Dietitian critiques Caramello Koala‑themed diet, shares daily plate example

Esther Olsson is an artist. The 33-year-old shares her day on a plate.

5.30am Some water, then a cup of black coffee because I was out of oat milk.

6.10am A T2 Australian Breakfast tea, in the cup I designed – the built-in strainer is a game-changer.

9am Another cup of Australian Breakfast tea.

10.15am Crudités and a matcha mochi ball.

12.30pm Chicken sandwiches with cabbage, mayo, jalapeños and pickles.

2.40pm Meeting with my boss, who gives me a Caramello Koala.

5.30pm A beer at Kip&Co’s new Fitzroy store, featuring a full-blown Mirka Mora exhibition – my favourite Melbourne icon!

7.30pm I’m too tired to cook, so potato tots for dinner. Sleep by 9pm.

Top marks for... The crudités and your chicken sandwiches’ cabbage, jalapeños and pickles, which squeeze in some valuable veg. Your tea and coffee add beneficial polyphenols. But overall this day falls well short of the recommended serves of all food groups.

If you keep eating like this you’ll… Fall short on fibre, protein and several key micronutrients, including calcium and iron. Over time this impacts energy levels, immune function, brain function and gut health. Skipping breakfast isn’t necessarily a problem if you make up the nutrition later, but in this day lunch does all the heavy lifting and potato tots add little nutrition.

Why don’t you try... Front-load the day with a substantial breakfast: wholegrain sourdough piled with veg such as mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes or asparagus or avocado, with protein from eggs and/or smoked salmon. Make tired-night dinners effortless: keep a bag of stir-fry veg and chicken, beef or tofu ready to cook, or stash a high-protein, high-fibre soup in the fridge or freezer.

Esther Olsson is a Melbourne-based artist and collaborator for T2’s Tea To Take You Places range.

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