If you choose skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, reduced-fat yogurt and cheese, you will cut back on calories from fat and saturates but not on essential calcium or riboflavin.
You don’t have to use fat-free dairy products when on the diet if you follow the recipes and menu plans, as the diet allows for about 30 per cent of your calories to come from fat. This means you don’t lose out on vitamins A and D, which are important fat-soluble vitamins, found in milk and cheese.
Meat, Fish, Eggs, Beans and Other Non-dairy Sourced Proteins
This group also includes poultry, lentils, soya, tofu and vegetarian alternatives. We need surprisingly little of these foods – just a couple of small portions a day – and as some of these foods can be high in fat it is important to choose them carefully. Meat should be lean, with visible fat removed and skin trimmed from poultry. How these foods are cooked will also influence their fat content, so use fat-free or low-fat cooking methods such as grilling, baking, steaming, poaching and braising.
It is important to include plenty of fish in your diet, at least two portions a week. You can still include one portion of oily fish such as salmon or tuna in your diet by eating a small portion, making sure it fits within your fat target. Oily fish is one of the very few sources of dietary vitamin D, and it also contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have a wide range of health benefits. White fish is naturally low in fat and a great part of any weight-loss diet.
Beans, lentils and peas are low in fat and high in fibre, which makes them ideal for your diet. You will find that you also eat eggs on the diet, probably just one per meal as egg yolk contains fat but is also a source of iron and vitamin A.
Nuts provide healthy unsaturated fats, and small quantities can be used in your diet if you weigh them out. They are a great addition to low-fat breakfast cereals. See Chapter 9 to make sure you only eat quantities that are consistent with your targets.
Food and Drink High in Fat and/or Sugar
These are, for most of us, our favourite foods – but these really are the ones we need the least, nutritionally. These foods include cakes, pastries, fried foods, chocolates, confectionery, biscuits, ice cream, mayonnaises, sauces and dressings. Drinks such as squashes, carbonated sweetened drinks and hot chocolate are high in sugars.
Butter and creams, oils and fat spreads of all types are included in this group because of their fat content. Fat contains more than twice the calories per gram compared with carbohydrates or protein. That is, they are very energy-dense, so by reducing the amount of fat in your diet you will decrease calories fast. However, some oils and vegetable fats contain beneficial unsaturated oils and vitamin E, so can be eaten in small quantities if you carefully measure them out.
The diet doesn’t ban foods high in fat and sugar from your diet, as they do add variety and enjoyment. Banning something only makes it more attractive. There are some considerations you must bear in mind, however.
• Only eat fatty and sugary foods once you have had a balanced meal so are feeling fairly full.
• Ask yourself why you want to eat this food – see Chapter 2 for some help.
• Make sure you know how many calories and grams of fat a portion contains. If it fits in your plan, then stick to the one item.
• Measure or weigh everything.
More on Fats
When you are on the diet you will be focusing on a total number of grams of fat you can eat. However, it is also important to consider what sort of fats you are eating.
Fat is found in many foods, and we tend to classify them into those that are said to be saturated and those that are unsaturated.
Put very simply, saturated fats increase your blood cholesterol levels, which can lead to your arteries becoming blocked. This increases your risk of developing heart disease. Saturated fats are found mostly in animal foods such as butter, ghee, lard, cream, cheese and meat, though certain plant foods such as coconut are also high in saturates.
Unsaturated fats can have a beneficial effect on your blood cholesterol and don’t increase your risk of heart disease. There are many different types of unsaturated fats, from monounsaturates, which are found in olive and rapeseed oils and spreads made from them, to polyunsaturates, which are found in sunflower, nut, seed and fish oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are part of the group of polyunsaturates and are known to be beneficial for heart health as well as having other important health benefits.
Hydrogenated fats (or trans fats) are made when liquid oils are made into solid fats. Trans fats have been found to have a damaging effect on the body. In the UK, food manufacturers have removed almost all hydrogenated fats from foods, and foods must be labelled if they contain them.
Fluids
Having plenty of water in the diet is essential for your metabolism, not just to stop you feeling thirsty. Aim to drink at least 1.5 to 2 litres of water a day (this is about 6–8 glasses). You may include low-calorie flavoured drinks or fruit or herb teas in this. If you drink a lot of tea and coffee you should drink plenty of water as well, as tea and coffee are both slightly diuretic (cause you to excrete more water). Beware of the calories found in juices, smoothies and coffees such as lattes and cappuccinos.
Lastly – A Note on Salt
A healthy diet needn’t contain added salt unless you are very active or have been told to do so by your doctor. Having a diet high in salt increases your risk of high blood pressure and stroke, and by cutting down on salt you are protecting yourself. We should all be aiming to have no more than 6g of salt per day.
Many foods have salt added during manufacture or processing. Ham, bacon, salami and other cured meats are all high in salt, as are smoked fish, hard cheeses, pickles, chutneys, olives, soups and sauces, crisps and savoury snacks. Even foods that don’t taste salty include some, such as bread, breakfast cereals and many baked goods.
The recipes in this book do not contain added salt, and if stock is used it is a reduced-salt variety. Each recipe includes the amount of salt per portion so you can monitor your salt intake. If you do like to add salt to food, add it at the table so not all the family has to have it, and always taste food before adding it. Try to cut down gradually – you can add a little bit less each time and will not notice the difference.
Your Diet Goal
In Chapter 1 you read about how to set your fat and calorie targets, so by now you will have chosen the targets that fit you best.
| Amount of calories you can eat per day | Maximum amount of fat allowed per meal | Maximum amount of fat allowed per snack |
| 1200 | 12g | 3g |
| 1400 | 15g | 3g |
| 1600 | 17g | 3g |
| 1800 | 19g | 3g |
Planning Your Meals
Based on the healthy, balanced diet