Michelle Bridges is synonymous with fitness. So how does a dietitian rate her diet?
Michelle Bridges is a trainer and TV personality. The 54-year-old shares her day on a plate.
Credit: Art by Eliza Iredale
7am A strong skinny latte to get me going for my morning workout, which today is a cardio warm-up before a full-body weights session, followed by 15 minutes on the cross-trainer.
9am A two-egg omelette filled with chopped tomato, spinach and mushrooms. I top it with crumbled feta cheese and a couple of grinds of black pepper.
11am While my son, Axel, enjoys an ice-cream, I opt for sparkling water at a harbourside cafe.
1.30pm Lunch is a poached chicken salad: RSPCA-approved chicken breast on a bed of rocket, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, red onion, avocado and a few chopped olives. I add a cup of cooked quinoa and dress it with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
6pm Roasted New Zealand salmon with Mexican spices. Axel gets involved by chopping cucumber, corn, avocado and mango for the salsa. We enjoy our DIY tacos on soft corn tortillas.
8pm A bowl of sweet cherries and a cup of green tea.
Dr Joanna McMillan says
Top marks for … Getting a good serve of protein into each meal. Women in the peri- and menopause years have an increased need for protein to help them maintain muscle mass. Spreading protein out over the day helps with its utilisation.
If you keep eating like this you’ll … Fall short on calcium. After age 50, requirements jump from 1000mg to 1300mg a day. To get there you need at least four serves of dairy or calcium-rich alternatives. You had only the milk in your latte and the feta on your omelette.
Why don’t you try … Canned sardines, a great option along with other fish with edible soft bones. You could also add a serve of Greek yoghurt and handful of almonds to your cherries, make a smoothie with yoghurt, milk or calcium-fortified plant milk, and include tofu regularly.
Michelle Bridges will be speaking at the So Hot Right Now menopause summit on March 1 at the Sydney Opera House.
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