A reasonably healthy diet can still put your gut at risk. A dietitian explains why

Joshua Hinton is an actor and musician. The 27-year-old shares his day on a plate.

Photo: Art by Eliza Iredale8.25am Start the day with a glass of water and two brown rice cakes topped with ham and cheese. After breakfast, I feed the dog and get ready for the day.

10.20am Another glass of water and a small bowl of assorted nuts.

12.35pm A ham and cheese toastie and a Coke Zero, while I prepare for some drama classes that I will be teaching that afternoon.

7.50pm A grilled chicken burrito and some fries on my way home from work.

9.10pm A glass of water and a few squares of dark chocolate while I watch TV.

Top marks for… Terrific snack choices – the nuts provide fibre, healthy fats and vitamin E, while the dark chocolate adds polyphenols and both are high in magnesium. A chicken burrito can also be a great takeaway choice if it comes loaded with salad, salsa and black beans.

If you keep eating like this you’ll… Put your long-term gut health at risk. Processed meats, including ham, are best eaten as an occasional treat given their association with bowel cancer and the way they push up sodium levels. Combined with no fruit and few vegetables, you’re also missing the gut protection fibre and diverse plant compounds provide.

Why don’t you try… Cutting back on the ham and filling your toastie with tuna, leftover roast chicken or other lean meat and sliced hard-boiled egg, then adding tomato, spinach or roasted veg. With the burrito, choose extra beans, salsa and salad and skip the fries most days. A healthier at-home alternative is skin-on potato wedges tossed in extra virgin olive oil and air-fried, which gives you more fibre and potassium without losing crispy-potato pleasure.

Joshua Hinton’s A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen plays at the Sydney Opera House, October 14-17.

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