When eating out, these are the dietitian-approved menu options
Melissa Penfold is an interiors expert and author. The 63-year-old share her day on a plate.
Credit: Art by Eliza Iredale
6.30am As soon as I wake up, I open the windows to let in fresh air, a practice I’ve done for decades. I have two cups of tea in quick succession, outside. It grounds me.
8am After a few straight days of eating at book events at restaurants, I opt for cooked organic oats with chopped apple.
11.30am I pick up a green juice.
1pm Finish book signings in the city and pick up a “Lion King” roll with tuna, salmon and brown rice at my local Japanese.
3pm A couple of handfuls of pistachio nuts and a decaf skinny latte.
6pm Dinner is out with my kids. Chopped salad with grilled chicken, avocado, tomato, green beans, grilled zucchini, edamame, kohlrabi, beetroot and crunchy chickpeas.
9pm Fresh blueberries and strawberries. Four squares of dark chocolate and a ginger tea.
Dr Joanna McMillan says
Top marks for… Eating out with nourishment by making great choices. Opting for brown rice sushi added fibre, while the rainbow of vegetables with chicken for protein is a textbook example of Mediterranean-style eating. The mix of colours means plenty of polyphenols and other plant compounds with antioxidant effects to support healthy ageing.
If you keep eating like this you’ll… Keep your heart and brain in top shape. The steady intake of omega-3-rich fish, nuts and colourful plants will help reduce inflammation and support long-term vitality, though your bones could use a little more calcium support.
Why don’t you try… Adding several more calcium-rich serves each day – perhaps top your oats with Greek yoghurt, add a matchbox-sized piece of cheese as a snack, or a splash more milk in your tea and oats. If you prefer plant options, choose calcium-fortified soy milk or tofu set with calcium salts to help keep bones strong.
Melissa Penfold is the author of Natural Living by Design (Vendome Press).
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