shallot oil (essentially a deeply flavored shallot-infused oil that I use constantly), fresh minced garlic, a small splash of water to create steam, then covered it to finish cooking. I pulled it slightly underdone to keep that crunch. This was George's favorite thing of the entire dinner. His words: he would eat just this as his whole meal. That is a very high compliment from someone who considers himself a serious eater.

White Pepper Calamari

The move here is to cook the calamari immediately after the cauliflower in the same pan, while the char is still there. That residual heat and flavor transfers directly to the squid and makes it taste like it came off a grill. Season with salt and white pepper, not black pepper. White pepper is a completely different dish and I will not be taking substitutions. Add shallot oil, garlic, green onions, and Thai chili for heat. Pull it off heat as soon as the onions are fragrant. I made garlic pickled cucumbers the day before and those went alongside as a bright, acidic counterpoint to everything.

George put the food down on the table and his first words were: "This looks so beautiful and healthy." Not prompted. Just what he said.

Evening: Fruit, Candy, and the Real Talk

George and I ended the night making wedding music decisions (building out our ceremony playlist for the pianist and saxophone) with a fruit platter going. Blueberries, strawberries, mango, apple. Fruit is genuinely one of my favorite desserts. It's sweet, it's fresh, and it doesn't leave me feeling like I need to unbutton something. Then I had Smart Sweets watermelon bites (only 3 grams of sugar for the whole bag, natural coloring), which satisfied every candy craving I had without making me reach for my family-size Nerds Gummy Clusters. That's a victory.

I also had some spicy dill pickle Goldfish crisps. This is not strictly anti-inflammatory. George clocked it immediately. But then he said something that I keep coming back to: "It's not about perfection. It's about making steps toward a goal. You don't have to be perfect all the time."

He's right. I'm building a way of eating that I can maintain long-term. I focus on inclusion over restriction because I know from personal experience what the alternative looks like. I've dealt with disordered eating before, and I'm not going back to that place. A good day doesn't have to be a flawless day. And today? Honestly, my day was still really healthy. I'm proud of the choices I made.

What I'd Recommend

Three things from this day that I'd tell anyone to try, especially if you're dealing with inflammation or just trying to eat a little cleaner without making yourself miserable:

Oats Overnight: high protein, plant-based, genuinely filling. The peanut butter cookie dough cacao crunch flavor is exactly as good as it sounds. Great for mornings when you need something you can take on the go.

SEEQ protein: if you've been avoiding protein shakes because the texture puts you off, try this one. Water consistency, zero sugar, and the strawberry lemonade flavor is excellent on its own or mixed with a sparkling water.

Chinese cauliflower stir-fry with shallot oil: if you haven't cooked with Chinese cauliflower before, find it and make this. Hot pan, good char, shallot oil, garlic, minimal fuss. It's one of the fastest and most satisfying things in my regular dinner rotation.

The bigger takeaway from this day: eating well for your health doesn't have to be about restriction or perfection. Load up on the good stuff, be honest with yourself about what your body needs, and don't spiral over the Goldfish. You're doing fine.