‘Four Weetbix sprinkled with brown sugar’: This actor’s midnight snack

Tim Draxl is an actor and singer. The 42 year-old shares his day on a plate.

10am My day starts with coffee. Always.

10.30am Breakfast is a bowl of fresh banana, apple and blueberries topped with probiotic yoghurt, plus two boiled eggs and two slices of light rye toast with butter and vegemite.

10.50am A glass of Metamucil to wash down my vitamin C, D, activated B and flaxseed oil tablets.

1.30pm After a one kilometre swim and a work meeting over coffee, I have a slice of homemade almond-meal cinnamon cake.

5.45pm A protein shake with banana, peanut butter and full-cream milk after walking to the gym for a 45-minute free weights workout.

8.50pm During show interval at Princess Theatre, I have a cup of peppermint tea and a honey and eucalyptus throat lozenge.

11.30pm Steak, a large serving of boiled broccoli, beans and carrot with brown rice. I always have dinner after the show because I can’t perform on a full stomach.

12am Four Weetbix sprinkled with brown sugar. Bedtime is 2am.

Dr Joanna McMillan says

Top marks for… Your post-show meal, which has a nice balance of nutrient-rich meat, three vegies and a wholegrain. Breakfast also gets a tick for the nutritious mix of whole foods, while your protein shake is nicely timed to support your strength workout.

If you keep eating like this you’ll… Potentially impact your sleep and risk reflux or other gut issues from eating relatively close to bedtime. You’re also falling short on your recommended five serves of vegetables a day, key for their array of phytonutrients such as antioxidants.

Why don’t you try… Rather than coffee and cake, enjoy a more substantial meal at lunchtime that includes at least two serves of veg along with a protein-rich food and a healthy fat to increase your antioxidant absorption. Omit the midnight cereal snack to allow for a longer stretch of time between dinner and bed.

Tim Draxl is in Sunset Boulevard, now on at the Sydney Opera House.

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