I’m sure I’m not the only one who wonders what a Victoria’s Secret Angels eat in order to look that fantastic on the runway. Really, what is their secret? One model particularly stuck out to me, because she’s no fragile Angel. She’s toned, strong, and not afraid to show it off.
Jasmine Tookes is one of the newer models to join the VS dream team, and after following her for some time on social media, she became one of my fitness role models.
She prefers weight training to cardio and refuses to fall prey to fad diets. Crushing model-linked stereotypes, Jastookes is an avid gym rat, boxer, and yogi, and eats five square meals per day.
When asked by Vogue if she had any special diets, she said, “No, not really. I just try to eat a healthy and balanced diet.” And she told Style Caster that she could never get behind that juice trend.
She proves that you don’t have to starve yourself or spend hours on the elliptical in order to have a “model body.” And I choose to use this term loosely, because in my view and hers, a model should not have to live up to a specific body profile.
I was more than ready to jump into this challenge and eat like my favorite Victoria’s Secret angel for a week. My goal was not to gain a VS Angel bod and become a health guru in a week (as it takes much more than a week to see dramatic results).
After a recent surgery, my healthy habits have been gradually ignored. I went from working out regularly, dancing, hiking, and being diligent when it came to nutrition to months without working out and eating “comfort” foods more often. As I started recovering, I knew it was time to whip back into shape so I could go back to doing all the activities I love without feeling like crap.
I wanted to use this experience to start routinely practicing healthy habits again, but also to prove to myself and others that model behavior doesn’t have to be as extreme as you may think. As expected, I had my ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses (Ben & Jerry’s), but you’d be surprised at some of the foods Jasmine Tookes actually eats.
Breakfasts
Jastookes loves her açaí bowls, which, as anyone who knows about my obsession with Luv-a-Bowl knows, was definitely not a problem for me.
When I couldn’t make the trip to Luv-a-Bowl, I made my own fruit and peanut butter smoothie bowls using frozen fruit, vegan protein powder, spinach and other greens, and almond milk.
Whenever I wanted something fast, I would choose instant oats with sliced banana or hard-boiled eggs and whole grain toast.
Snacks
Jastookes always keeps snacks in her bag when she’s casually traveling between countries for Vogue and VS photo shoots. She told StyleCaster that she always keeps a protein bar with her just in case, because she doesn’t like airplane food.
She also told StyleCaster that she loves peanut butter, which gave me even more reason to fangirl. One of her go-to snacks is an apple with peanut butter.
Whenever I felt like snacking while studying, I would eat an apple or a banana with peanut butter, or have a Quest Bar handy, so I wouldn’t get too hungry between meals and could prevent overeating later on.
Lunches
I’m on campus from 8am to 6pm most nights, and I don’t have access to a microwave, so lunch is always whatever I can find on campus. This posed a challenge, and I had to overcome temptation in the cafeteria.
When eating out, her favorite restaurant is Westville. She told StyleCaster, “I get the grilled chicken and the string beans with soy sauce.” We don’t have a Westville in Athens (and honestly, eating out for me usually means fast food), but we do have an on-campus Chick-fil-A Express, where I could order a grilled market salad or grilled chicken nuggets with fruit.
We also have a Panda Express on campus, where I would order a mushroom chicken bowl with a half-and-half side of steamed veggies and white rice.
Dinners
Jasmine told Allure in an interview, “because I’m working out so much, to keep up the energy, I eat a lot of protein and feed my muscles.” She normally works out three times per week, but likes to “amp it up to seven days a week” when prepping for a show. Then, she consumes more protein and vegetables to accommodate.
On my first night, I had four ounces of baked cod and a cup of veggies with Sriracha, low-sodium soy sauce, and black pepper. One thing that Jasmine and I have in common is our love for soy sauce. It’s one of her kitchen staples. My schedule’s pretty hectic, so I did it all out of one microwaveable bag for efficiency.
Conclusion
It’s important to keep in mind that I tried to eat according to my BMI, age, and activity level. Also note that results might not be the same for everyone who tries it.
I consumed a lot more water, protein, and vegetables than I am used to, and less carbs. I ditched as many sugary and processed foods as possible (in addition to my breaking up with ice cream for a while, which was sad).
I also ate more or less protein and carbohydrates depending on how much I exercised. To keep up with Jastookes, I exercised for 30 to 50 minutes, three times that week (including yoga and some of her awesome IG workouts). Eating this way, I felt that I had more strength and endurance when working out.
This “diet” isn’t that drastic for someone wanting to try it. In my opinion, I’d say it’s a much more realistic alternative to juice cleansing or the the cabbage soup diet. It definitely helped me get into making healthier choices more frequently, but I will still treat myself to some ice cream once in a while.
Sadly, I have yet to hear back from Vogue or Victoria’s Secret about becoming their first five-foot tall model, but I do feel a lot healthier and hope to continue good nutrition habits whether it affects my aspiring career or not.