Alexandra Flood is an opera singer. The 36-year-old shares her day on a plate.
8.02am Before my baby arrived, my husband and I made a large batch of breakfast burritos – eggs, sausage, peppers – and froze them. They have been a lifesaver.
10.15am I’m burning through calories while breastfeeding, so I indulge in a protein shake of banana, apple, peanut butter, dates, milk, protein powder and collagen.
1.42pm A brief trip to the cafe across the road provides a welcome chance to breathe some fresh air and meet caffeine and sugar urges in the form of a flat white and raisin scroll.
4.20pm Two Tim Tams don’t quite hit the spot and are promptly followed by two Petit Écoliare biscuits and two chocolate-coated organic oat cookies.
5.54pm Apéro hour in my house is always accompanied by a generous bowl of salted potato chips. Herbal tea for me, though.
7.33pm My mum makes a mean chicken curry, served on rice with all the trimmings.
Dr Joanna McMillan says:
Top marks for … Stocking the freezer, a brilliant new-parent move. And for packing protein, fruit and dairy into your shake, as breastfeeding uses more energy than any stage of pregnancy. The curry represents a proper meal in a day otherwise hijacked by baby and biscuits.
If you keep eating like this you’ll … Meet your calorie needs, but the snack spiral could crowd out fibre, calcium, iodine, iron and long-chain omega-3s, all of which are important for your baby’s brain development. It may also leave you riding a blood-sugar roller coaster worsened by sleep deprivation.
Why don’t you try … Keeping the joyful 4pm snack but making it more sustaining. Try Greek yoghurt with berries, nuts and a drizzle of honey, or wholegrain toast with peanut butter and banana, or cheese and avocado on seeded crackers. Swap the lunchtime pastry for a wholemeal sandwich or a wrap with salmon or tuna, salad and avocado or hummus. Be sure to keep fluids close by as breastfeeding plus singing is a double act for dehydration.
Alexandra Flood is in Opera Australia’s The Merry Widow in Sydney, July 8 to August 18.
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Nicole Economos is a Social Media Producer/Journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
