We often look at celebrities’ daily diets and hold them up as something we should emulate.
But in fact, many say we should turn our attentions towards the daily foods beloved by doctors and health professionals if we’re seeking good health.
Dr Sandro Demaio, shared his day on a plate – as well as the foods that he would never eat and the items that should be cut from your diet forever.
The 33-year-old Melbourne-based author of The Doctor’s Diet and television personality believes healthy eating is simple – provided you get your weekly shop right.
The TV doctor and certified medic, Dr Sandro Demaio, shared his day on a plate – as well as the foods that he would never eat and the items that should be cut from your diet forever
Speaking to FEMAIL, Dr Demaio (pictured) explained that his daily meal plan is all about fresh, seasonal products and making vegetables the hero of the plate
DR DEMAIO’S DAILY DIET
Speaking to FEMAIL, Dr Demaio explained that his daily meal plan is all about fresh, seasonal products and choosing ingredients over products.
‘I can’t start the day without a coffee so will always drink a strong oat milk latte to start my day,’ he said.
‘For breakfast, I usually chop up some fresh, seasonal fruit and top it with a small handful of homemade muesli (which is filled with nuts, seeds and cinnamon).
‘I’ll either dollop a spoon of natural yoghurt over the top of it, or pour over some oat milk.’
The doctor said that shop-bought cereals are one of the foods you should steer clear of, and make your own instead:
‘Ready-made breakfast cereals, even those marketed as “healthy”, are mostly loaded with sugar and devoid of any nutritional value,’ he said.
‘Making your own batch of muesli with just a few simple, inexpensive ingredients is so simple, plus you have control over what goes into it.’
The doctor (pictured) follows an everything in moderation rule, but said there are some things he tries to limit or avoid like sugar
When it comes to health rules, Dr Demaio (pictured) recommends shopping in the outer aisles of the supermarket, where healthier fresh food is often kept
Lunchtime for Dr Demaio is varied and colourful, but it is often a ‘mix of delicious leftovers’.
‘Often, that is some wholegrain bread with hummus and the salad I made the night before,’ he said. ‘In this case, it contains roasted roots, barley, spinach, nuts and an olive oil dressing.’
Mid-afternoon, if he’s hungry, the health professional will snack on wholegrain crackers with homemade guacamole, hummus or baba ganoush.
‘I also always keep fruit on my desk at work, so if the hunger or sugar cravings strike, I can always eat some fruit,’ he said.
When it comes to dinner, Dr Demaio is all about making vegetables the hero of the plate – another approach he recommends for all would-be healthy eaters.
‘Make vegetables the hero of your plate and start by piling your plate high with 50 per cent veg first,’ he said.
‘We need these goodies to get our daily dose of vitamins, minerals and fibre.’
During the winter, Dr Demaio will eat a hearty veg-based pasta or risotto, or a minestrone soup.
‘If it’s pouring outside, I also can’t go past firing up the oven to cook a whole roast chicken,’ he said.
‘Growing up in an Italian family, eating was all about cooking together and sharing. Get used to cooking and eating with others. It’ll make you eat slower, eat less and enjoy the experience more.’
‘Growing up in an Italian family, eating was all about cooking together and sharing. Get used to cooking and eating with others. It’ll make you eat slower, eat less and enjoy the experience more,’ he said
DR DEMAIO’S HEALTH SHOPPING TIPS
Aside from filling your plate with vegetables, what can you do to ensure you’re shopping for health, rather than convenience?
‘Eat ingredients, not products,’ Dr Demaio said. ‘If you can’t read it, leave it.’
Secondly, the doctor recommends you head to the ‘outer edges of the supermarket’, which are ‘away from the long aisles filled with processed foods and tend to house the fresher options’.
‘Go when you’re calm and fed, take a pre-prepared list and try to shop a diverse range of food,’ he explained.
‘A diverse diet – also known as eating the rainbow – is the key to maintaining healthy skin, heart and brain.
Think about how you can tweak your current diet to make it healthier – whether that’s switching white bread for sourdough or wholegrain, Dr Demaio said the small things really can make a huge difference.
And finally, try ‘breaking up with sugar’. This is a big one for the doctor, who said you need to try to stop buying sugary drinks, chocolate and table sugar.
‘We have strong scientific evidence that sugar does us harm,’ he said. ‘Whether it’s for your teeth, your waistline, your skin or your heart, breaking up with sugar is a very sweet move.’
Make vegetables the hero of your plate (pictured), and then build the rest of your foods around it
DR DEMAIO’S FOODS TO CUT
Last but not least, Dr Demaio revealed what he thinks you should cut from your diet for good health.
‘While I don’t believe in hard and fast rules, the truth is that juicing fruit removes most of its most important fibres and vitamins,’ he said.
‘I would advise eating as much whole fruit as possible, and avoiding the juice.’
The doctor also said it’s a good idea to steer clear of shop-bought cereals, and if you want to eat them you should make your own.
Finally, ditch sugar in all its forms, including sugary drinks, lollies and chocolate.
‘This includes the other sneaky words that can represent sugar, including golden syrup, glucose, agave syrup, honey, maple syrup and corn syrup,’ Dr Demaio said.
Dr Sandro Demaio’s new book, The Doctor’s Diet, is published by Pan Macmillan and available now. For more information, please click here.