'I was never really a greasy-potato-gravy kind of girl. I grew up in Canada, which has similar kinds of food to England: fried food, chocolate puddings, eggs and all that. But I've always been very healthy. When my mother cooked at home I used to make separate dishes for myself. I would boil my fish and make plain pasta with no oil.

I was diagnosed with hepatitis C last year and since then I've really had to watch what I eat. I still allow myself rare treats. Whenever mum visits me at my home in Malibu she and I make pirogi, which is a savoury or sweet dumpling fried up with onions and butter and all those terrible things. I also really love chocolate and sweet foods. When I was pregnant I ate an entire loaf of cinnamon bread once and I remember my ex-husband [musician Tommy Lee] coming downstairs and I was lying on the floor saying, 'I just ate an entire loaf of bread!' Reflecting on that moment, I think I deserved the bread.

I've been a full-blown vegetarian for five years but I didn't eat a lot of meat before that. I still eat fish and I adore shellfish. I'm vegetarian for ethical reasons and I've learnt a lot about it through my association with PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]. I don't make my family avoid meat, but I never keep it in the fridge. My two kids ask to eat meat at their father's house.

I like sweet and spicy flavours and I really love Thai cuisine. I drink café mochas at least four or five times a day. Terrible, I know, but I'm always active! I love to cook, every night almost. I take my kids to school and after I've collected them we cook together. I make everything. A lot of Italian food like pasta with Neapolitan sauce and I prepare a lot of salads and vegetables. Since I found out I had hepatitis C I've been taking a break from acting. I'm writing a magazine column and I'm a full-time mum. I get to spend time with my kids and I wouldn't be doing this if I hadn't worked as hard as I have in order to retire at 35. Cooking with my kids is a luxury for me.'

Mocha coffee

Both coffee and cocoa contain plant substances called polyphenols that appear to protect against conditions such as heart disease and cancer. However, too much of this sort of caffeine-charged beverage can lead to problems such as insomnia and anxiety.

Tuna

Tuna has a healthy reputation on account of its supposed stash of disease-protective omega-3 oils. Actually, fresh tuna contains generally less of these healthy fats than other 'oily' fish, and is also one fish that tends to be contaminated with the toxic metal mercury. Salmon and sardine would be better fish to angle for.

Skimmed milk

While milk is often advocated for women on account of its supposed bone-building potential, studies show that calcium intake from dairy products later in life has very little, if any, bearing on the risk of osteoporosis. Also, my experience is that cow's milk is quite a common cause of a range of health issues including abdominal bloating, nasal congestion and catarrh. Of all milk's components, it is the sugar (lactose) and protein (rather than the fat) within it that seem to be at the root of the unwanted reactions it can cause. Skimmed or otherwise, I reckon milk is best left for baby cows.

Pasta

Refined grains such as pasta have very little going for them from a nutritional perspective and have also been linked with health issues such as heart disease and diabetes. Some of this in the diet may be OK, but I'd warn Pamela off double helpings.

Tomatoes (for Neapolitan sauce)

Tomatoes are rich in the nutrient lycopene, which has 'antioxidant' properties and is believed to help reduce the risk of heart disease and cervical cancer. Cooking tomatoes in oil makes the lycopene more available to the body, and may therefore actually enhance some of the humble tomato's health-giving properties.

Tiger prawns

Standard dietetic advice generally encourages individuals to eschew seafood such as prawns, crab and lobster on account of their high cholesterol content. However, several studies have found that there is little or no relationship between the amount of cholesterol we consume and the levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Lettuce

Lettuce is rich in a range of health-giving nutrients such as fibre, folic acid, vitamin C and lutein (which helps to protect against eye disease later in life). It's good to see some fresh produce making its way into Pamela's basket.

Lemongrass

Lemongrass, a staple ingredient in Thai cooking, has chemical components that have been linked with antimicrobial action against germs such as herpes simplex 1 (responsible for cold sores) and Heliobacter pylori (a common cause of ulcers in the gut).

Cinnamon bread

Pamela appears to believe that forgoing fat is the way to keep her body in shape. However, she may be interested to know that eating carbohydrate-dense foods such as this can cause the body's fat-burning processes to stall. Tasty it may be, but I reckon this sugar and spice food is not so nice from a health perspective.

Pirogi

Based on nutrient-stripped refined flour, pirogi are never going to have much going for them from a nutritional perspective. However, the overall balance of this dish may be improved by the addition of onions - these contain plant chemicals that seem to protect against major ills including heart and lung disease.