When should you eat your main meal each day? A dietitian weighs in

3 months ago 23

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Nicole Car is an opera singer. The 39-year-old shares her day on a plate.

10.30am Today is a show day, so I keep my routine simple. After admin, I make myself some oats with a handful of blueberries, some natural whole-milk yoghurt and a spoonful of peanut butter.

3.30pm I tend to eat the same meal before a show as I had for dinner the night before. Lunch today is homemade bolognese with wholemeal pasta and a little parmesan cheese. It’s a very late lunch, giving me enough energy to perform without being too full.

5pm I make the 45-minute walk to the theatre – I’m in San Francisco, playing Mimi in La Boheme – while listening to my next project, Rusalka, for Opera Australia.

10.30pm I always bring an apple with me to the show in case I get hungry during the performance. Tonight, I eat it as I am leaving the theatre.

11pm A late-night snack of avocado, salad and hummus. And then it’s time for rest.

Dr Joanna McMillan says

Top marks for… Your wholefood staples – oats at breakfast and wholemeal pasta – which are easy on the gut yet deliver fibre and sustained energy. Having your main meal at lunchtime is smart and your apple delivers a quick carb and antioxidant boost. Your walk is ideal for vitamin D production.

If you keep eating this you’ll… Maintain steady blood glucose and avoid that “too full to sing” feeling, thanks to the low‑GI grains and well-timed meals. However, your low vegie count and uneven protein spread could, over time, short-change vocal‑cord repair and hinder your immunity, especially during long rehearsal runs and travel.

Why don’t you try… Stirring an extra cup of grated zucchini and carrot into the bolognese, or add a side salad at lunch to front-load the antioxidants that soothe vocal tissues. Slip half a cup of Greek yoghurt or a boiled egg into your late breakfast to boost protein, and use a one-litre water bottle to gauge your hydration, sipping through the day and evening and ensuring you refill at least once.

Nicole Car stars in Opera Australia’s production of Rusalka at the Sydney Opera House until August 11.