4am The alarm goes off and I lie in bed for 20 minutes, reading my notes. Breakfast is porridge and milk, or a bowl of muesli or granola. I'll have some rye toast and butter, and a cup of tea.
5am When prepping with the editors I'll have another cuppa and one coffee on air. And that's the caffeine for the day, as I like to snooze in the afternoon, though sometimes I can't as my head is swimming after the programme.
9.30am/10am I'll have something light, such as yogurt and muesli, over the post-programme chat in the RTÉ canteen. I don't drink much water. I prefer a couple of glasses of cordial, preferably home-made elderflower.
1pm Lunch I have at home and is usually a brown-bread sandwich – ham or cheese, with a little mayonnaise. Or a bowl of soup. My weakness is crisps, so I might have a few on the side. I don't snack between meals or have a huge sweet tooth. However, when treats are around I will graze. There's a lemon cheesecake in the house at the moment, so I'll have a bit of that. I'm not one for weighing myself, but the clothes are a bit tighter after Christmas.
7pm At 7.45pm we have a conference call about the next day's programme, so I try to eat before. Some smoked salmon or hummus and crackers to start. Then some chicken and very occasionally fish. I'm trying to eat quinoa or rice instead of potatoes. Maybe some salad and definitely one green veg. I don't avoid anything. I have no food quirks. Myself and my wife, Crea, are not huge red-meat eaters. We would prefer a bowl of chilli to a steak. If I am working in the morning I won't drink any alcohol the night before, but if I am off I do like a couple of glasses of wine over dinner.
9pm My cut-off bedtime is 9.30pm during the week. Weekends I relax and can take it a bit easier.
THE VERDICT
By Dr Conor Kerley, dietetics consultant, researcher and lecturer at UCD and Technological University Dublin
Bryan gets three portions of fruit and veg daily. (The recommendation is between five and seven.) His diet contains wholegrain carbohydrates and adequate protein but a low intake of calcium and omega 3 fats.
Breakfast Porridge is great, as it's high in fibre and other nutrients. Muesli and granola can be high in added sugars and fats. Wholegrain would be better than rye toast. There is no fruit and veg here.
Lunch Hopefully, the brown bread is wholegrain. A ham or cheese sandwich with mayonnaise will contain protein and fats but, again, no fruit or vegetables.
Dinner Fish and chicken are lean sources of protein. There's nothing wrong with steamed or boiled potatoes; just be wary of added butter or mayonnaise.
Tip for Bryan Increase fruit and vegetables by adding banana and berries to porridge and salad to sandwiches.
My Daily Diet series
- Bryan Dobson
- Helen Steele
- Jonathan Forbes
- Mike Ross
- Hanif Kureishi
- Nuala McGovern
- Ellen Cranitch
- Ian Marber
