Former pop icon and reality TV star Melanie Brown, 35, lives in LA with husband Stephen Belafonte, 35, and children Phoenix, 12, and Angel, three. She is expecting her third child. Here, she reveals a working day’s diet.

BREAKFAST

For breakfast I have an egg-white omelette with turkey, avocado, peppers and onion, with a slice of wholewheat toast and low-fat spread. I do like my big cup of coffee in the morning. We might nip down the street to the local cafe and get a latte or a mocha latte or a vanilla soya latte. Some fruit, nuts or rye crackers. I’ve recently got into water, too, and have been drinking lots.

LUNCH

Lunch tends to be fairly light – a chicken or fish salad. I have to eat regularly – every two to three hours, as I hate it when your body starts telling you it has no sugar. Horrible. I may drink peppermint or another herbal tea, I don’t tend to drink much caffeine – it’s so hot in LA, you can easily get dehydrated.

SNACK

I might have a smoothie or a piece of fruit – what I eat depends on when I’ve d o n e my workout. I love little oranges, red grapes and cherries.

DINNER

My husband does all the cooking. He usually cooks the kids a hearty meal – like spaghetti bolognese, and then he’ll cook me either fish or chicken, often with quinoa. I am so lucky he is such a great cook. He marinates the fish or chicken with different herbs and special spice ingredients he won’t tell me about.

I’ve always been surrounded by amazing cooks – my dad or my best friend or my husband. I eat healthily in the week and then kickback at the weekends. I might have a hot dog if we are at the movies or a slice of pizza. I do like a good glass of red wine with a meal but I haven’t had any for months because I’m pregnant. Before bed I have a herbal tea.

NUTRITIONIST LIZ TUCKER SAYS

As this is Mel’s third pregnancy, I assume she knows she only needs an extra 400 calories a day, and is taking her folic acid.
She also needs plenty of iron, zinc and calcium throughout the whole nine months – my concern is her diet doesn’t seem to have much dairy in it, which is absolutely vital in pregnancy, both for the growing baby and her own body’s resources.

You need to have a good bone density a decade before your menopause, as there is a risk of developing osteoporosis after.
I do wonder if during the week she is not a bit too careful with her diet, as she still gets cravings and looks forward to bingey weekends. I think her approach to good and bad foods may be a bit severe.
The key is balance and the odd slice of pizza is not sinful. If you can step out of this mindset, it is easier to find a diet you love.

Source