It depends where I’m working. At the moment, I am presenting Shop Smart, Save Money and so will wake up at around 6.30am. I have to have a coffee first thing in the morning, no matter what. If I’m at home, I’ll grab a Neom raspberry and cacao oat bar and drink some water, too.
9am
For breakfast, I’ll have some sort of bar with nuts and seeds, especially if I’m dashing out to work. At the weekend, I head for our local cafe, Tierra Verde. It’s my favourite place for avocado and tomato on the best toast I have ever tasted.
11am
I often have a mid-morning snack of some yummy raw chocolate with nuts. The best is Pana Chocolate, an Australian brand that I’m addicted to.
1pm
For lunch, I’ll probably just have a coffee if I’m working. I can survive all day on coffee. And yes, I know it’s bad for me, but that’s half the pleasure.
4pm
I’ll have some water, but only because I think I should – I have to make myself drink it. I’d rather save a big meal for dinner, with a lovely glass – or two – of red wine, which is something to look forward to at the end of a long working day.
7.30pm
If it’s just me, I’ll mix up beans, chickpeas, rocket, tomatoes, beetroot, soft, pungent goats’ cheese, all drizzled with Italian olive. If I’m needing some comfort food, I’ll boil a pan of Albert Bartlett potatoes and mash them up with olive oil, salt, pepper, some grated cheddar and rocket. True comfort food!
9pm
never go to bed early enough. Even during my breakfast TV days I’d aim to get to bed at 9pm for my 3.30am wake-up call, but it was always nearer 11pm and often much later when my sons were babies. I spent most of my weekdays feeling completely drained. Nowadays, it can be anywhere between 7.30pm and 4am.
Fiona co-presents ‘Shop Smart Save Money’ which returns to Channel 5 in October
The low down
Nutritional therapist and author of The Balance Plan, Angelique Panagos (angeliquepanagos.com), gives her insight into Fiona’s day.
Fiona is getting a good range of fibre and antioxidants from the vegetables and pulses at dinner, but there is room for additional protein and good fats. Eating a predominantly plant-based diet can have wonderful health benefits, but she needs to ensure she’s still getting plenty of protein, good fats and complex carbohydrates. For breakfast, I would recommend switching to whole rolled oats and having them as overnight oats, with almond milk. These are higher in B vitamins for added energy, as Fiona is very busy.
Adding in some form of protein would really benefit her, too. This could be from nuts and seeds, or nut butter. While having a cup of coffee a day can form part of a balanced diet, I think Fiona would benefit from adopting a ‘food first’ habit and starting her day with a matcha green tea instead of a coffee first thing. Matcha powder is high in antioxidants and will still give that little energy boost. For lunch, I would like to see Fiona add in some of my detox warriors (leafy greens, broccoli, spinach and kale), and I’d like to see her have some protein in the form of eggs, or organic GMO free tempeh or tofu.
