My mother had a full-time job when I was a child, so cooking happened at weekends. We would always have our meals with the television on. I think I was from the first generation brought up on 'convenience' foods, and it was bliss reading Nigel Slater's autobiography, Toast, for all those Seventies brand names.
Nowadays I'm ever-so sophisticated, of course. I even have a top-of-the-range juicer, and occasionally do carrot and apple, or tomato and celery. My routine at home is to make a cup of tea when I feed the cats, and maybe swig an iron tablet with a glass of juice; then sit straight down at my computer, forgetting all about breakfast. Then, at around 11am, fainting with hunger, I dash to the local shop and buy an egg-and-cress sandwich or a cheese-and-onion pasty.
At home, I haven't gone down the organic-veg delivery route because I divide my time between London and Brighton and I wouldn't be able to bear the guilt of seeing all those what-do-you-do-with-these-then? turnips and swedes dissolving into puddles in the salad 'crisper'. I always make sure there are the basic staples like pasta and sauces and I eat quite a lot of cook-chill things. Marks & Spencer does an asparagus risotto kit that gives some of the satisfaction of cooking, without any of the responsibility for the outcome. I love making soups. I make this thick green soup with spinach, broccoli, tarragon and chives, and stir in a couple of spoons of Marmite at the end. The result is so robust and nutritious that it's frightening.
When I'm writing, I drink quite a lot of tea, or water. I have a bit of a thing about Fruit Pastilles, so I must never buy them in multi-packs. I can't drink gallons of coffee because I've got a low caffeine threshold, and start palpitating. I'm one of those people who order peppermint tea after dinner in restaurants and lecture other people about their duty to their digestive system. When alcohol is on the agenda, on the other hand, I can occupy no moral high ground at all, as I always seem to be the person whose glass is empty first, so I generally don't drink at home, to make up for it.
Eating out is such an event that I'm less bothered about the food than I ought to be. Because I wrote Talk to the Hand (about the rise of rudeness), people think I'm an expert on table manners, which is hilarious. My favourite dining experience is outdoors in Greece. I went to Halki in 2002 and I have been going back ever since. The food may be quite ordinary, but the air and the moonlight and the heat of the sunburn make a tomato salad with chips a luxury.
· Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! by Lynne Truss is published by Profile, £8.99
Fruit pastilles
These contain sugar and very little else. Apart from the dental hazards, they may also induce surges of insulin which can stimulate the laying down of fat in the body and possibly increase the risk of diabetes too. The fewer of these sugar bombs Lynne eats, the better.
Egg-and-cress sandwiches
Bread's fast sugar-releasing nature and the fact that it generally does not offer much in the way of nutritional value make it a poor choice of food for the basis of a meal.
M&S asparagus risotto kit
This meal, like sandwiches and piles of pasta, suffers from being based on a starchy staple that is both upsetting to the body's chemistry and generally bereft of nutritional value.
Green soup
Spinach is rich in nutrients that are believed to help preserve eyesight, and compounds in broccoli have been linked with some protection from certain cancers, including cancer of the breast. This is a hearty, healthy choice.
Chips
Chips are simply another example of a starch-based food that has a limited place in the diet.
Tomato salad
Tomatoes are rich in a nutrient known as lycopene which concentrates in the skin, and there is some evidence that it helps protect against sunburn and skin damage.
Peppermint and black tea
Drinking tea has been linked with a reduced risk of heart disease, while peppermint tea does seem to aid digestion and, being naturally caffeine-free, is ideal for those who want to sleep at night.
Fresh juices
Juicing is a reasonable way to get a decent dose of fruit and vegetable goodness. Because the juicing process can leave some nutritional goodies behind, it makes sense to eat fruit and veg too.
