The diets of the IT girls

How well do London's smart women look after themselves when it comes to their diets? We asked four to keep a food diary for the day, then enlisted the aid of a nutritionist to analyse the results.

Normandie Keith, Beauty columnist

I have the worst relationship with food. I'm not a big foodie or a cook. I eat to live rather than live to eat, and dinner for me is about the conversation and the people.

I've tried the Atkins and Perricone diets and I was even a vegetarian for a while. My mother wasn't a great role model where food was concerned because she didn't eat much. I love candy, and when I'm having a bad day I grab a Dime bar and some Jelly Tots. I feel a lot better when I eat healthily, but I find it hard to do so in London.

Make-up artist Jemma Kidd got me onto a powder supplement called SuperGreens by InnerLight (innerlightinc.com/gotspa), which contains wheatgrass and a zillion other plant extracts - you mix it with water. I drink it every day to balance the acidity in my body and I also take Perricone vitamin supplements. Then I do yoga three times a week at my house and walk a lot in the country at weekends.

9am: cup of warm water with a squeeze of lemon. I take my SuperGreens supplement with water.

11am: green melon with lemon, banana, cup of tea, glass of sparkling water.

1.30pm: chicken breast, broccoli, green salad with vinaigrette, three Diet Cokes.

4.30pm: Dime bar, one litre of water throughout the afternoon.

8.30pm: steak, baked potato, corn on the cob, green salad with vinaigrette, two Diet Cokes.

11pm: chocolate-chip cookie.

The Food Doctor says ...

This really is a great food diary. Starting with warm water and lemon juice is very cleansing, but it would be even better if breakfast was eaten earlier as this will help establish the metabolic rate for much of the day. Combining protein and complex carbohydrates at lunch and dinner is excellent for consistent energy levels, but the benefits are reduced by the diet drink, which contains caffeine and artificial sweeteners. I particularly like supplements that are plant-based, as they are usually dense in nutrients and highly absorbable. The chocolate isn't ideal, but swapping it for a few squares of very dark chocolate can reduce the level of unnecessary sugars and fats, and will provide antioxidants, too.