Los Angeles-based registered dietitian Jamie Mok balances a demanding career with the needs of a busy family, including two children under the age of four. This reality shapes her approach to nutrition, emphasizing practicality and sustainability for both herself and her clients.
“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 perceive overwhelming and challenging,” whether a client lacks the time to cook from scratch or the financial resources for a strictly whole-foods diet. Mok encourages “learning how to make convenient foods work for you,” focusing on incremental changes that build toward a more whole-foods-focused approach.
Mok, who also works as a yoga teacher, prioritizes a diet rich in protein and fiber. She integrates exercise into her daily routine, playing with her children and taking them on stroller walks, alongside leading yoga classes and occasionally attending Barry’s Bootcamp for strength training. “Generally speaking, I feel like my day-to-day covers my bases” for sustained energy, she said.
Mok begins her day with a breakfast centered around protein and fiber, typically steel-cut oats prepared with soy milk. She adds ground flaxseed, chia seeds, frozen wild blueberries, nuts, cinnamon, and almond butter. Alternatively, she might opt for whole-wheat toast topped with avocado and two over-easy eggs. “That helps to keep me satisfied and fueled all morning,” Mok explained. “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 consists of leftovers repurposed into a quick, portable meal. Mok frequently makes a wrap using whole-wheat lavash, filling it with hummus or smashed white beans, roasted vegetables, leafy greens, and pickled onions. She intentionally prepares extra vegetables during dinner to ensure leftovers are available for lunch the following day, and will also utilize leftover grains like rice and quinoa in salads or bowls, adding tofu, beans, and homemade dressing. To add flavor and texture, she incorporates pickled vegetables, roasted nuts or seeds, and crushed seaweed.
Mok accompanies lunch with a large cup of hot ginger tea, recognizing its antioxidant properties and digestive benefits. While she includes seafood and eggs in her diet, she emphasizes plant-based foods to increase her fiber intake and the diversity of plant consumption. “Prebiotic fiber is what feeds our gut microbes,” she said. “The more foods that we offer, the more healthy bacteria we’re feeding.”
As an “afternoon snack gal,” Mok prioritizes protein and fiber to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner. She reaches for fruit and a protein bar with minimal additives and low added sugar when pressed for time. At home, she enjoys dipping raw vegetables and toasted whole-wheat pita bread into hummus. Throughout the day, she stays hydrated by sipping from a one-liter Stanley cup.
Dinner is typically a family-style sheet-pan meal, often utilizing a rice cooker to streamline the process. Mok strives to introduce her children to a variety of flavors and foods alongside their preferred options, such as pasta, rice, and tofu. Meals include a protein source, a carbohydrate, and an abundance of vegetables. Recent examples include roasted salmon and vegetables with steamed rice wrapped in seaweed, or a quick pasta dish with marinara sauce and a variety of vegetables. She consistently follows dinner with fresh, seasonal fruit like melon, clementines, or pomelos.
While her children occasionally enjoy treats like ice cream or fruit snacks, Mok emphasizes less processed alternatives, such as 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.
Mok sometimes craves a bedtime snack if dinner is early. She enjoys dates stuffed with nut butter and topped with coconut shreds, or apple rings drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate chips, both offering a source of fiber. For a savory option, she and her husband make stove-top popcorn with sea salt. She also enjoys a mug of herbal tea, such as peppermint or chamomile, to promote relaxation.
Mok, who provides nutrition counseling and yoga classes through her practice, Yogini RD LLC (jamiemok.com), integrates her philosophy of mindful eating and movement into her work with clients. She is also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (eatrightpro.org).
