Niki Chan Wylie for BI
- Hannah Neeleman, the face of Ballerina Farm, makes lunch for her husband and eight kids every day.They always eat a combination of carbs, lean protein, and vegetables.Dietitians back the sort of minimally processed diet that Neeleman follows.
Hannah Neeleman, the face of the lifestyle brand Ballerina Farm and "tradwife" influencer known for cooking elaborate meals from scratch, doesn't overthink lunch.
"It's super simple," Neeleman told Business Insider. This may surprise her over 21 million social media followers, who have watched her make intricate dishes like fresh buttermilk pie or asparagus tart.
Most days, the 35-year-old entrepreneur and homesteader prepares a simple, balanced meal consisting of a carb, a lean protein, and some vegetables for herself, her husband, Daniel Neeleman, and their eight homeschooled kids. It's a custom they picked up in Brazil, where the couple lived for four years after college.
Dietitians and nutrition researchers have previously told Business Insider of the importance of eating a balance of high-fiber produce, lean protein, and healthy fats, while minimizing ultra-processed foods where possible. This whole-food diet is, of course, easier to follow if you live on a farm than, say, in a tiny apartment in a city.
Homemade bread, steak, and fresh vegetables are on the menu for lunch
For carbs, Neeleman tends to make potatoes, pasta, rice, or quinoa. "I make bread a few times a week, so if it's a bread day, then we have bread as well," she said.
For protein, it's usually steak or a roast — living on a cattle farm, there's no shortage of frozen meat— and the veggies are sourced from their garden.
Niki Chan Wylie for BI
Protein is crucial for building and maintaining muscle mass, which not only keeps us strong and mobile but also plays a key role in metabolic health.
Meanwhile, fiber — found in fresh produce, whole grains, and beans — aids digestion. Research has also linked eating a variety of high-fiber plants to a more diverse community of gut microbes, a marker of good gut health. Fiber feeds these "good" gut microbes.
The family washes their minimally processed meal down with a glass of water kefir, a fermented drink made of water and water kefir grains, which contains probiotics or microbes beneficial to the gut.
Neeleman simple diet includes sweet treats
Neeleman's breakfast is super simple, too. She has homemade yogurt and a scoop of Ballerina Farm's maple cinnamon protein powder.
Dinner is more flexible as the kids have different extracurricular activities and schedules. She's in the routine of making quick meals with the ingredients she has on hand.
"If you make just pasta with meat sauce, we always have ground beef in the fridge, and boil pasta and put your marinara sauce. It takes 15 minutes," she said.
The majority of what they eat is homemade, but occasionally, she'll throw a frozen sourdough pizza from the Ballerina Farm farmstand in the oven.
Neeleman doesn't enjoy junk food because she said it hurts her stomach, but is partial to a chocolate croissant or a good-quality chocolate ice cream.
"Strauss has a really good Dutch cocoa ice cream that I always buy at Whole Foods when we go. It's just so good, and I hide it in the freezer," she said.
