Health

He Gave Up Processed Foods and Lost 60 Pounds. Here’s What Galley Foods’ Founder Eats in a Day Now.

Galley Foods’ founder, Alan Clifford. All photographs courtesy Clifford.

As the founder of Galley Foods, a healthy meal delivery service based in Washington, Alan Clifford has spent a lot of time thinking about how to make healthy meals easy and accessible. When it comes to his own food journey, he’s also had to find a way to make eating well a goal for himself.

A firm believer that what you put into your body can greatly affect your health, Clifford says that he’s made some big changes in his diet over the years.

“I used to weigh almost 60 pounds more than I do today, and I attribute all of the weight loss to light exercise and removing all processed foods from my diet,” says Clifford. “I only eat foods that contain whole ingredients, with a focus on purchasing as many locally-grown/made items as I can, and I try to limit the amount of gluten, legumes, and dairy in my diet. I also try to only eat sugar or natural sweeteners on special occasions.”
Working with Galley Foods, Clifford has the advantage of being able to grab the service’s healthy meals from the fridge. To see how he incorporates his food guidelines into his daily diet, take a look through the photos below.

Breakfast

Protein Bar with Compass Coffee (Shaw Roast).

“This is my breakfast most mornings. RxBars are tasty and only contain four to five whole ingredients,” says Clifford.

Lunch

Galley’s meatballs with seven veggie tomato sauce over zucchini noodles.

“For lunch, I try to eat either a salad or the lightest Galley option from the previous day,” say Clifford. “One of the big benefits of owning a food company is that I always have a good selection of healthy meals in the fridge.”

Dinner*

Stuffed chiles with vegetables, guacamole, and Mexican rosé, eaten at a restaurant on a trip to Mexico City.

“When I’m not eating Galley, I go to restaurants that focus on seasonal whole ingredients and try to maintain my guidelines of limited gluten, dairy, and no sugar,” says Clifford. “I’ll splurge occasionally if the restaurant is known to have the best bread or really tasty pasta. And wine is a staple of my dinner regime—rosé when it’s hot outside, medium-bodied reds the rest of the year.”

*This meal was eaten on a different day than the previous two, but is typical of what Clifford would eat for dinner.

Have a Food Diary you’d like to share? Email ccunningham@washingtonian.com.

Consult with your doctor before beginning a new diet. Washingtonian does not endorse any diet without the supervision of a medical professional. 

Associate Editor

Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.