How it works

✣ Choose one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner every day. Feel free to repeat meals you enjoy. You’ll find more ideas at slimmingworld.co.uk or slimmingworld.ie

✣ Free Food is at the heart of Food Optimising. Foods that are free include fruit, veg, pasta, rice, potatoes, pulses, lean meat (and some plant-based proteins, eg, Quorn), fat-free dairy, fish and poultry. These foods are relatively low in energy density (calories) and highly satiating, allowing you to satisfy your appetite and feel fuller for longer without having to count, weigh or measure. Base your meals around Free Food (printed in bold) and, to make meals tasty, stock your cupboard with herbs, low-calorie cooking spray, oil-free tomato purée, seasoning, soy sauce, spices and stock cubes, most of which can be used freely to flavour meals.

✣ For an overall healthy balanced diet, Slimming World encourages you to enjoy measured amounts of foods that provide calcium, like milk and cheese (two portions per day), and those providing fibre and other essential minerals and nutrients, like wholemeal bread, high-fibre cereals, nuts and seeds (one portion per day). These can be part of your meals, in hot drinks or on their own as a snack. We’ve given specific measurements when included in the plan, and when enjoying them separately:

Choose 350ml skimmed milk, 250ml semi-skimmed milk or 400ml plain unsweetened soya/almond milk with added calcium. Or opt for 30g full-fat hard cheese or

40g reduced-fat hard cheese.

Enjoy 2 slices of wholemeal bread (from a small 400g loaf) or a 60g wholemeal roll/pitta, or 40g plain porridge oats or 2 wholewheat cereal biscuits. Or 20 whole/plain almonds or 2 level tbsp chia seeds.

✣ Other options are available – you’ll find out more when you join Slimming World. If you have dietary requirements, let Slimming World know and you’ll get specific advice to help tailor the plan to your needs.

✣ Treat yourself! Enjoy up to 2 snacks every day from the list over the page.