We need to ‘front-load’ our day with more veggies. A dietitian shares how

Jane Ede is an opera singer. The 49-year-old shares her day on a plate.

7am A wholemeal muffin with peanut butter and apricot, plus a filter coffee with soy milk. I run my daughter to the station and then get ready for work, including a quick vocal warm-up.

10.30am Morning rehearsals. I’ve forgotten to pack a snack, so it’s just a drink from my water bottle.

1.30pm A large poke bowl on brown rice and a soy flat white.

3.30pm After running some errands, I head for my regular massage – important during busy singing seasons to help my body stay limber and relaxed.

6pm Dinner is homemade popcorn tofu, black coconut rice and kimchi.

8pm A bowl of cherries purchased earlier today at a primary school fundraiser and a small slice of dark fruit cake, eaten on the couch with my husband and daughter.

Dr Joanna McMillan says:

Top marks for… Choosing wholegrains – your wholemeal muffin, brown and black rice – at multiple meals as these support the steady release of energy as well as gut health. The fermented kimchi is another win, and that modest evening snack adds fruit without grazing all day. Soy milk and tofu contribute useful protein and calcium.

If you keep eating like this you’ll… Fall short on both the variety and volume of vegetables, necessary for fibre and phytonutrients, as well as feeding the gut microbiome. As a professional singer, under-fuelled days may eventually show up as fatigue.

Why don’t you try… Adding vegetables earlier in the day such as spinach or tomato on the muffin or extra salad and vegetables at lunch. A planned, protein-rich snack such as Greek yoghurt or nuts with fruit on long rehearsal mornings could help protect energy and vocal stamina.

Jane Ede is appearing in Opera Australia’s Hänsel & Gretel at the Sydney Opera House, January 27 to February 28.

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