What Carrie Underwood Typically Eats In A Day
Carrie Underwood might be a megastar, but many of her fans know that she's into more than just making music. Underwood is incredibly passionate about health, exercise, and eating well. She even wrote a book in which she shares some of her own struggles and best tips to eat healthy and live a balanced, happy life.
Underwood struggles with intuitive eating (as most of us do). In her book, titled "Find Your Path" (via CheatSheet), she explains that she rarely feels full after a meal. "I know I'm not the only one. Many of us just don't have that natural instinct," she wrote. "There has always been a disconnect between my stomach-fullness sensors and my brain. I've never had that switch that's supposed to tell you when you're full," Underwood added, explaining that she needs to decide she's full based on how much she's eaten and not how full she actually feels.
This is one of the reasons she's fond of keeping a food journal, she told Self during an interview. Later, she also started to incorporate the MyFitnessPal app to help her track her macros, telling Women's Health that she finds tracking what she eats helps her to feel her best. "I love rules," Underwood admitted, adding that it's simply how she operates.
Carrie Underwood's come a long way on her health and fitness journey. Read on to discover what the star typically eats in a day, and get ready to take some notes.
Carrie Underwood didn't always eat healthy
Carrie Underwood, like the rest of us, is only human, and she wasn't always focused on eating well. In fact, when she was competing on "American Idol," she didn't pay much attention to her nutrition at all.
During an interview with Women's Health, Underwood admitted that she only started to realize she wasn't feeling her best when people online started to point out that she'd gained weight. Underwood recalled that one of the messages read, "Carrie's getting fat." While that must have been incredibly hurtful, Underwood says it helped her do some introspection, and she realized that she had basically been living on pizza and quesadillas for way too long. "I was tired, and I kept buying bigger clothes," she told the outlet, adding, "I knew I could be better for myself, and I let my haters be my motivators." You go, girl.
Underwood soon realized that eating better led to feeling more energized and getting better sleep, but then she got a little too excited about her results and started exercising more and eating less. Her body soon told her that it wasn't happy. Underwood explained that she wasn't really suffering from disordered eating, but that she simply didn't have sufficient knowledge to know how to effectively balance diet and exercise for her individual needs. Fortunately, that is no longer the case, and now she's basically got the balance between nutrition and exercise down to a T.
Her favorite tool is her kitchen scale
Carrie Underwood is incredibly honest about what it takes for her to maintain her physique and eat healthy — she puts in the work, and she's not shy to say it.
In her book, "Find Your Path" (via EatingWell), she reveals her favorite tool when it comes to eating well: Her digital kitchen scale. While some might frown upon the habit of weighing everything you eat, Underwood explains that it's a useful tool for her because she's not good at gauging portions. "Eyeballing just doesn't work for me," she wrote, adding, "If I try to eyeball portions, they creep up in size. If I put a cup of pasta on my plate but I don't measure it, you can bet that what I think is a cup is actually closer to two cups." She added that her scale helps her measure her portions exactly, so she knows she's eating optimally.
With that said, it's also wise to keep in mind that weighing food isn't necessary for everyone, especially if you know you tend to get a little obsessive. "For some people, measuring out food might be helpful, especially as they learn more about healthy portions," Lisa Valente, M.S., R.D., told EatingWell, adding that it's also important to keep in mind that you won't be equally hungry every day, and in those cases, you shouldn't make what the scale says the law — if you're hungrier than usual, you should feed your body accordingly.
What Carrie Underwood's usual breakfast looks like
Carrie Underwood likes to start her day like a champ. She previously told Self that she kicks off her day with black coffee (even superstar songstresses need their caffeine fixes!) and enjoys incorporating a wide range of fruits and proteins into her breakfast so she doesn't get hangry before lunch.
Her go-to breakfast is a tofu scramble she whips up from whatever she has at hand. Typically, she'll use peppers, spinach, and onions topped with salsa. Yum! On days she has less time, she likes to whip up a vanilla smoothie, which she makes with pea protein powder, almond milk, a cup of berries, and half a banana. Underwood told Women's Health that she also sometimes enjoys some Ezekiel toast with berries. Sounds like the singer knows how to eat a balanced breakfast that will help her tackle her mornings with ease.
Underwood is also a fan of overnight oats. In one of the posts she shared on her Instagram feed, she revealed that she makes her oats with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, chia seeds, almond slices, pumpkin spice, and blueberries. That's definitely a great fiber-rich and protein-filled meal to kick off the day in style.
When Underwood knows she's going to work out after breakfast, she tops up her meals with some extra fruits, like oranges and grapefruits.
