The Celebrity Shopping Trolley - Gloria Hunniford

Here is the first in a series of celebs shopping trolleys and a private peek into their eating habits. You will be surprised by some who think they have wonderful diets, but in reality are victims of the bogus food terrorists who advise really bad eating habits.

I asked Gloria Hunniford what went into her shopping trolley so we could find out about her food virtues and vices. This is the result:-

"We're great porridge people in our house, which we have with fruit like strawberries, banana, drizzled honey and yoghurt. A treat is an Ulster fry, consisting of eggs and bacon cooked in a little butter, which we have very rarely.

On filming days, lunch is nearly always a sandwich or jacket potato with tuna for instance. At home I'll have my husband's vegetable broth or a good quality shop-bought pea and ham or carrot soup. We always have soup in the house.

I'm a water freak and we also juice a lot. My favourite is pineapple and grapefruit, and we also do beetroot, carrot and apple. I only have alcohol – at most a glass of red wine - when we're out for dinner.

Dinner is usually chicken based, or a stir fry with lots of veg like broccoli, asparagus and fresh peas. We also have lots of fish, especially salmon and there's nothing better than a roast dinner.

I always stock up on eggs, Flora pro-activ drinks, soups, skimmed milk and goat's cheese.

I think I eat quite healthily because I have never smoked and I don't drink a lot. And although we enjoy food, we don't fry anymore and have cut down on red meat.

My vices are the odd dessert – tarte tatin when in France, buttery mashed potatoes and rich, winey, creamy sauces!"

MY THOUGHTS ON GLORIA AND HER TROLLEY

I have known the wonderful Gloria for many years and have worked with her on various radio and TV shows. Once, during the very rainy Wimbledon year when Sir Cliff Richard sang to the crowd as the rain fell, I had organized an interview with him the same evening for my Bodytalk radio show.

When I rang the number he had given, Gloria answered – she was having a dinner party and Sir Cliff was one of her guests. What fun that was as she and the other guests insisted on being in on the act and talking about the great, healthy food she had prepared.

As long as I have known her, she has had a real interest in good, healthy food and cooking and on one TV show I demonstrated the health benefits of juicing. Gloria was thrilled to get a copy of my Superjuice book after the program and has stayed with the fresh juices ever since with ultimate health boosters like beetroot, carrot and apple.

Starting the day with porridge is just about the best thing and you can add to its heart and gut friendly power with a few prunes or dried apricots. The slow release energy from the oats will keep her going till lunch time without the drop in blood sugar that leads to biscuits, buns and binges around mid morning. This low GI cereal helps lower cholesterol, control blood pressure and prevent diabetes.

I too love the Ulster fry once in a while and there is no doubt that a little butter is better than a tub full of any margarine. Of course, you can reduce the fat by cooking the eggs on a plate on top of a pan of boiling water, grilling the bacon and popping a tomato into the water while the eggs are "frying".

Chicken or a stir fry with lots of veg like broccoli, asparagus and fresh peas all make first class food. Good protein, vitamins A, C, beta carotene and folic acid to prevent birth defects and protect against heart disease and bowel cancer, are abundant. Fish, especially salmon, is low in bad fats and very rich in the essential omega-3s for strong bones and brainpower.

Gloria has this down to a fine art. Not drinking a lot; enjoying food; not frying everything and eating less red meat.

Now that I live in France, I can sympathise with the vices of the odd tarte tatin, buttery mashed potatoes and rich, winey, creamy sauces! What you do some of the time really does not matter. It's what you do most of the time that is important and most of the time Gloria is top of the class.