The celebrity nutritionist Gabriela Peacock knows exactly what our bodies need to function at their peak, and her dietary advice is highly valued by her starry inner circle, from Dame Joan Collins to Jodie Kidd.
"What we eat doesn't just affect our bodies, it affects our mood, energy, sleep and overall wellbeing," says Gabriela, 46, in the latest episode of HELLO!’s video series Don't Judge Me, in which she peeks into the refrigerators of some of her famous friends – this week, the British chef, best-selling author and former model Lorraine Pascale.
Lorraine, 53, became known in the nineties as a model for labels including Versace and Donna Karan. She subsequently followed her passion for cookery, fronting shows for the BBC and the US channel Food Network and has written several cookbooks.
She married the businessman Dennis O'Brien in 2021 and has a daughter – the actress Ella Balinska, 29 – with her former husband, the Polish musician Kaz Balinski-Jundzill.
"I work out a lot, five or six times a week"
Protein is key
The first thing that strikes Gabriela on opening Lorraine's fridge is that it contains a large selection of yoghurts and "grab and go" dairy pouches. "I like to eat a lot of protein," Lorraine says. "I work out a lot, five or six times a week."
"I love the way you're eating a lot of protein," Gabriela says. "It's great for you because you work out a lot." It's a good idea to incorporate a high-quality protein in each meal and in snacks, the nutritionist suggests.
She adds that yoghurt, which is already fermented, is easy to digest. "It's much better for you than milk. My only concern with eating too much dairy protein is that I think people tend to develop intolerance in the long term."
Protein shakes and plant proteins such as pea, brown rice or hemp protein are good additions, we’re told.
Lorraine's grape obsession
Grapes are another staple of Lorraine's diet. "I'm obsessed," she says, revealing that she eats at least one packet a day, preferring green grapes frozen and black Sable grapes from the fridge.
Gabriela says: "I like grapes, but always eat them with protein – never have fruit on an empty stomach."
"Oops," says Lorraine, who eats grapes each morning.
"It keeps your blood sugar level," Gabriela says. "Grapes are extremely sugary. They have a fibre that will slow down the release of sugar, but not much, so it will spike, and you then continue craving sugar more and more throughout the day." This leads to fatigue, so the nutritionist’s advice is to pair grapes with cheese or a yoghurt.
Overall, Lorraine's fridge is deemed extremely healthy. There's a delicious-looking salsa with strawberries, red onion, chilli, coriander and lime juice that she eats on Cos lettuce – "It's like Wimbledon food," she smiles – and her snack of choice is toasted, buttered rye bread with avocado, seasoned with salt and pepper.
She's also big on hydration, saying that she drinks two to three litres of water a day.
Sweet treats
Everyone has their guilty pleasures, and chocolate is Lorraine's. There are several bars in her fridge, which the chef admits is down to her husband. "He buys them all. He likes Cadbury's Dairy Milk. I like Aero Peppermint."
Gabriella recommends chocolate with a "slightly higher cocoa content, 60-70% at least". Cocoa is packed with antioxidant-boosting polyphenols and sleep-inducing tryptophan, which the body uses to create mood-boosting serotonin.
Producing a huge bottle of Laurent-Perrier champagne from Lorraine's fridge, Gabriella says: "It's impressive. You do have a party coming, though – I forgive you."
All in all, Lorraine is "like a dream client", the nutritionist says, telling her: "Thank you so much for showing me your fridge. I'm actually really impressed."
Scan the QR code to watch Gabriela Peacock chat about food, health and friendship with her celebrity pals in the YouTube series Don’t Judge Me
Photographer: @dannycravenphoto