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• Saturated fats (meat, eggs, dairy, coconut oil): Saturated fat’s previous bad reputation for being a main player in the causes of heart disease, strokes and other inflammatory conditions has eased. It’s a natural product and has a rightful place in our diet.
• Unsaturated fats: These can be categorised into monounsaturated (avocados, nuts, seeds, some oils, like rapeseed, groundnut and olive oil) and polyunsaturated (vegetable oils and oily fish), which comes in two forms, omega-6 and omega-3. Omega-3 can’t be made by the body, so that means we need to make sure we eat it. Oily fish such as salmon and mackerel are great sources, but if they turn your stomach then a variety of nuts and seeds will make sure you are filling that fat gap.
• Transfats: Sometimes known as hydrogenated fats, or trans-fatty acids, these fats started out life as polyunsaturated liquid fats and have been chemically processed with the addition of hydrogen. Shall I repeat those words?
Chemically processed.
This makes them into hydrogenated fats and their molecules change shape. They have morphed into something unrecognisable.
Despite this, food manufacturers love them and they make regular appearances in processed fast foods, such as biscuits, cakes, pies and pizza.
Transfats have no known nutritional benefits and research shows that they increase blood cholesterol levels (the bad stuff) and the risk of heart disease.
On Blast we don’t cut out food groups. But for this little mini sub-group, we do. Transfats are not on the Blast menu.
‘Oh Lord. You’re going to say the words “clean eating” aren’t you?’
No, as it happens I’m not. But I AM going to say this. I promised I would show you how to lose body fat and a way of eating that will soothe your insides and highlight any intolerances that may have been preventing you from losing fat in the past. This means the food you will be eating will cause the minimum of disruption to your digestive system. I’m not an advocate of the ‘if you can’t pick it or kill then don’t eat it’ rule, but I absolutely am all for fuelling our bodies with good, delicious unprocessed fare that is easy to cook, delicious to eat and will put a spring in your step.
The 21 Day Blast plan will trim and shape. It will empower the faint-hearted, firm the slack, reignite the flagging and make you strut your stuff like a goddess.
I am NOT, repeat NOT, going to make you become a slave to kale.
ALCOHOL
Yes, it’s a food group. And, yes, we feel warm, fluffy and invincible when we’ve filled our boots with fizz. Sadly, it does nothing to help us in our weight loss. Head over to Chapter 3 (#ulink_4f824b57-8e96-587f-b6ae-ec596f3d96dd) where I give it the full treatment.
Moving on . . .
‘Being over 50, I’ve seen improvements in the last 10 days that no expensive creams or even Botox could achieve.’
C.F., Surrey
THE MICRONUTRIENTS
In short, these are what are known as vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are the bees’ knees for our normal growth, for our health and for bodily functions. We can’t make them in the body, so we have to get them from our food, but we only need very small amounts.
‘Is that it? Nothing else?’
Oh, yes. One more thing. Your health could degenerate if you don’t get enough of these vits and mins. You’ll never know if you’re not getting enough (unless you cough up lots of money to go and see a specialist), but the best way to ensure you are giving yourself and your body the best possible chance is to eat a varied diet with heaps of vegetables of all different colours.
Oh, go on then, twist me arm . . . here’s another of our lists.
I’ve selected the most important vitamins and minerals. These are the ones you should aim to be consuming every day. You probably will be, without realising it. Please don’t become paranoid – this is intended as a simple guide. But do try and develop a love of broccoli . . . just saying . . .
VITAMIN A
What it does: Helps growth and repair of bones, skin, teeth and eyes as well as supporting our immune system.
Good food sources: Eggs, oily fish, liver, yoghurt, butternut squash, yellow and red peppers, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and yellow fruits, like mango, papaya, apricots.
VITAMIN B6
What it does: Helps the nervous and immune systems function well, assists in the production of some hormones and helps the body gain energy from food.
Good food sources: Fish, pork, chicken, turkey, starchy vegetables, oats, chickpeas, rice, tofu, spinach and other leafy greens.
VITAMIN B12
What it does: Helps in the making of red blood cells, in the releasing of energy from food and in our use of folic acid, preventing anaemia.
Good food sources: Meat, salmon, milk, cod, eggs. Vegans should take fortified soya milk, use nutritional yeast in their cooking or take a supplement to ensure their levels are topped up. Spirulina is an alga that comes in powder form and is regularly hailed as a superfood (we’re talking high in protein as well as many vitamins and minerals). Add it to your shakes or mix it with water, hold your nose and neck it back like a shot. Its worthiness may help you forget its not especially lovely taste.
