5.30am
My baby awakes anytime from 5.30am – he’s a very reliable alarm clock – but I love early starts, and always have. The first thing I eat or drink is a big glass of water with lemon, as I’m breastfeeding at the minute and always wake up feeling very thirsty.
6am
I wake up feeling famished (if you’ve breastfed, you will know this hunger). First course is usually porridge, or a piece of rye bread with peanut butter. An hour or two later, I’ll have eggs with lots of veggies on the side, some tomatoes, avocado, leaves, chillies, or whatever I can find.
10am
I have a very loose goal of eating 10 portions of fruit and veg a day. I once made a documentary looking at who is living the longest around the world and vegetables are the secret. I usually eat a solid five, six or seven portions on a good day.
1pm
At lunch time, I’m often on the road filming and can be in the middle of nowhere, so it can be a struggle to make the best choices. It also means I’ve got to know the M&S range at service stations intimately! I usually go for a salad or some kind of protein, such as prawns or hummus.
3pm
In the afternoon, I will eat boiled eggs which are another favourite snack of mine. They’re so good for you, so easy and brilliant when travelling. I rarely leave the house without one.
6pm
If we’re filming, it’s likely I’ll have dinner at a pub or restaurant near to where we’re working. I was brought up as a vegetarian but do eat a little meat now, so dinner will likely be some fish and vegetables. When in my home town, I rarely eat out. Cooking and eating with my husband is my favourite thing – he’s a really brilliant cook.
8pm
I usually go to bed around 8pm – don’t judge me. My baby is up a lot in the night right now so the best tactic is to get my head down soon after he snoozes. And remember, my baby alarm could go off anytime from 5am.
Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped returns this year, with Kate Quilton. Follow @Quilton on Twitter.
The low down
Nutritional therapist and author of The Balance Plan, Angelique Panagos (angeliquepanagos.com), gives her insight into Kate’s day.
As a breastfeeding mum myself, I can totally relate to everything Kate is saying – the thirst and hunger is so true. I’m really pleased to see that Kate is listening to her body and re-hydrating, nourishing and resting when she can. Self-care is so important. Kate is getting a good range of fibre and antioxidants from the rainbow of fruit and vegetables; there are plenty of healthy fats and protein for hormone balancing, too. She could add in some ground seeds and berries to her morning porridge for additional good fats and phytonutrients, and some complex carbohydrates in the form of sweet potato, quinoa or brown rice, especially to her evening meals to help achieve a deeper and more restful sleep.
We also spoke to first-time mum and presenter of Channel 4’s A Place In The Sun, Sara Damergi, about what she eats in a day.
