‘Sashimi leftovers from last night’: Does a dietitian approve of Shaun Micallef’s lunch?

Shaun Micallef is a comedian, actor and TV presenter. The 62-year-old shares his day on a plate.

8.15am Rise and dress in running shorts. Despite this, I go for a walk. Listen to Great Expectations. Note that Jaggers, Pip’s guardian, refers to someone as a “blundering booby” and it occurs to me that Lost in Space’s Dr Zachary Smith may have been based on him. I return home for breakfast: a smoothie with banana, soy milk and yoghurt.

12.57pm Lunch. Usually a cheese sandwich, but today it’s sashimi leftovers from last night.

3.07pm I crave sugar, which I’ve been trying to go without. A month ago, I’d have eaten a 170g bag of Black Cats lollies. Today it’s two mandarins.

3.55pm I want to eat some pretzels but don’t want to be judged by the readership of this column. Instead, I wolf down an 18g packet of baked pea crisps.

7pm Dinner of mapo tofu.

9.30pm I watch TV and eat a bowl of pretzels.

Dr Joanna McMillan says

Top marks for … Swapping the lollies for fresh fruit. This was not only better for your teeth, but also gave you vitamin C and several antioxidants, including flavonoids, which may have heart protective effects, and carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are beneficial for eye health.

If you keep eating like this you’ll … Fail to give enough fuel to the fibre-munching gut bugs, diminishing the associated health benefits from a thriving, diverse gut microbiome. You could benefit not only from more fibre but wider fibre variety that comes from eating a goal of 30 different plant foods across the week.

Why don’t you try … Adding a seaweed salad to your sashimi lunch. Add some nuts and chia seeds to your smoothie. Opt for brown or black rice with dinner and serve with stir-fried Asian greens.

Shaun Micallef’s book Slivers, Shards and Skerricks (Affirm Press) is out now.

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