Bodyclock: Garðar Thór Cortes
10am
Last night, I traveled from London down to Southampton to stay on Cunard's new ship, the Queen Victoria, because this afternoon I will be performing at the ship's launch.
This morning, I get up at my usual time and discover I have missed breakfast service on the ship, so I must settle for a banana, a clementine and an espresso.
When I'm at home in Iceland, I normally start the day with a couple of spoonfuls of cod liver oil, then have a shower, before making myself a smoothie with an apple, orange, and a pear.
Shortly after, I'll have homemade spelt bread with organic peanut butter and fruit-sweetened raspberry jam.
11am
I spend the morning doing a photo shoot and interviews.
1pm
Lunch is a plate of three sandwiches cut into quarters. I eat some of the chicken, cheese and tomato, and salmon sandwiches, and also have tea.
After lunch, I rehearse with the two other tenors with whom I am performing later this afternoon.
2pm
We had rehearsed last night, so this session is brief and allows me time to relax before the performance.
3.30pm
At the ceremony, the Duchess of Cornwall, who is accompanied by the Prince of Wales, names the ship.
After the launch, the two other tenors and I sing several songs, including Nessum Dorma and I Saw Three Ships.
5.15pm
The ceremony concludes and I return to my room on the ship, where I change into something more comfortable.
I have a couple of hours free before the gala dinner this evening.
7.30pm
I have asparagus soup to start and then order Angus beef steak with carrots, chestnuts, potato puree and carmelised onions. I drink water and a glass of white wine with the meal.
We are each served a dessert sampler that includes small portions of white chocolate mousse and dark chocolate truffle.
Generally, I eat pretty much every thing, with the exception of pork and shellfish. I am a Seventh-day Adventist and, based on guidelines taken from the Bible concerning what is good for us and what isn't, I don't eat pork or any fish without scales.
My wife is an actress and she's very busy too, so when we're at home in Iceland we share the cooking. Meals consist of simple, hearty food. We eat cod or haddock at least three times a week.
10.30pm
The dinner is over and my tour manager and I leave the dining room to mingle with the other guests on the ship and to attend the evening's entertainment. I retire at about midnight.
Icelandic tenor Cortes is In Concert with the RTE Concert Orchestra at the National Concert Hall this Thursday. To book, phone
01 417 0000.
Visit the website, www.rte.ie/performinggroups
How does Cortes' diet rate?
"Cortes tends to travel a lot with his job and this can make it difficult to eat a healthy, balanced diet. But on this day he gets off to a good start by having some fruit for breakfast.
"Usually, Cortes would have a very healthy meal of a smoothie, homemade spelt bread with peanut butter and jam. Fruit smoothies contain lots of vitamins, especially vitamin C.
"Adding milk or yoghurt is a good idea because they are great sources of protein and vitamins B12 and D. And they're also an important source of calcium.
"For lunch, Cortes has a selection of sandwiches and eats a variety of fillings. Bread, especially wholegrain, wholemeal or brown bread, is a healthy choice as part of a balanced diet.
"Bread is a starchy food, like pasta, potatoes and rice, and these foods should make up about a third of our diet.
"Wholegrain, wholemeal and brown bread contain B vitamins, vitamin E, fibre and a wide range of minerals. White bread also contains a range of vitamins and minerals, but it has less fibre than the other types.
"In the evening, Cortes starts his meal with asparagus soup. Soup can help count towards your five-a-day and, if you are watching your weight, research has shown that people who have soup before their main meal consume less calories for the overall meal.
"Cortes follows this with a steak and it is great to see that he includes plenty of vegetables with his meal. Afterwards, Cortes has dessert which is fine as normally he would eat more simple food when he is at home."
Dr Patricia Heavey, consultant nutritionist, Wilson Hartnell Public Relations
- Nancy Previs