The singer won't eat beef
When she was a teenager, Carrie Underwood vowed that she would never eat beef again. In her book, "Find Your Path," she reveals that she grew up on a farm in Oklahoma (via Us Weekly). It didn't take her long to realize that the cows she was used to seeing on the farm were slaughtered to provide the family's meat. This upset her, and she decided that she was no longer going to eat beef when she was 13. It wasn't always easy; her family often had beef at meals, so Underwood started to cook for herself. "When [my mother] served beef, I always made something else for myself, like chicken and rice or Boca burgers," she explains in the book. "I've never gone back to eating beef, and I never will."
During an interview with People, Underwood explained that, even though she prefers to cut things like beef out of her diet, she's not a fan of dieting at all. She recognizes that cutting out entire food groups is definitely not the way to go when you want to be healthy. "I don't eat meat because it's kind of a conscious decision that I make, but anytime anybody's like, 'I don't eat carbs,' I'm like, 'Oh, but carbs are important!'" There you have it! Underwood added that she also realized her body functions well without meat, which is one of the reasons why she could continue her plant-based diet.
She'll eat a vegan-friendly lunch
Carrie Underwood tries to eat vegan most of the time. In an interview with Self, she said that she considers herself "95% vegan." She made the choice to go from vegetarian to vegan when she noticed how amazing one of her vegan friends looked, and she decided to make the change.
Underwood is not super strict with herself, but tries to stick to a vegan diet whenever she can. She'll still have a piece of non-vegan cake at a party if the opportunity presents itself, but for the most part, she tries to cut out animal products. "My veganism is based on a concern about where my food is coming from," Underwood told Self. "In my perfect world, I'd have webcams wherever food is processed so I'd know how clean it is."
It's no surprise, then, that her lunch consists entirely of plant-based foods. She told Cosmopolitan that she loves having a sandwich for lunch, and typically opts for Ezekiel bread with Tofurky. She adds greens like sprouts, mixed greens, and avocado, as well as some mustard, which she admits she absolutely loves. She also previously told Self that she likes to make a stir fry for lunch, which is typically chock-full of veggies like broccoli slaw, carrots, and onions, as well as other pre-cut vegetables. She also adds vegan "chicken" to the mix, as well as brown rice and some seasoning. Sounds delicious!
She's not above microwave burritos
When you ask Carrie Underwood what a balanced lifestyle looks like, she gives it to you straight: It doesn't have to be perfect all the time. This is also the message she tries to bring home in her book, "Find Your Path." "One bad food choice, one lazy day on the couch isn't going to wreck everything," she told Parade. She added that her book is all about encouraging people to be realistic and practical when it comes to their health and fitness goals.
Underwood is no stranger to crazy diets, and admitted that she tried them herself once upon a time, but now she knows better. She's no longer running herself haggard making her own hummus or pureeing her own peas. "They have it at the store," she said, adding, "You know what I do? I eat microwave burritos multiple times a week because they're easy." Now, we can totally relate to that.
She added that finding what works for you is what's most important. If you don't have a lot of time, microwaving burritos is fine. It still beats getting greasy takeout every time. In fact, Underwood typically eats breakfast burritos if her mornings turn out to be crazier than expected. She told Cosmopolitan that frozen breakfast burritos are always on her shopping list.
Here's what dinner looks like at the country star's house
We've pretty much established that Carrie Underwood has her nutrition down to a T, and dinners at the Underwood house usually consist of healthy, wholesome foods that definitely won't leave you waking up with heartburn in the middle of the night.
Underwood told Cosmopolitan that her family tries to have dinner together most of the time. Her husband, former NHL player Mike Fisher, isn't vegan like she is, and his dietary needs are different from hers. Underwood says his dinner will typically consist of meals that include enough carbs to keep him feeling great. She usually whips up something like mashed potatoes and salmon for him. Her own dinner typically consists of a veggie burger or vegan protein like tofu with beans and other vegetables. She also adds rice or pasta to her plate instead of potatoes, since she's not fond of the texture.
While Underwood tended to try and limit carbs in the past, she told Cosmopolitan that she eventually shifted her focus from solely counting calories to paying more attention to her macros. "I try to balance my intake of protein, fat, and carbs rather than worry about calories," she said, adding that even she sometimes goes a little overboard and completely indulges in whatever's on the table, especially during the holidays. "When there are so many yummy foods, I don't deprive myself, I just get back on the wagon the next day," she says. Now, that's the spirit!
She eats the same foods before her performances
Call it superstition, ritual, or simply habit, but Carrie Underwood basically always eats the same foods before she goes on stage.
During an interview with Audacy's Katie Neal, Underwood revealed that the typical staples on a show day include bars that consist of raw nut butter for breakfast, while veggies (including lupini beans) paired with hummus and Tuno (a vegan alternative to tuna) is her signature show-day lunch.
