When hypnotist Paul McKenna recently remarked that if we are what we eat, then nutrition guru Gillian McKeith had just gobbled Gollum from Lord of the Rings, we collectively sniggered. So, do those who work in the health, fitness and nutrition fields in Ireland feel under similar pressure? Do they ever eat Coco Pops straight from the box? Do they ever pull sickies from work? In short, are they just like the rest of us?

Fiona Gratzer, managing director, Unislim 'Diet' is a forbidden word in the Gratzer household. "My kids don't really know what I do, " says Fiona, "and I don't want to make them conscious of food or slimming. But they do know that eating healthily is part of our life." Unislim was founded by Fiona's mother, shortly after Fiona was born, so she has adhered to the principles of healthy eating all her life.

Being in the public eye helps her keep in shape, she says but she doesn't feel particular pressure to do so. "Certainly, after my pregnancy with Luka [her son] I was overweight but I didn't feel any undue pressure to lose it . . . it was just part of what I would naturally want to do for myself."

Her line of work tends to be a great topic of conversation because, she says, everyone has their own opinion on diet and health. She enjoys food but, "I believe in moderation, although I can be a bit of a stickler in restaurants and ask for the sauce on the side."

A typical day starts with fresh orange, apple, ginger and carrot juice, porridge with fruit, followed by a cappuccino and slice of toasted granary bread. She's often out and about for lunch and tends to opt for a veggie wrap or bean casserole. Both Fiona and her husband eat fish at least three times a week for dinner, or if she's feeling lazy, a pasta supper with tomato sauce. Fruit is always to hand with an occasional treat of dark, organic chocolate.

Since she started to work from home, Fiona found she was gaining weight because she wasn't getting the same amount of accumulative exercise during the day. Now she cycles in summer, goes to the gym, runs in the Phoenix Park and does weights twice a week, although she insists that this isn't as hardcore as it sounds. Her big resolution for 2006 is to get more mountain-biking in, something that fell by the wayside when her two young children came along. "I adhere to the idea of being 90% good and 10% not so good. Although it sounds twee, healthy eating isn't a destination, it's a journey."

Jane Shortall, choreographer The innovator of hip-hop street-style dance in Ireland believes it would be wrong for her not to take care of the body responsible for her long career. But it's not a chore. "I love eating healthy food and I like the feeling exercise gives me, " Jane Shortall says, conceding her luck that she's been sporty and fit since an early age. "It wasn't just something that came to my life like that, " she says. "I never feel the pressure to project a healthy image but I think that people do expect that of their teacher. I've got that going on and it's never been hard for me to maintain my fitness level, even when I've had a break."

A rigorous schedule has her teaching classes everyday, alongside television appearances and other projects but she does occasionally kick back. "I'm not a freak about it. I love to sit down and take time out and wouldn't work out for a couple of days."

Food is fuel for Jane . . . her work-out is so intensive that she doesn't calorie-count and she needs a plentiful supply of carbohydrates to keep going. Pizza, pasta, cheese and chocolate find their way into her diet ("I'm not very strict on myself") but she tries to maintain a balance with as many green vegetables as possible.

Spending most of her time in the studio means she welcomes a jog whenever she can.

And although her dance card is, quite literally full, she still pushes herself to learn new disciplines in dance and wants to focus on ballet and jazz in the near future. "As a choreographer, you can't just do one thing; you need to be able to do them all."

Karen Ward, holistic therapist and presenter of RTE's 'Health Squad' It's not unknown for Health Squad fans to approach Karen at dinner as she tucks into a chocolate pudding and say, "Ah, I see you're having a big dessertf" She finds this hilarious. "I say, yes, but it's Saturday night and this is my treat! I'm human!"

Balance is all, according to the former biology graduate and press officer, who returned from a stressful job in London and found her niche as an holistic therapist. Equally important is empathy.

"If someone comes to me wanting to know more about stress-management, I can give them the theory but it's more important to know exactly what that anxiousness feels like, so I know what I'm talking about and that they know I've been in their shoes, " she says.

She is conscious of the kind of image she projects: "The first thing any client will do, whether it's subconscious or not, is look at me and think 'Is she relaxed, does she look calm, does she have her life together?'" As anyone who has seen her on screen will attest, she looks the epitome of Zen and this is thanks to her general fitness regime. Every morning starts with half an hour's yoga and 10 minutes' meditation; three times a week for three hours, she does some exercise including body-sculpting, Ashtanga yoga, topped off with a run at the weekends.

Food-wise, she describes herself as "complete peasant", with porridge, big soupy stews, turkey, oily fish and baked potatoes featuring heavily. She's not vegetarian, contrary to people's expectations (she's often offered quinoa and bean soup at dinner parties) although she rarely eats red meat. The turning point for Karen was a yoga class she initially took to de-stress, which then led to an interest in all things holistic and a career change. Her advice to others is to find their passion too. "It doesn't have to be the big scary 'change your life' scenario. Small steps will do. Five minutes to yourself everyday sounds like nothing, but five minutes will change your world."