I start the day with porridge, made with hot water, honey and hot milk on top. I've retired from competing now, although I still run. I've hardly run at all for the past few weeks, though, so I've got into the habit of skipping breakfast - or even worse, having a late breakfast and then lunch an hour later. Having said that, I've eaten healthily for so long that I don't think I'll need to make any major changes now.

I started training as an athlete when I was 12. I didn't go out that much because I was so focused on running, but apart from that I was like anyone else. We ate normal things as a family - Sunday roasts, fish and chips - and I've always had a sweet tooth. That was my downfall when I was in the army. I was only 17 when I joined up and everything about being healthy went to pot.

I'd given up athletics to join so I didn't have an athlete's mentality about food at all. Which meant, when confronted with the canteen buffet, I ate what my tastebuds fancied - which, more often than not, was chocolate sponge with custard. Or treacle pudding. I put on a lot of weight. I decided I had to do something about it. I weighed about a stone more than usual. It was around that time that I got back into running.

I was in South Africa a lot last year - it has been my training base since 1996, and I've got a home there, too. When I'm there I have salad for lunch, particularly a seafood salad of prawns, crab, pimentos and salad leaves. I often go to a fish restaurant where they do fish like kingklip, which is white and meaty. I usually have it with creamed spinach and courgettes with spicy tomato sauce. I eat calamari every day if I can get it. I'm into grilled halloumi cheese, too, and strawberry juice.

I've been bad with my diet recently, but when I was in training I was a lot more careful. I still run and I always have an isotonic drink like Powerade afterwards to replenish lost salts. I drink protein shakes to help with recovery after training but they're not very nice, and you have to be careful which one you choose because of drug-testing. There is a chocolate-flavoured one from the States that I drank a lot at the Olympics.

For me, the Olympics were all about recovery and energy - I did six races in nine days so I had to recover immediately after every one. About three hours before a race I would have a pasta meal, so I knew I'd have enough energy.

I'd then have a cheese and ham roll and a yogurt. I started eating cashew nuts after races - they are a quick way of getting protein into your body. Then I'd rehydrate and have a protein shake straight away, which meant I could wait an hour or so before eating a protein-rich meal - I can't eat straight after an intense run. It's all about recovery - you have to get your energy and fluid levels back up after training, or you will end up being depleted before you start.

Chocolate-flavoured protein shake

Intense physical activity can damage the muscles, and evidence shows that protein supplementation after exercise can help repair them. I do not recommend this drink for mere mortals but believe it may be a boon for athletes going for gold.

Chocolate

Cocoa is rich in nutrients, including magnesium, which has an important role to play in muscle function and helps reduce the incidence of muscular cramp. Dark chocolate is richer in cocoa than milk or white, and will therefore provide Kelly with more of this precious mineral.

Cashew nuts

Dame Kelly is right in thinking that cashew nuts are extremely rich in protein. In addition, they offer a good stash of muscle-friendly magnesium and heart healthy mono-unsaturated fat. Even for non-athletes, these represent a very healthy snack indeed.

Courgettes in spicy tomato sauce

This will help ensure a daily complement of fresh fruit and veg. The tomato sauce is rich in lycopene, believed to help reduce the risk of several forms of cancer, including those of the breast and cervix.

Seafood

Seafood is rich in protein, which has been found to have superior appetite-sating properties to carbohydrate and fat. It may therefore have weight-related benefits for those, like Kelly, who tend to like their food a little too much.

Strawberry juice

This is very carb-rich and may help replenish glycogen - a form of carbohydrate found in the muscles and liver that supplies ready fuel during aerobic exercise. Strawberries also contain ellagic acid, believed to have cancer-protective properties.

Powerade

While this drink will help to replenish some of the sodium lost during exercise, the main benefit comes from the replenishment of glycogen levels via its sugar content. This may have a role for athletes, but generally I recommend avoiding foods with significant quantities of added sugar.
Interview by Rebecca Seal

· Kelly Holmes will be commentating at the Commonwealth Games from 15 March. Her DVD, First Steps to Fitness, is out now