Tuck in to a diet that is good for foodies and their hearts
I WELCOME the reports that following the 5:2 diet could cut heart disease (Mail). But I would like to reassure people that it is not a boring regime based on soups and shakes. I like my food and love to cook for my family, and have found that the 5:2 diet — when you eat normally, but healthily, for five days a week and restrict your calories to 600 on two days — is easy to adapt to your favourite dishes. Even on fasting days, you can have the most colourful plate of food. I have followed this approach after seeing TV shows by its creator, Dr Michael Mosley, whose books have been serialised in the Daily Mail. I am a fit, healthy, 51-year-old woman who recently had a check-up by my GP. The results for my blood pressure, weight and cholesterol were all great and I was told I had only a 1.7 per cent chance of a heart attack. I do believe the 5:2 diet is the healthiest way to eat. I was the same dress size for 15 years until I had a job where I had to sit at a desk all day and my weight crept up by half a stone. Switching to the 5:2 diet means I can enjoy food without gaining weight. I still devour Sunday lunch with all the trimmings including a glass or two of wine, but if I go out for an Indian meal, I no longer have rice and a naan bread. I drink up to two litres of water a day, a cup of coffee and two cups of tea. Breakfast is porridge with almond milk and blueberries (150 calories). Lunch is soup, fruit, yoghurt or any salad I fancy; on fast days, I have a snack of fruit or nuts that adds up to no more than 50 calories. Dinner is the most important meal for me, which I enjoy with my husband. I use recipes from Dr Mosley’s books or supermarket recipe cards for dishes between 500 and 700 calories. Favourites include roasted Romano peppers with puy lentils (360 calories per portion); smoked salmon, dill and lemon linguine (504 calories); Thai chicken salad with peanut dressing (317 calories); and teriyaki tuna with stir-fry vegetables (242 calories, so it’s suitable for a fasting day). All delicious — and not at all boring!
A. GRIMSDALE, Berkhamsted, herts.