It's clear that Gemma Atkinson leads a healthy lifestyle, with the star regularly sharing her intense exercise routines with her partner Gorka Marquez on social media. But between training, being a mum to 11-month-old daughter Mia and working from home amid the coronavirus crisis, we've been dying to know what the former Hollyoaks actress eats on a daily basis. Gemma spoke to HELLO! about her favourite dishes, and although she claims Gorka is the better cook, they sound pretty incredible to us...
The former Hollyoaks actress starts her day with a nutritious meal such as oats
What does Gemma Atkinson eat for breakfast?
To fuel her for the day ahead, Gemma revealed she likes to eat a big breakfast - after all, it is the most important meal of the day! "I'll either have poached eggs on a bagel with avocado and some greens, or I'll have my porridge with almonds, berries and honey," she explained.
After getting in a workout session in the morning, she restores her energy with a nutritious, vegetable-packed smoothie. "Then I'll train and I'll probably have a smoothie mid-morning with whey protein, coconut milk, almonds, frozen spinach, frozen broccoli and frozen cauliflower."
Gemma's daughter Mia also loves a green smoothie
And it appears the love of green juice runs in the family! Gemma previously shared a video of her little girl happily drinking the green liquid from her sippy cup, revealing in the caption: "Thankfully she seems to love what we eat. For breakfast, she loves porridge and a frozen cucumber, apple, spinach and banana smoothie."
What does Gemma Atkinson eat for lunch?
Some of her signature dishes include stews and soups which she regularly makes for herself and Gorka. "I make a butternut squash but I put cashew nuts in it which makes it nice and creamy," she said, before revealing the pair add some bread and garlic oil to finish off the meal. We are definitely trying this trick!
However, on a typical day, Gemma said: "Lunch can be a big salad or chickpeas with pesto or veg or some Mexican rice," followed by fruit such as a banana if she's hungry in the afternoon.
Gemma revealed her love of Mexican food, particularly black bean tacos
The blonde beauty is a vegetarian but she has learnt to adapt some of her favourite meat recipes to suit her new diet. She revealed: "I've always loved Mexican food. I think it's been ten years since I ate any red meat but I used to love fish tacos. When I became veggie I changed to black bean tacos with homemade guacamole and nachos." Sign us up to Gemma's regime!
What does Gemma Atkinson eat for dinner?
The 35-year-old typically enjoys heavier meals earlier in the day, followed by a lighter dinner, but she said her evening meal depends on what she's done during the day. "Sometimes I'll just have a shake before bed or sometimes Gorka will make a Spanish omelette which is great." And just like the rest of us, she can't say no to a delicious takeaway on occasion, especially when it comes to pizza! She confessed, "I do eat a lot of foods but a lot of good foods, but last night we had our first takeaway in lockdown, we had a Pizza Hut." We like Gemma's way of thinking!
As soon as the lockdown lifts, many Brits will be venturing out to get their hands on some of their favourite restaurant dishes, but not Gemma! She told HELLO! of her love of simple, homecooked meals such as macaroni and cheese, which she said "takes me back to when I was at my grandma's as a kid. I like food that has a bit of memory to them." So you'll find Gemma rushing to her family's houses for some classic dishes, followed by her favourite dessert: "My mum does the best cheesecake."
The former Strictly star's go-to healthy snacks are fruit and almonds
What snacks does Gemma Atkinson eat?
Aside from fruit, the former Strictly Come Dancing star has a love for one extremely healthy snack…almonds. Instead of reaching for the unhealthy options that lure time-poor people in with their convenience and portability, Gemma said she loves to carry around the nutritious nut with her at all times. Speaking of the snack, she said, "It's nutrition but it's fast. I always have them out with me in a bumbag when I'm walking - it's a lot better than snacking on your crisps or biscuits."
Gemma is taking part in the Do You Almond? campaign - a light hearted campaign aimed to raise awareness of the health benefits of almonds. You can watch her content here.