It’s one thing to follow a diet or exercise program, but it’s another to take a magnifying glass to the lifestyle choices of leading health experts.

What do they eat, and more importantly why? How do they train their body in light of the science they are at the forefront of? What can we learn from their daily lifestyle habits to help us work towards optimal health and wellbeing?

Here, we take a peek at the diet and exercise regimes of some of Australia’s most respected medical and lifestyle practitioners. It will come as no surprise to hear their own health is never far from focus.

Dr Chantel Thornton

Specialist breast cancer surgeon, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne

I am especially mindful of getting five serves of vegetables per day and two serves of fruit as we know this significantly reduces the risk of developing cancer.

Breakfast

I’m not much of a breakfast person, so a strong latte and fruit, or fruit toast, is what I grab on the run.

Lunch

Something quick and easy like an avocado and salmon sushi roll or yoghurt and fruit salad.

Dinner

Grilled salmon, rice and salad or risotto or Thai food with vegetables. I rarely eat meat – the risk of bowel cancer is significantly higher in those who consume red meat compared to fish eaters. I also try and limit my alcohol consumption to weekends only with at least three alcohol-free days a week as we also know that alcohol is a known carcinogen.

How I move

I do prioritise my exercise and whilst I am recovering from injury, I still manage three 30-minute core classes per week using light hand weights to help support bone health. I also walk at least three times each week for 30 minutes.

Dr Jason Kovacic

Cardiologist, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney

In terms of diet, I try to eat a balanced Mediterranean diet. I only eat red meat once every two or three weeks, and eat fish instead about five days each week.

Breakfast

A piece or two of fresh fruit. Black coffee and a slice of toast.

Lunch

Often, I will have a tuna or salmon sandwich with salad.

Dinner

I am usually at work until 7 or 7.30pm so am often not eating until quite late. Usually I have some olives, a bit of salad, vegetables that the kids didn’t eat for their dinner, maybe a slice of bread. I may also have a glass of red wine – about one glass maybe four or five days a week.

Another thing we have been doing recently at home for heart health is using potassium-enriched salt. This is marketed and sold under different names like “heart salt”, but there is now really strong data to show that potassium-enriched salt (which swaps out some of the sodium chloride for potassium chloride) is great for helping to keep your blood pressure under control and reducing the likelihood of heart attack and stroke.

How I move

I start my day early and usually have the alarm set for 5 or 5:15am. I’ll get up and while on some days I will have a 5.30am international teleconference, most days I exercise for about 50 minutes.

In terms of what exercise I do – I like to mix things up. We have a very modest home gym with an exercise bike and a few free weights, and I do that a couple of mornings a week. The other mornings I’ll go jogging and sometimes go swimming. My work is mostly sedentary so another thing I’ve done over the last year is to get a standing desk. It has been shown that if you spend about 90 minutes a day standing rather than sitting, there are improvements in a whole range of vascular and other parameters. I also try and get my 10,000 steps each day – this is on top of the 50 minutes of exercise. It is important that if we exercise, we are then not inactive for the remainder of the day when it comes to heart health in general.

Matt Waterton

Movement and health coach, Strength in Motion chief executive, Sydney

I specifically try to think about my food in a fuelling versus filling approach. Am I eating a good balance of macronutrients and quality ingredients to fuel me? Or, am I eating in a rush and for convenience to quickly fill me? I want 80 per cent of my meals to be wholefoods based in the fuelling category, leaving me with a nice 20 per cent to just enjoy whatever I want, guilt free.

Breakfast

I’ll often have clients all morning, so I don’t have time for an early breakfast. Instead I start the day with two large glasses of water, followed by a greens drink, then a coffee and a protein snack to keep me going until I can manage breakfast mid- to late-morning, when I then have eggs, vegies and some avo on sourdough, or an omelette.

Lunch

Will vary between a salad, leftovers from the night before. I love sardines in a salad as a quick and easy protein-rich lunch.

Dinner

Is usually my largest meal as I have more time, and I’ll have a roast, home-made curry or a stir-fry with heaps of vegies, rice and fish. Red meat only once or twice a week, and then I always finish the day with a few squares of dark chocolate.

How I move

When it comes to my physical fitness, there are three important elements that always need to be included – move well, move often and move differently. My weekly routine always includes workouts, exercises and activities that challenge my mobility, flexibility, balance, strength and co-ordination. Then we need to lift. Strength is a key part of our long-term health, especially when it comes to preventing injury as well as ageing gracefully. The older you get, the harder it is to build muscle and the quicker it disappears. And finally, play. I can’t stress the importance of this enough – exercise and recreation that is fun and/or skill-based is incredibly important on so many levels. It helps us to develop and maintain neural pathways, forging a better brain/body connection that will serve us well as we age.

Dr Niloufar Torkamani

Endocrinologist, Austin Hospital, Melbourne

In general, I try to eat a low-carb diet with minimal processed food and I try to practise time-restricted eating, limiting my eating to 10-12 hours per day, which is known to be beneficial to metabolism.

Breakfast

One to two slices of low-carb toast or a low-carb wrap with Persian feta and some walnuts.

Lunch

Tuna and low-carb crackers enjoyed on the run.

Snacks

A small cup of Greek yoghurt with some berries or a protein bar.

Dinner

Usually early as I have a three-year-old and something simple like meat and three veg, pasta with mince or chicken or fish with vegies. I also have a wide range of low-carb/no-sugar treats available in case I crave anything. For example, dark chocolate, high-protein ice-cream snacks and I always keep frozen berries in the freezer.

How I move

I work long hours but from an activity perspective, I try and exercise for 30 minutes three times each week. But I have to be honest, it doesn’t always happen.