VITAMIN C
What it does: An antioxidant that will protect skin, blood vessels, bones and help with wound healing, as well as protect against infections.
Good food sources: Broccoli, red and green peppers, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, blackcurrants and potatoes.
CALCIUM
What it does: Essential for bone health, regulates muscle contractions and aids normal blood clotting.
Good food sources: Broccoli, cabbage, spinach, kale, sesame seeds, dairy products, tofu, soya beans and sardines (as long as you eat the bones too).
VITAMIN D
What it does: Enhances calcium absorption to keep bones and teeth strong. A vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteoporosis and has been linked to certain cancers, as well as to multiple sclerosis, type-1 diabetes and other chronic illnesses.
Good food sources: Oily fish, red meat, eggs, soya milk, tofu and mushrooms. The body also produces its own vitamin D when exposed to sunlight (20 minutes without sunscreen three times a week minimum).
VITAMIN E
What it does: Helps maintain healthy skin and eyes and upholds our immune system.
Good food sources: Almonds, avocados, vegetable oil (such as safflower and sunflower), sunflower seeds, spinach.
IRON
What it does: Iron is important in the manufacture of red blood cells, which transport oxygen round the body.
Good food sources: Red meat, dark green veg (oh, that must mean broccoli), beans, nuts, seeds and whole-grains, such as brown rice.
IODINE
What it does: Helps the thyroid gland produce thyroxine to stimulate and regulate metabolism.
Good food sources: Seafood, all seaweed, such as nori, wakame and kelp, potatoes, bananas, cranberries and strawberries.
VITAMIN K
What it does: Helps maintain healthy blood clotting and promotes bone density and strength by helping vitamin D do its job.
Good food sources: Kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and vegetable oils, such as olive and soybean.
FLUIDS
We’ve covered the food groups and those vital vitamins and minerals. Let’s look at hydration next. (No, not gin.)
Your blood runs through your veins, right? You want it to course freely, not dribble and stumble. The more hydrated you are, the more your blood will flow, possibly even gush, around your body delivering all those essentials goodies we’ve been talking about to the cells for nourishment. On the 21 Day Blast plan I am asking you to drink 2.5–3 litres of water per day. Every day. That means all the processes of your body will be running nicely. Not chugging or spluttering. More purring.
‘What?! 3 litres?! Every day? I’ll never get off the loo!’
Yes, you may wee like you never have before but you’ll get a weird satisfaction from the glorious pale colour. Sort of newly mown hay, rather than sun-kissed straw. Add fresh lime or lemon chunks to your 3 litres to soften the blow; cucumber slices and mint also work well.
Make it a habit. Don’t fight against it, just get on with it. You’ll notice the difference in your skin, in your poo, your energy levels and in the puffiness of your fingers. If you don’t drink enough, your body will hold on for grim death to what it’s got and never let go. It will collect in unsightly pools around your ankles.
There’s more about fluid and fluid retention in Chapter 5 (#ulink_c54b86d6-11ec-51a6-b901-4f03172ad29e). I know . . . you can’t wait.
Right, now let’s find out how all these food facts can actually HELP us lose fat. On to Chapter 2 (#ulink_076cbe5e-0769-5ebf-a316-614089a41cbe).
Weight lost – 8lb
Inches lost – 9½ (bloody hell!)
Dress size reached – 12
Skin – glowing
Bladder – never seen so much action
Happiness – 10 out of 10
C.W., Bournemouth
Chapter 2 (#ulink_94fcd764-8ae7-5a3f-be6c-8b14a6d79a57)
USING FOOD TO HELP US LOSE FAT (#ulink_94fcd764-8ae7-5a3f-be6c-8b14a6d79a57)
‘My eating has improved so much. My plate is now full and I don’t pick between meals. I used to think two rice cakes and some cottage cheese was a good lunch. I think I’d cry now if someone offered me that.’
A.N., Reading
HOW OUR BODIES GET FAT IN THE FIRST PLACE
In order to get into shape on the outside, it’s what we do on the inside that counts. We’ve talked about food groups – here we’re going to look at how those food groups; work together to give us great handfuls of fat where we don’t want them – if we’re not careful. And how we can manipulate our food to ensure they disappear.
The food we eat is broken down for easy transport in the bloodstream to the places that need it. Proteins are broken down into amino acids, carbohydrate into glucose and fats into fatty acids. Too much of any of these can make us fat.
‘So it’s not just the fat we eat that makes those handfuls of fat?’
No. Protein and carbohydrate play their part.
However, balance can be achieved. Read on.
