rice – only wholegrain and only once a week maximum
salad dressings – only home-made (see recipes); no bought dressings are allowed
walnut oil
wine – one glass per day if desired
Not allowed
beers and spirits
biscuits, cakes, sweets, pies, pastries
bread – except pure wholegrain bread
canned, dried or frozen fruits and vegetables – the only exception to this rule is tomato puree and organic tomato sauce and ketchup
chocolate
diet products – they may contain additives and preservatives
fruit squashes and fizzy drinks
hamburgers
‘heat and serve’ meals
ice cream
jams, jellies and preserves
jelly and blancmange
noodles
packaged cereals apart from organic wholegrain ones
pasta – except wholegrain
pizza
potatoes
rice – except wholegrain
sausages and made-up meat products
sweet corn
Whatever you buy, think fresh, fresh, fresh.
How much to eat
This is incredibly important. Food portions have grown tremendously in the last 20 years or so and with this has grown our ability to eat larger amounts than the body can cope with. So now you know the type of food to eat, it is vital to eat the correct quantities too.
I am sorry to say, I do not believe you can eat as much as you like of anything except for green salad leaves and then you must make do with just 1 tbsp of dressing.
Fruits
1 portion =
1⁄2 of any of the following large fruits – grapefruit, papaya, mango, large banana, cantaloupe or ogen melon.
1 small slice watermelon or 1 large slice honeydew melon.
1 of the following – orange, apple, pear or peach.
3 of the following – dates, figs, plums, mandarins, kiwi fruit, apricots, slices of pineapple.
10 of the following – grapes, cherries.
1 small dish raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or strawberries.
Vegetables
1 portion = 2 tbsp vegetables
Salads
Have as much as you like, with the exception of avocados. Avocados are high in nutrients but are also high in calories, so I do not advise them in unlimited quantities. If you do choose to include half an avocado, then cut your meat, fish, eggs or cheese portion in half – instead of 4 oz prawns you would have 2 oz prawns and half an avocado with salad.
Fish and meat
Try to have oily fish at least 3 times a week and restrict beef, lamb and pork to 3–4 times a week.
Liquids
Water
Try to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Water is essential for our health as it hydrates our bodies and helps flush out the toxins. Most people do not drink nearly enough water, frequently confusing the body into thinking that it is hungry instead of thirsty. A glass of water will really revive you if you are feeling tired, so try to get used to drinking about 8 glasses per day. On a typical day your body loses water through exhalation, perspiration, elimination and urination, and if this is not replaced you can easily feel tired and dehydrated. In order to have 8 glasses per day, I keep a small bottle in my car and drink this on my way to and from work (when I am stationary!). I drink another small bottle while I teach my yoga classes. I drink a glass with my lunch, when I am writing I keep a large bottle of water on my desk to sip through the day and then I have another 2 glasses at dinner.
Do try and do this. I promise you that not only will you feel much better, your skin will look much better as well. Think how a plant looks when it needs watering, it droops and its leaves look limp and wilted. Water it and see how it perks up – the same will happen to you!
Tea
No more than 5 cups per day with 1⁄2 pint of skimmed milk from your allowance – decaffinated if possible. Have as much herbal tea as you like. An excellent tea can be made from 1 tsp fresh grated ginger in a mug of hot water.
Tea is an integral part of many of our lives so on your plan you are allowed 5 cups of tea. Tea, especially green tea, does have a lot of health benefits due to the antioxidants known as catechins. Tea drinkers appear to have less atherosclerosis than non-tea drinkers and tea acts as an artery protector, an anti-coagulant and antiviral agent. Tea can make you feel slightly jittery so don’t have it before bed or switch to a decaffeinated variety instead. I drink decaffeinated tea with organic soya milk.
Coffee
Coffee can be great for people who wake up with morning lethargy. If you love coffee, remember no more than 2 cups per day – and no tea. I would make at least 1 of the cups decaffeinated. If you don’t have tea or coffee with milk, then you may use your milk allowance either as a lovely warm drink before bed, or on your cereal. If you don’t like milk have an extra natural yoghurt.
Alcohol
Personally, I do not drink alcohol – it simply doesn’t suit me – but I have allowed you one glass of either red or white wine per day. It can benefit your cardiovascular system. Red wine in particular can help ward off heart disease as grape skins are used in its preparation and these contain blood thinning agents, so enjoy – but no more than 1 glass per day. No beer or spirits. If you don’t like wine, you may substitute a 4 oz glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice instead.
Supplements
If you are eating a good nutritious diet you should not need any supplements. However, our soils are not so rich in minerals as they used to be and we rarely know how long our food has been in storage. For this reason, I recommend that you take 1 good multivitamin and mineral tablet daily.
Finally: on a recent visit to a Brazilian eco-centre, our breakfast table held a sign which gives food for thought:
Please do not feed the animals – an unnatural diet can make them fat, ill and aggressive.
* Syndrome X, or insulin resistance syndrome, is a name given to a host of diseases related to diet and insulin resistance – including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, and a risk of cancer, depression and eyesight problems.