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Annie Jacobs-Perkins is a cellist. The 28-year-old shares her day on a plate.
Credit: Art by Eliza Iredale
8am A cup of black coffee. I don’t always eat breakfast; today was one of those days.
11.45am Homemade pumpkin bread with cream cheese, along with some red plums from a local farmer. I prioritise plant-heavy meals and local produce.
1pm I eat a bunch of random leftovers. There’s some lentil curry, some tofu salad, a bit of kimchi, some sprouts, and salad, plus a few bites of local cheddar cheese.
4.30pm I’m on a family holiday, so we go to an Amish food stand called Sharp’s Market in Adams, New York, to pick up fruit, vegetables and cheese. At home, we all share half a watermelon. We save the rinds and I start fermenting them into watermelon rind pickles with some gochujang and garlic.
6.30pm I grill corn, beans and peppers, and add them to a salad with a bit of lime juice and tomatoes. I roast some chickpeas and butter beans with salt, pepper and olive oil, then serve the chickpeas and salad on a bed of yoghurt, lemon juice, ricotta cheese and garlic.
10pm A bowl of vanilla ice-cream with maple syrup.
Dr Joanna McMillan says
Top marks for … Your strong focus on local produce and the wide variety of plant foods. I love how you use up leftovers, and the home-fermenting, which both reduces waste and delivers emerging gut and immune health benefits.
If you keep eating like this you’ll … Want to keep an eye on your iron, which can be low for women in their 20s if animal foods are limited. Without fish or seafood, your omega-3 intake is also on the low side, and while the dairy gives you some high-quality protein, the lack of eggs, meat or seafood means you’ll need to be mindful of replacing or supplementing certain nutrients.
Why don’t you try … Increasing your intake of iron-rich plant foods like lentils, beans, pumpkin seeds and dark leafy greens alongside vitamin C-rich foods to boost absorption, and consider a marine algae omega-3 supplement, if fish isn’t on the menu. For extra variety, try nut butters, tempeh or quinoa to round out your protein sources.
Annie Jacobs-Perkins will perform in the Sydney Opera House’s Utzon Music series on October 12.
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