Eat your way to weight loss

When he hit 50, TV chef HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL piled on the pounds — until he devised his own foolproof food plan . . .

WANT to eat better forever? I’m in no doubt that the best and simplest way to do that is to eat wholefoods — foods that have been processed or altered as little as possible — as often as you can.

And the biggest, richest cornucopia of wholefoods is furnished by the plant kingdom, with veg and fruit at the top of the tree. Loading your plate with them on a daily basis is the simplest way to overhaul your diet for good.

Gifts for our overworked, under-nurtured, stressed-out modern bodies, whole fruits and vegetables offer fibre, along with valuable vitamins and minerals.

In addition, plants contain natural chemical compounds called phyto-nutrients, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This is one of the reasons why fruits and vegetables are so crucial for our health.

There are thousands of different phytonutrients — carotenoids in carrots, lycopene in tomatoes, phenolic acid in tea and coffee. Science has yet to work out precisely what they all do for us, but we know they are protective, preventing and repairing damage in our cells and tissues.

A diet rich in fruit and veg can reduce the risk of things like heart disease and stroke, it’s linked to a lower risk of cancer and it improves bone health, too.

So how do you get more fruit and veg into your diet? Simple: variety. A spinach leaf is just so different from an apple, as is a beetroot from a raspberry. And the differences in shape, colour, taste and texture represent differences in the good things they contain. So while fiveBUT a-day is great, six, seven, eight or ten is better.

what if you, well, just don’t like veg? Simple tricks can help, like a touch of butter or oil. And a tiny scrap of grated garlic in warmed butter or oil — on greens and beans, especially — can be catnip, too. It’s certainly helped my kids eat more veg.

You only need a little though: a walnut-sized knob of butter or a tablespoonful of olive oil is ample for a four-person helping of vegetable or salad.

Or top your veg with crunchy seeds, a crumbling of cheese, a tangy dressing, some fresh herbs — chives, parsley, basil — and add a little salt and pepper.

And as you can see from the recipes here, veg is endlessly adaptable, with hearty soups to warm us in winter, and refreshing salads for a little extra zing.

In an ideal world, I’d urge you to order an organic veg box delivery, as I do. Having a variety of veg arrive at your door not only helps you eat more, it also, vitally, helps you eat seasonally.

Instead of having imported green beans every Sunday with your roast dinner, month in month out, or a banana every day in your lunchbox, you’ll encounter the full glorious gamut of plant foods that our temperate climate and fertile soils have to offer.