Tarun Mohanbhai

“I try to make sure I eat every three hours, if not at least every three days”

Tarun Mohanbhai is a comedian, actor, writer and director. He owns the production company That Indian Guy which has produced comedies such as Curry and Rice. He has performed at every New Zealand Comedy Festival since 1999 and is a writer for TV3’s show A Thousand Apologies.

7.30am: For breakfast I have a bowl of organic rice puffs with rice milk and protein powder sprinkled with some Goji berries. I also have a glass of fresh carrot and celery juice.

10.30am: For morning tea I have an apple and sometimes peanuts. Depending on where I am, I have been known to sneak in some chocolate.

Noon: For lunch I’ll often go with a mountain bread wrap with avocado and onion with salt and chilli powder. I wash it down with a rice milk protein shake.

2.30pm: In the afternoon I sometimes sneak a gelato.

7.30pm: For dinner I eat home-made curries with japatis and more protein shakes. For dessert I love ice cream or a whole pizza, not so much now, but I have been known to. I avoid eating red meat because of colitis and I avoid chicken because of my blood type (O) but the fact that I am vegetarian is probably the main reason.

I drink lots of water and have been to nearly every public toilet in Auckland! I try to make sure I eat every three hours if not at least every three days......I’m not Gandhi you know.

Jacquie says:

It’s great to see that Tarun is still following the expert advice he received from diet guru Damian Kristof on TV3’s Downsize Me.

Damian helped Tarun abandon a reckless diet of takeaways and icecream to help him lose weight and manage his colitis. Colitis is an inflammatory condition of the large intestine and can be managed through a change in diet.

Foods like pizza and ice cream will aggravate colitis, this explains why Tarun doesn’t eat them as regularly as he once did.

It’s good to see a vegetarian supplementing his diet with protein. A nutritionist like Damian would help him get the balance right. Whey protein offers many health benefits, used correctly it helps improve the health of the gut and supports a healthy immune system. Whey protein is easily digested, so it’s an ideal supplement when protein is either lacking in the diet or protein absorption is hindered through underlying health conditions such as colitis. Tarun doesn’t need to overdo the protein, two shakes at dinner seems excessive to me.

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.