‘The gym never really worked for me, so I started looking into home workouts’

How I eat

I love chocolate – when I was younger I worked as an anaesthetist and used to eat a Kit Kat chunky everyday. I’d often eat whatever was convenient.  

But at 38, I contracted severe pneumonia. Now I eat according to how the food will benefit me instead of quick fixes. I make sure to put in healthy fats, proteins and whole foods and I don’t get those cravings.

I don’t think the 47-year-old body responds well to instant sugar; it affects insulin levels and thyroid hormones and so many processes in the body. Trying to keep blood sugar level is important for perimenopausal women like me for hormone balance. Avoiding sugar and eating enough protein at every meal helps with that.

What I eat in a typical day

Breakfast: Porridge with almond/oat milk, big spoonful of unsweetened peanut butter and raspberries. Yoghurt, fruit and sugar-free granola or sourdough toast with scrambled eggs. Tea

Mid-morning: Decaf coffee with almond milk, a piece of dark chocolate or apple and peanut butter

Lunch: cold chicken or tuna and egg salad or homemade soup

Dinner: Something home-cooked, such as a Thai chicken curry or seafood pasta. Vegetarian once a week (sometimes good old macaroni cheese with added garlic, onions and leeks as they’re good for the gut).

Lifestyle asides

Sleep: Eight hours on a good night, unless I’m worried and I stay awake and make notes!

Caffeine: Decaf tea and coffee – I gave up caffeine two years ago. The post-caffeine slump was giving me sugar cravings.

Carbs: Yes, but I keep portions small and pile the plate with vegetables. No processed bread, only occasional sour dough

Mental health fix: Every week religiously since lockdown started, myself and three friends have done a video call with wine or tea, chatted for four hours. We have gone through illness, job changes and family issues in the last three months alone and that time makes us feel like ourselves again.

Dr Wiseman’s new book Your Best Life – A Doctor’s Secret Guide to Radiant Health Over 40, is published on October 9 at £19.99 through troubador.co.uk/bookshop. Use code RADIANTYOU for free postage and packing (£3.45 off) between October 5 and 15.