Dai Henwood

As seen in the award winning Sunday Star Times Escape section.

2009 winner - Health Section Qantas Media Awards.

Dai Henwood is a New Zealand comedian who trained in theatre and film at Victoria University and who has become a household name thanks to his C4 series Roll The Dice. He is also part of the series Jono’s New Show.

6.39am: It is far too early to be up and about. But I don’t have any choice as I’m doing some writing. To accompany that, I have made myself a bowl of cornflakes and a cup of Earl Grey tea.

12.30pm: I am Indian restaurant Bollywood indulging in their $10 special - a curry with naan bread and beer. The curry I picked was a hot dahl and with the naan bread and beer, was absolutely delicious.

3pm: I often have to resist the urge to eat lots of chocolate. Instead, I have a very healthy One Square Meal bar as a snack. I’m heading to the movies soon, so looking forward to eating lots of goodies!

5pm: Going to see Star Trek tonight, so in preparation for that I have a Guinness. My thinking behind this cunning plan is that it’s a better meal than having popcorn and frozen coke.

8.30pm: It’s time to head up to the Classic Comedy & Bar to do a gig. I’m very hungry but find that I can never perform on a full stomach. Instead, I have a Heineken and some chicken chips. That will have to suffice until the end of the show.

10.30pm: Finally got home after a fabulous gig. My wonderful girl has left me some dinner to warm up, lean lamb with carrots, peas and beans, all in a lovely mint sauce. I promptly put everything between two bits of tasty Vogel’s bread. This is the yummiest meal of the day.

Jacquie says:

All Dai’s food is yellow and another thing I notice is the absence of anything fresh. Up until 10.30pm everything he consumes is yellow or light brown. His one colourful meal of the day is somewhat ruined because he’s already blown his calorie limit and he hides the vegetables between more empty carbs.

For lunch, Dai chooses one of the better options on the menu, the dahl curry. Takeaway Indian curries are not something a nutritionist would recommend we eat often. Even with the dahl, there is still no way of knowing how much fat the meal contains. Indian takeaways are high in oil and calories. Meals like butter chicken on rice or naan bread can pack more than 2000 calories per serve. That’s more than the average person needs in a day.

Dai’s busy away-from-home lifestyle makes it difficult for him to eat well. When he’s hungry five hours after a bowl of cornflakes, it’s going to be hard to turn down a curry and a beer. So here I go again, preaching healthy eating. Plan, plan, plan and pack some fruit for the day. He could also try bran or oats for breakfast with fruit and a protein shake. It will fill him up for longer and make him feel like a health guru.

Each week a nutritionist from Real Nutrition looks over a celebrity's diet. For award winning health articles and a really good read - check out the Sunday Star Times each Sunday.