Celebrity chef James Martin has opened up about a health scare that led him to overhaul his diet and shed three stone. He revealed that his father Ian’s history of heart problems, including three heart attacks, two strokes, and two triple heart-bypasses, prompted him to investigate his own family’s history of heart issues.
After undergoing a comprehensive three-day health check and receiving the all-clear, James decided to make significant changes to his lifestyle as a precautionary measure. The keen racing driver also admitted that his love for cars played a role in inspiring his weight loss journey.
In an interview on the Andy Jaye Podcast in 2021, the Saturday Morning presenter shared that he had eliminated fizzy drinks and chocolate from his diet, opting instead for healthier alternatives like fish cooked in butter.
James confessed: “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink tea or coffee, fizzy drinks were my downfall and since changing that I feel so different, so much more alive, and that was obviously the sugar. I craved sugar and stuff like that. By giving that up my brain feels like it has been reborn, it’s just weird.”
When asked by podcast host Andy if this included Red Bull, which used to be James’ favourite “kick starter”, the chef responded: “No, not any more. Coca-Cola has gone, chocolate has gone.”
James Martin opened up about his lifestyle changes, saying, “I just woke up one morning and thought I’d give it a go and it’s just been totally different. It’s weird, you see, better. I know it sounds daft but you feel better, your brain feels much sharper,” reports Gloucestershire Live.
However, James has since admitted to indulging in a Twix and Red Bull for breakfast and drinking in moderation.
When quizzed about his peculiar breakfast habit on the Spooning podcast with Mark Wogan, he confessed: “I know it’s really bad. I don’t really drink that much, two units a month. I don’t really smoke.
“A cigar once a month, if that. You’ve got to have a vice in life. I used to be Mars Bars and then they changed the chocolate, so I’ve gone back to Twix.”