Mary Poppins, although beloved by the children she was looking after, was rather a subversive nanny. Even so, the youngsters flourished. They may have been taken to some unsuitable spots with her boyfriend, the chimney sweep and handed out too many sweets. But they enjoyed their meals, ate their fruit and vegetables, drank their milk, took exercise, grew strong and were happy. A nutritious diet that will prolong life doesn’t have to be planned by a boring, strict NannyState, but can be served by someone as understanding, eccentric and unusual as Poppins and still include all the ingredients that will prolong life.

Tom Stoppard may have suggested that life is a gamble run at such terrible odds that if a bookie was offering a bet on reaching a ripe old age, the odds would be so bad that no one would place one. He shouldn’t despair. Greyhounds can be slowed by overeating or eating the wrong food so that their odds worsen. Or conversely if they eat well and keep in training, their odds improve out of all recognition. A tweak here and there to the diet and Tom Stoppard wouldn’t find the odds on being one of the potential winners in life’s longevity stakes so disheartening. It’s the Nanny State which has given pleasurable eating a bad name as it grinds on about green vegetables and the vitamins they contain that are necessary to improve the Stoppard odds. Nanny State’s mistake is not to tell us about the delicious ways of making certain we can have those vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants including flavonoids and polyphenols that improve our chances of survival, even while we enjoy our everyday eating and drinking, and that an occasional treat doesn’t damn us.

Thou shalt not

Thou shalt not become a boring food faddist. This is the first commandment. Life is for living and that includes life at the dining room table and beside the bar and a good diet may even improve life in the bedroom. Don’t be a food bore and a trial to anyone brave, if unfortunate enough to invite you to share a meal. If you have young children, remember that as a parent you only have the months between the ages of six months and a year to accustom them to the widest possible variety of tastes and textures. Boring pastas for babies day after day with their bland taste and similar texture covered in dirty grey, tedious sauces will leave them poor, wee, skinny wretches at school destined to reject every meal and at home they will drive their parents to distraction.

The second commandment is almost as important as the first. No woman shalt let her waist measurement expand to over 35 inches and should aim to keep it to under 32. No man should have one over 40 inches and should aim for one below 37. The waist measurement is taken with the tape measure held halfway between the bottom of the ribs andthe top of the iliac crest (the pelvic bone). No cheating. No  measuring the waist with the tape tucked below the beer belly, or just under the ribs.

Thou shalt not destroy your palate and your arteries by tipping salt all over your food. Remember, though, that during a hot summer you may relax the rule slightly.

Thou shalt not drink more than four cups of coffee a day. If you can’t sleep, thou shalt not have any coffee after midday.

Thou shalt not give up milk, cheese and dairy produce unless you have been shown to be allergic or intolerant to them. Milk, half cream if you insist, is an excellent source of calcium. The bone structure of a woman is laid down in the three years either side of the start of her periods. 50% of the risk of her developing osteoporosis later is determined by her calcium intake around puberty. Men develop osteoporosis too. Drink up the milk, enjoy the cheese, even if you choose low fat cheeses. Thou shalt not have more than a third of your daily calorie intake as fat.

Thou shalt

Thou shalt have oily fish at least twice a week. These include herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna and fresh or tinned salmon.

For the rich, oysters and smoked salmon. Those who don’t like fish shall take fish oil capsules daily.

Thou shalt eat five portions of fruit or vegetables daily. Thou shalt forget the horrors of Brussels sprouts and go for the brightly coloured - tomatoes, red and green peppers, carrots, broccoli, (spinach if you can take it), oranges and cherries. Thou shall remember berries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, tangerines or clementines, pomegranates, nuts, mushrooms and dried fruit such as apricots and dates. Thou shall enjoy pineapples and melons, have a banana for a morning snack and drink fruit juices - at least two tumblers daily.

Thou shalt enjoy wine and alcohol in moderation, unless there is a medical reason against it. Ask your doctor for their opinion if you are pregnant. If there is a reasonable choice and you like it, opt for red wine.

Thou shalt eat your carbohydrates: we all need some, such as wholegrain bread and cereals and beans, peas and lentils. Use refined sugars only sparingly.

The last and greatest commandment is to remember that unless you are living an idyllic life by the sea with your own garden, thou shalt take a good-quality multivitamin and mineral dietary supplement. Probiotics, provided you choose one with a proven record, do work. Women need additional calcium and vitamin D and most of us could do with an omega 3 fish oil capsule daily.