Where we hold our fat depends very much on which sex hormones we have – that is, testosterone and oestrogen. By and large, men tend to hold fat in the abdominal area and women on their hips, thighs and back. All of it is made up of swollen fat cells. (Their posh name is triglycerides). When we talk about losing fat, we are essentially trying to release the fat from those bulging fat cells and set it free into the bloodstream. It then becomes known as free fatty acids and this is the fuel we should be using for all activity if we want a healthy body. So, emptying those fat cells means smaller handfuls of fat.
‘Oooh, goody.’
But there’s a hitch.
PERSUADING THE BODY TO GIVE UP THAT FAT
So if you remember, when you eat carbohydrate it gets converted to glucose and the hormone insulin carries it off to the cells that need it.
The body would much rather use that glucose for its energy than tap into your fat stores, mainly because it requires less effort to transport the glucose than it does to ‘persuade’ the fat from the fat cells.
The trouble comes if your diet is big on carbohydrate (the potatoes, oats, pasta, sugary goodies, cakes, chocolate . . . shall I go on?), then there will be an excess of glucose. Once insulin has finished delivering the glucose to the right places, it turns its attention to this excess. It sweeps it up, and stuffs it into the fat cells where it joins those triglycerides.
So, bigger fat cells again . . . and tighter trousers.
Not only that. Remember the free fatty acids . . . they’re the usable form of our fat wodges floating around in the bloodstream begging to be used up. But oh no. When insulin scoops up the surplus glucose it also takes with it those free fatty acids and they’re returned to the fat cells to become triglycerides again.
Our love handles.
So, broadly speaking, that’s the story. Carbohydrate gets converted into glucose and is transported to the cells that need it. If we eat too much of it (think sofa, telly, large bag of sweets) and don’t use it up, then insulin scoops up the excess, along with the free fatty acids and stuffs it all back into the fat cells. In places we don’t want it.
Result: Your fat cells swell. Your jeans get tight. You feel lethargic and downright cross.
‘So how can food help me release the fat from my fat cells . . . and use it up? Are you saying I should give up carbs?’
Definitely not. Imagine life without it. Your brain would be starved, you’d be drowsy and actually quite miserable. No, instead we’re going to be eating the right kind and the right amount of carbohydrate, and at the right time.
Remember there are different sorts of carbohydrate. As we saw in Chapter 1 (#ulink_8ee82334-71cd-5eb9-93e6-6d8a956d9608), the ones that create a quick response from insulin are simple carbs – that’s sugary foods, some fruit and processed foods. They are converted to glucose very quickly and prompt a surge of insulin. The other type are more complex (vegetables, whole-grains, brown rice, oats, potatoes), which take longer to be digested and won’t trigger such a flood of insulin into your bloodstream.
Our plan is this: To stick to eating a lovely mix of protein and fats plus enough complex carbohydrate at the right time. When you exercise, your muscles need glucose and so afterwards your supplies are pretty low. Eating carbohydrate after exercise will ensure that those supplies are refilled. This will also help the muscles recover. And that’s what we’re going to do on Blast. Cue very important statement . . .
You will eat a portion of starchy carbs ONLY in the meal that follows your workout. The glucose produced from that meal will then be enough to top up your newly emptied stores. The rest of the time, the body will depend on those free fatty acids to fuel it through the rest of the day. This means a) no excess glucose being handcuffed to your fat cells and making them bigger, and b) the free fatty acids can roam freely in your bloodstream waiting to be used up.
Result: Smaller fat cells. Smaller trousers.
DIGGING A BIT DEEPER . . .
In our quest for external loveliness, we need to ensure internal harmony. Which means taking care of our gut. The gut basically goes from the bottom of the stomach to the anus and has two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine. This part of our bodies is not just responsible for breaking down our food into manageable particles and then expelling the waste (with some gurgling noises and nasty smells). No, the gut has been hailed as our ‘second brain’ and it seems that, through the billions of good healthy bacteria, the part it plays in the balance and stability of our emotions – and the impact it has on our personalities – is huge. It is not merely a place for digestion.
Essentially, a happy gut is central to our wellbeing.
If we are going to commit to eating food that will help us lose weight, then it is important our gut responds well to that food. If, every day we experience bloating, gas and gurgling plus a host of other unexplained symptoms (such as fungal issues, abdominal pain, lethargy) then our fat-loss progress will be hindered. This will also affect our mood and emotions. We are aiming for a digestive system that is calm and stable. And our mood will follow suit. If some foods create adverse reactions in the body, then we’re looking at turbulent and rocky.
