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My day on a plate: Libby Babet

Businesswoman Libby Babet, 37, shares her day on a plate.

Libby co-founded Nurture Her, a holistic wellness and business retreat for women.

4.30am I teach a fitness class at 5.45am, so I opt for one of my own Beauty Food snack products (nut butter and collagen protein), a banana and a black coffee.

8am A smoothie with vegan protein powder, greens powder, unsweetened almond milk, half a cup of frozen organic blueberries and a teaspoon of peanut butter.

10.30am Two slices of grainy sourdough toast with avo, olive oil and lime juice, plus a few steamed eggs.

3pm I cook some chopped vegies (broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach) in a pan with butter, pop them on some microwavable rice and add tahini.

5pm A cup of green tea and some dark chocolate.

8pm Home-made pizza using flat bread, tomato paste and olive oil. Toppings are zucchini, carrot, pumpkin, broccolini, sliced tomato and mozzarella cheese.

Dr Joanna McMillan says …

Top marks for … Being a master of throwing together a quick, nutritious meal. Microwavable rice packets are ideal, as they often include quinoa and other wholegrains in the mix. Adding plenty of vegies to this rice dish, as well as to your dinner pizza, gives you a fabulous nutrient hit.

If you keep eating like this you’ll … Have to be careful about meeting your iron requirements. If you always follow a vegetarian diet, your absorption of iron will be low, meaning you will need to consume more than in a diet that includes red meat. If your iron levels fall too low, you will feel tired, be unable to maintain your exercise regime and be more susceptible to colds and flu.

Why don’t you try … Adding tofu to your rice dish, oats or wholegrain breakfast cereal to your smoothie, eating leafy greens every day and including quinoa, teff, beans or lentils several times a week. These foods are all good plant sources of iron.

Libby Babet is co-founder of Nurture Her, which holds its next retreat in Fiji, October 18-22.

This article appears in Sunday Life magazine within the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on sale September 29.

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