Life

20 Questions on Health and Fitness: Jay Rayner

Gail Bell asks experts and people in the public eye what keeps them going. This week: Jay Rayner

Jay Rayner has had too many good meals to choose one as a 'best ever'
Jay Rayner has had too many good meals to choose one as a 'best ever' Jay Rayner has had too many good meals to choose one as a 'best ever'

1. Up and at it – what is your morning routine?

My alarm goes off at 6.35am and I am second into the shower – after my wife – at 6.55am. I then grab my phone to check overnight texts. I tend to be first down to breakfast and am always nagging the children to come to the table.

2. What might you eat in a typical working day for

Breakfast? I have granola and yoghurt, with fresh fruit, if it's still fresh in the fridge, and a large amount of coffee.

Lunch? Lunch varies; if I'm reviewing in a restaurant, it depends what type of restaurant and the menu. I try to avoid carbs, so it would be a large salad, or, if I'm at home, some Greek deli-type food, such as halloumi cheese.

Evening meal? Evening meals are varied – it could be 'who knows what'? But, it is usually 7pm for a main course and I will occasionally have desert. My youngest child is obsessed with tinned rice pudding at the minute, but it's not for me.

3. Is nutrition important to you?

I'm a big believer in not over-analysing and it's no secret that I have struggled with my weight, so I try to reduce my carb intake from time to time. I probably eat more red meat than I should, but I eat lots of vegetables. I don't obsess over nutrition.

4. Are you a calorie counter?

Absolutely not.

5. Best meal ever?

As a restaurant reviewer, I can't really answer that – generally, it depends on who you're with, where you are and what you're doing. I've had too many good meals to choose one.

6. Do you have a guilty pleasure?

I never feel guilty about anything I eat. It's my job.

7. Have you ever been on a diet? If so, how did it go?

Yes, I have been on diets, as I have struggled with my weight over the years. I aim for low carbs and monstrous amounts of exercise. I will go the gym five times a week and stick to a 1,000 calorie diet if I am being strict. Someone once said that a good body is made in the kitchen and not the gym, but I think it's a bit of both.

8. Do you take health supplements?

No.

9. Teetotal or tipple?

My capacity for booze is now more limited and I think, as I pass 50 – which I did in September – I should be having a good few 'booze-free' days. It's different on holidays though...

10. Fruit or fry-up?

Both. In equal measure.

11. Stairs or lift?

It depends on the number of floors; if its is higher than the third floor, I start to think about taking the lift.

12. Do you have a daily exercise regime?

There is a gym across the road from my house and I go there four to five times a week. I exercise for an hour, sometimes one and-a-half hours, if I'm really going for it.

13. On a scale of one to 10, how fit do you think you are; how fit would you like to be?

I am about an eight. I have a resting pulse of 48 and have been blessed with an athlete's heart which pumps blood efficiently at a slower rate. I think for a man of my age and weight, I am fairly fit.

14. Best tip for everyday fitness?

Walk when you can – I am a city dweller, so when I have an option to call a cab or walk, I walk.

15. Do you have a memory from school sport / PE days you would rather forget?

I would rather forget all of them. At one point, there was a brief glimmer that I would be good at rugby, but cross-country running was my nightmare. I would basically just wait until it was over.

16. Did you ever have a health epiphany which made you change your lifestyle?

Yes, I had chest pains as a student when I smoked a lot and I remember thinking that that wasn't at all good. I packed up smoking after that, although I continued smoking socially for a while. Now I can't remember the last time I had a cigarette.

17. Best health advice you were ever given and would pass on to others?

I am thinking of mental health here – I was editor of a student newspaper when I was at university and it was quite stressful. At one point I think I was at risk of major depression, so I would say, look after your stress levels. It is also important to live in the present and take exercise, which always helps.

18. Who would you try to emulate in terms of fitness / attitude to life?

I have no sporting heroes whatsoever – that is not a lifestyle choice I aspire to. I just want to be as fit and healthy as I can on a personal level.

19. What time do you get to bed normally and do you think you get enough sleep?

I am normally in bed between 11 and 11.30pm so I think I definitely get enough sleep. I like sleep and I am good at it – it can continue until 9am the next morning, no problem. Luckily, I fall asleep quickly and easily – that is something I had to re-learn, as most parents have to when there are small children in the house.

20. Would you say you have a healthy attitude towards your own mortality?

I am with Woody Allen on that one – I'm not afraid of dying, but I don't want to be there when it happens.

:: Jay Rayner is a food writer, broadcaster and restaurant critic. His book The Ten (Food) Commandments is out now, published by Penguin.