Yes, you CAN get enough protein from plants

There are plenty of good health reasons to eat more veg — as we’ve seen — but many of us are now going one step f urther and choosing to reduce the amount of meat we eat, or cutting it out altogether.

Perhaps health or ethical concerns have prompted you to sign up for Veganuary, in which people ditch animal products and try vegan living in January.

If so, you may well be wondering how this might fit with your new health and fitness goals and whether you’ll have enough choice of foods to eat.

‘Following a vegetarian or vegan diet can mean you need to give a little more thought to what you eat to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need, in particular protein,’ says Julia Westgarth, head of programme at WW. ‘But there are plenty of excellent plant-based protein sources, including chickpeas, beans and lentils, which are al l packed with healthy micronutrients and fibre, too.

‘The WW app has dozens of meat- f ree and plant- based recipe ideas, including tasty twists on classic meat-based family favourites — showing that you don’t have to miss out on dishes you love,’ she adds.

‘And with many go-to vegan ingredients — such as pulses, tofu and plain soya yoghurt — being on the ZeroPoints list on Blue and Purple plans, and very low SmartPoints on Green, staying within your SmartPoints Budget is easy.’

experiment using a wide range of different herbs and spices to add flavour and interest to your meals; these, too, are bursting with disease-fighting phytochemicals to boost your health and immune system.

‘ The extensive recipe resources at WW mean you’ll be introduced to an exciting world of flavours, textures and suggestions for how to prepare delicious and nutritious vegetarian and vegan meals on whichever myWW+ plan you’re following,’ says Julia.

friends or wider family, because I didn’t want to burden them. I lost many friends as they couldn’t understand why I kept cancelling arrangements to meet up.

My twin sister had just moved to Hong Kong for three years. Even though she lived 6,000 miles away, I called her daily. She was my lifeline, reassuring me I would recover while, at the same time, encouraging me to slow down and take things easy. She ended up coming back to the UK to move in with me and look after me.

Meanwhile, I overhauled my diet, lifestyle, work schedule and social habits. I began with diet because that was the easiest place to start. If I didn’t eat every three hours, my energy levels would crash. I also took nutritional supplements every day to help my body deal with stress: B vitamins, sodium, potassium, vitamin C, magnesium and so on.

Next, I changed my sleeping patterns. Pre-burnout I would go to bed at midnight and have a broken night’s sleep.

Today, I ensure I’m in bed by 10.30pm, put my phone on flight mode and aim to be asleep before 11pm. I keep the room dark, quiet and cool. This allows me to get a full eight hours a night.

Lastly, I had to change my mindset. I found this the hardest of all the changes.

Meditation played a positive role for me. I allocated set times during the day when I forced myself to stop and t ake t en minutes to meditate.

It has been the toughest journey of my life but today, thankfully, I’m 100 per cent recovered.

I’ve now poured all the research, trial and error, therapies, medical visits, creams, pills and treatments into my new book, my bible for recovering from burnout.

Here, I outline some key lessons for anyone feeling stressed and anxious. I hope it helps you start 2021 energised and positive.

IF YOU’RE FEELING OVERWHELMED . . .

TAKE time out and pull on the reins. Write down the three things that cause you most stress.

ask yourself, can you eliminate the number one stressor? If yes, write down ideas about how to achieve this. If no, think about how to reduce the amount of time you’re exposed to the stress.

ASK YOURSELF THREE KEY QUESTIONS

1. Is that stressor the end of the world? 2. Will it change in time? 3. Is someone worse off than you?

Most people will answer, no, yes, yes to the above questions. This should help you put things in perspective, instantly lowering your stress levels. Next, write a list of all the things that make you happy and do at least one thing on your list every week.

ACTIVELY MANAGE YOUR SLEEP ROUTINE

If You are not sleeping, you will not recover. full stop. adults between the age of 26 and 64 need seven to nine hours per night. Those over 65 need seven to eight hours. Don’t skimp.

after all, it’s when we are sleeping that our bodies are hard at work repairing the damage caused by stress. our cells produce more protein while we’re asleep, and these protein molecules form the building blocks for our cells.

The hours of sleep you get between 10pm and midnight are thought to be the deepest, most regenerative and beneficial. When the sun goes down and it becomes dark, the pineal gland in your brain releases a surge of melatonin. This is the natural hormone that makes you feel tired and helps you to fall asleep.

Set up a good routine by going to bed earlier — by 30 minutes to begin with so your body gets used to it. Then build from there.

It’s important to ‘dim down’ an hour before you go to bed. This means putting your phone away. I recommend switching your mobile phone to flight mode between 10pm and 6am.

Then create a set routine getting ready for bed. That might mean having a cup of chamomile tea, having a bath, doing some yoga — anything to tell your body you are getting ready for sleep.

avoid alcohol and caffeine after 2pm. Ear plugs are another gamechanger — particularly if you have a partner who snores. Reading before bed can also help lower anxiety levels as it distracts you from daily stresses and worries.

YES, MEDITATION DOES HELP

THERE have been so many clinical trials documenting the positive effects of meditation on the body. It really does help to calm the body and take you away from ‘fight or flight’ mode.

Here is a simple but effective meditation exercise: 1. Sit comfortably on a chair or the floor. Make sure you will not be interrupted for ten minutes. Close your eyes. 2. Take a deep breath in, followed by a deep breath out. 3. When you are comfortable, at the next inhale touch your index finger to your thumb on both hands and breathe out slowly. 4. When you inhale again, touch your middle finger to your thumb, on both hands. 5. Keep repeating this process with all your fingers until you have inhaled and exhaled ten times. 6. Either start again or open your eyes and slowly get up to continue your day.

■ ADAPTED by Felicia Bromfield from Burnout’s A B*tch! by Rosie Millen (£20, Mitchell Beazley) © Rosie Millen 2020. to order a copy for £17.60 go to mailshop.co. uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Free UK delivery on orders over £15. Offer valid until 14/01/2021.