‘Baked beans and buttered white bread’: A dietitian’s advice for this comedian

Mark Watson is a comedian. The 45-year-old shares his day on a plate.

Credit: Art by Eliza Iredale

9.30am A shot of ginger with a cup of decaf coffee and some strawberry yoghurt. I keep it light as I am playing squash, which is an obsession I’ve picked up in middle age.

1pm A can of baked beans on three slices of buttered white bread.

8.30pm Indian takeaway: I enjoy a murgh Jaipur – basically a fairly mild chicken dish given an authentically Asian name by the restaurant – with a pilau rice and a plain naan bread. I enjoyed my day’s eating very much, as usual.

Dr Joanna McMillan says

Top marks for … Enjoying your three square meals and not snacking unnecessarily in between. Food is more than nutrition and should be a pleasurable part of the day! While there is plenty of room for improvement on your meals, you did at least avoid ultra-processed foods.

If you keep eating like this you’ll … Fall very short on fibre. Aside from the baked beans – an excellent source of fibre – the rest of the day was lacking. Refined grain products like the white bread, naan and pilau (made from white rice) provide minimal fibre compared to their wholegrain counterparts. Your breakfast was completely void of fibre, and you missed out on fibre-rich fruit, nuts, seeds and vegetables.

Why don’t you try … Adding a nutty muesli and berries or other fruit to breakfast. Opt for wholegrain bread at lunch. Share the curry meal and add a dhal and vegetable dish such as gobi masala (cauliflower), and swap the naan for a wholemeal roti.

Mark Watson will tour his new show, Before It Overtakes Us, around Australia from March to April.

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