Welcome to Kitchn's series My Healthy Morning, where we show you how one person greets the day in a way that makes them feel their best. Each post will chronicle how that person defines healthy for themselves, and the habits and recipes that make their morning a little bit better.

You may already be familiar with Lindsey Tramuta, a Paris-based journalist navigating her way through life and love in the land of butter and cheese. She's written for Kitchn on a number of occasions, sharing her insights on how real French people eat, drink, and live, and how living in France has shaped her food values. (Personally, I've been living my French fantasy life vicariously through her Instagram feed; her handle is, appropriately, @lostncheeseland.)

We couldn't be more thrilled about her latest project, The New Paris (Abrams, April 2017), a smart and spirited account of what France's capital city looks and feels like today. And who better to offer a glimpse into la vie Parisienne than someone who is living, breathing, and documenting it?

We visited Lindsey in her apartment, which she shares with her husband and two cats, Leo & Charlie. Here's what she had to say about how she starts her day. Sometimes butter is involved.

What Does Healthy Mean to You?

A little bit of everything; nothing is off limits save for processed foods, unless a craving comes along and then I'm happy to give in. (I'm looking at you, Reese's Pieces!) I walk and take public transportation, do far less sitting than when I was chained to an office desk, and make time for self-care, the operative word since the world started to appear more fractured than functional: more time to enrich important friendships, time to loaf around the house with a book, time to exercise.

My Healthy Morning Routine

In the land of butter and starch, it takes great effort to make the morning meal purely about nutrition and what is substantial enough to carry me through the morning. Sometimes I succeed; often I don't. But as a general rule, I mix it up each morning: sourdough tartines with butter and/or almond butter and honey one morning, plain whole-fat yogurt topped with granola another. And that's when I'm eating at home.

As a writer, I can work from (almost) anywhere and when that's not from my desk by the window in my living room or at the dining room table (also in the living room!), I can usually be found at one of my favorite local coffee shops for a quick bite — a green bowl at Café Méricourt, eggs and delicious sides at Holybelly, or the most outrageous Swedish Kanelbullar fresh out of the oven at Fragments.

Regardless of what I'm eating, coffee is crucial and just like I vary my morning meal, I tend to alternate between flat whites and filtre (what the French call their slow method drip coffee), with the occasional pour over — Café Loustic makes an excellent V60 — thrown in to shake up routine.

No matter what I'm eating or drinking, the morning is a time to ease in and I try to be kind to myself. If I didn't sleep well and am lethargic when the alarm sounds at 7:30, I'll spend extra time in bed (read: extra cuddle time with Leo & Charlie, my two cats) and begin the day more gingerly. I spent too many years beating myself up about productivity and strict work hours; now I listen to what my body is telling me and that lends far more balance overall.