How I eat: This is what a nutritionist eats in a day

'Food choices have a huge impact on our wellbeing.' Picture: Pexels

Dr Paula Gaynor is a nutritionist and food scientist and co-founder of SOMEGA, an Irish health supplement. 

I usually start my morning with a peppermint tea or a glass of warm water and lemon. A little while later, I’ll have my coffee. I like to eat breakfast mid-morning, as I am rarely hungry before that. Breakfast can vary from Greek yoghurt, topped with blueberries, nuts and seeds to scrambled eggs and sourdough toast or to a bowl of porridge in the colder months. Breakfast time is also when I take my supplements for the day, including Vitamin D & K to support my immunity and bone health and Liposomal Vitamin C for enhanced energy levels throughout the day.

I dislike lots of breakfast cereals because they are so high in sugar and devoid of other key nutrients, including fibre.

My lunches vary with time of year. A typical lunch for me is a salad in the summer, while in winter it’s a bowl of warm homemade soup. A few times each week, I’ll have sardines or smoked salmon as they are a wonderful source of healthy omega-3s.

One of my favourite dinners is a chicken stir-fry, with lots of vegetables of different colours each packed with vitamins and minerals. Not only is it a nutritious meal, but it’s so fast to throw together and the kids love it too, so a win-win!

I am a big fan of snacking! My favourite snack is Ryvita, topped with crunchy peanut butter and sliced banana. The perfect combination of salty and sweet. I also love hummus with carrot and celery sticks, bags of popcorn and dried fruit and nuts. At night-time, a square (or two) or dark chocolate hits the spot.

I try to eat a healthy diet, most of the time, but don’t follow any particular diet plan.

I absolutely adore Greek food - the olives, the feta cheese, the seafood… not to mention the pastries! Apart from the beautiful scenery and good weather, the delicious food is one of the main reasons I love to travel to Greece. When I try to put together a Greek dish, even a Greek salad at home, it just never manages to taste the same!

Food has always been an important part of my life. Apart from the health aspect, food plays a really important role from a social standpoint, whether it be birthday parties or meals out with friends. I grew up in a family with five siblings and mealtimes were the time we all sat down together. Having my own teenage children now, we still try to keep the tradition that dinnertime is family time, a time to catch up on what has been going on in each other’s day.

Dr Paula Gaynor of SOMEGA

As a nutritionist, I’m very conscious that the food choices we make (or make for our children) have a huge impact on overall health and wellbeing. For me, a healthy diet always comes first, but I know that at different stages of our life, and even at different times of the year, we need to up our intake of certain nutrients to support our health and immunity. For example, every Irish person should be taking a high-quality Vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter. Omega-3s are also really important for brain, heart and eye health but as the majority of Irish people (both adults and children) do not eat enough oily fish, a good quality Omega-3 supplement is invaluable. 

I have many food heroes, including Darina Allen, Clodagh McKenna, Lilly Higgins and Jamie Oliver. However, if I had to pick just one, it would have to be my mother who managed to have a delicious, home-cooked meal on the table for eight of us every evening. We lived in the countryside and she and my Dad grew all their own fruit and vegetables. There was no question of heading to a restaurant or ordering a takeaway meal - luxuries we take for granted these days.

Somega products are available in health shops and pharmacies around Ireland and online from gosomega.com