When it's time for dinner, Underwood usually opts for half an avocado paired with two scrambled eggs. "It gets me through the show without feeling like I ate lots of food," she told Neal. She also explained that the reason for always sticking to the same kinds of food on show days has to do with how she needs her body to feel before stepping on stage. "You get to a point, where, if you eat 'off script' in that context, your body doesn't process it as well, or you feel kinda bloaty, or it makes you feel slow or whatever it is," she explained, adding that it's the main reason she sticks to the same meals. She knows how they're going to make her feel, and they also contain enough protein and healthy fats to get her through a tough set.
What does Carrie Underwood snack on throughout the day?
Carrie Underwood is a snacker, and she loves to indulge in smaller meals throughout the day if the hunger pangs start to make their presence known. She described herself as a "snack queen" to Well+Good, revealing that she always makes sure she has snacks on hand wherever she goes. "When I'm hungry, I'm hungry now and I can just feel my blood sugar dropping. I get cranky, and I can't think," she told the outlet.
So, what does Underwood like to snack on? Two words: protein bars. She loves No Cow bars, which are vegan-friendly and packed with fiber, as well as Vega and Luna bars. She also likes to opt for some homemade snacks when she has the time to make them. She told Self that she likes to bake muffins, which, of course, include plenty of plant-based ingredients like bananas, blueberries, and oatmeal. She also loves an English muffin with some peanut butter every once in a while. Cereal (she prefers Kashi) is another thing she always makes sure she has on hand. Other snacks she likes to indulge in include popcorn, vegan ice cream, and dark chocolate, Underwood told Cosmopolitan.
When Underwood gets caught without snacks while on the go, she always tries to find something healthy to eat. "It helps to know places near where you work," she told Well+Good, adding, "It's just planning ahead a little bit."
She'd rather eat at home than eat out
Carrie Underwood likes to buy her own groceries, and she's not a fan of getting takeout or eating at restaurants — and sometimes her husband, Mike Fisher, is not too happy about it. "My husband would rather go out to restaurants than eat at home — it makes me mad!" Underwood told Self during an interview. She added that one of the things she loves about cooking at home is that they can do it together and talk about their day. She also joked that she doesn't know how to prepare meat, so her hubby needs to make it himself unless he wants food poisoning.
While spending some quality time with her husband is one of the reasons Underwood loves home-cooked meals, she revealed to Cosmopolitan that there is another reason why she prefers to prepare food herself, and it's not because she's a master chef. "I stick to the basics, like roasted veggies and stir-fries — but I like knowing what's in my food, and it's hard to tell when someone else makes it for you," she told the outlet. We definitely can't argue with that.
She takes hydration seriously
Carrie Underwood knows how important it is to feed her body well, and that includes staying hydrated. It's no wonder, then, that she partnered with sports drinks brand BODYARMOR LYTE when the opportunity presented itself. According to CNBC, Underwood is the first celebrity to endorse the brand, and she was incredibly excited about the partnership, telling the outlet, "I love that I've been able to create this big web of health and fitness things going on in my life."
Underwood also revealed that she's very conscious of what she puts in her body, and since BODYARMOR LYTE doesn't contain any of the typical artificial sweeteners and flavors, it fits her criteria perfectly (via Bevnet). It also helps her reach her goal of staying well-hydrated during the day. "Hydration is important no matter what you're doing. You will never be upset that you are well-hydrated!" Underwood told InStyle during an interview, adding that she also wants to set a good example for her kids.
For those of us who struggle to drink enough water throughout the day, Underwood might seem like a superwoman, but even she needs to be reminded to hydrate at times. During an interview with Parade, she was accompanied by her one-gallon water bottle with hourly checkmarks on the side to help her keep track of her water intake. See, even super-healthy celebs need a little help sometimes!
She won't say no to a little dessert or wine
Carrie Underwood might be a health and fitness icon, but like the rest of us, she also loves to indulge in food every now and then — as we all should allow ourselves to.
During an interview with People, Underwood revealed that her all-time favorite dessert is something she whips up herself, usually over Christmas. This killer dessert consists of apples, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and maple syrup. Yum. "I'll get apples and cut them up into big chunks. I'll put cinnamon and apple pie spices on them, pour a little maple syrup and then put them in the oven," Underwood shared with the outlet, adding that she then tops it off with coconut ice cream. Our mouths are literally watering right now.
While Underwood enjoys dessert every once in a while, she admitted to Women's Health that she deals with cravings just like the rest of us, and she keeps dark chocolate on hand to ensure she has something to nibble on. The one thing she finds hard to resist, however, is red wine. "It's good for my heart, right?!" she joked, adding that a glass of red wine paired with "The Bachelor" is basically what her me-time consists of. She really isn't all that different from the rest of us!