DR MICHAEL MOSLEY: Here’s how to keep my new 5:2 diet going 

It’s been two weeks since I launched my new 5:2 diet plan and I’m already receiving letters from readers telling me how they are seeing impressive changes to their waistline. 

To keep on track I think it is important you really understand the scientific rationale behind what I’m recommending. 

So I’ve put together a shortlist of some of the most common, diet-related queries and answered them as best I can. This should arm you with the knowledge you need to combat the challenges and temptations that may occur in the first weeks of the diet.

In the 1970s it was believed that eating fat caused people to pile on the pounds and led to heart disease, but recent research has suggested this is not necessarily correct

WHY FULL-FAT?

Seafood and White bean stew 

This one-pot stew is packed full of protein and vitamins. Serves 4.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 bulb fennel, chopped

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 pinch chilli flakes

2 tbsp tomato puree

100g cherry tomatoes

1 400g can cannellini beans

400ml fish stock

100g diced cod fillet

100g diced salmon fillet

200g peeled raw king prawn

1 lemon, zest and juice

Bunch chopped parsley

This one-pot bean stew can easily feed four people

This one-pot bean stew can easily feed four people

Heat oil, cook onion and fennel for 8-10 minutes until soft. Add garlic, fennel seeds, chilli flakes and tomato puree, cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans and stock. Bring to a simmer. Add fish. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then stir in zest and juice. Garnish with parsley.

ON NON-FASTING DAYS

Serve with 1 slice of wholemeal bread per serving and increase cod and salmon to 200g each.

 

In the 1970s, it was widely believed that eating fat caused people to pile on the pounds and led to heart disease. But recent scientific research questions this, showing that some fats – such as omega-3 found in oily fish – can reduce blood pressure and the risk of blood clots, and boost brain health. A 2014 study, conducted by researchers at Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard universities, examined more than 80 studies on the subject, involving almost half a million people, and concluded there was no convincing evidence that eating saturated fats leads to a greater risk of heart disease.

In fact, eating a particular type of saturated fat (found in dairy products) can reduce heart-disease risk, and full-fat dairy eaters often have a lower body mass index (BMI) than low-fat converts. Full-fat yogurt containing live bacteria (check the labels) such as bifidio bacteria and lactobacillus will help contribute to a healthy microbiome (the bacteria in the gut). This sort of research inspired me to reintroduce butter and full-fat Greek yogurt into my diet. Avoid highly processed fats in cakes, biscuits and margarines, but healthy fats such as fish, dairy, olive oil and nuts will help to keep you healthy and trim.

WHY 800 CALORIES ON FAST DAYS, NOT 600 OR 1,000?

When I wrote The Fast Diet in 2012, I advised that on ‘fast days’, men should eat 600 calories, and women 500. This recommendation – a quarter of the average recommended calorie levels – was based on evidence from human and animal studies available at that time. Many succeeded using this strategy and lost weight, but some struggled. To make the diet more doable, I now suggest eating 800 calories on ‘fast days’. It’s easier to stick to and is still likely to produce significant weight loss.

WHY CAN’T I HAVE TROPICAL FRUIT?

While it’s important to get our ‘five-a-day’, the emphasis should be on vegetables rather than on fruit. Fruit tends to be much higher in sugar, and while that might make it tastier, loading up on it is not great for the waistline or blood sugar levels. Tropical fruits such as bananas, mango and pineapple generally cause a much bigger sugar spike than apricots, peaches, apples, pears and strawberries. Apples and pears with skin will boost fibre intake.

CAN I EAT BREAD?

Some loaves can be calorific, especially when loaded with butter and marmalade. Two slices of toast – spread thickly with butter and jam – can add up to more than 400 calories, the same as you’d find in a chocolate muffin. If you crave bread, choose a loaf that contains nuts and seeds for fibre, or go for rye bread.

WHAT IF I CAN’T HAVE GLUTEN?

I enjoy wholegrains like barley, rye and bulgar wheat as these release energy slowly and are high in bowel-friendly fibre. But they are best avoided by those with coeliac disease (in which the small intestine becomes inflamed due to an adverse reaction to gluten) or gluten-intolerance, as they all contain gluten. Instead, why not try buckwheat, corn, maize, polenta, pulses (beans and lentils), quinoa or brown rice.

Ask Dr Mosley: New 5.2 is ace but i need more energy for tennis

I have been following your 5:2 diet and have been successful with weight loss, but I struggle with a lack of energy after my daily tennis match.

I’d love to take up running but worry about a drop in my blood sugar on fast days that may make me feel faint. What snacks would you recommend to boost my energy levels?

I would recommend a small handful of nuts, such as walnuts or almonds. They are high in fibre and healthy fats and will give you a decent amount of slow-releasing energy. A small handful of walnuts (14 halves) adds up to nearly 200 calories, but you should easily burn that and more with an hour of tennis. Perhaps try some full-fat Greek yogurt with a handful of berries. Again, the mixture of fat and protein will satisfy hunger and cost you only 150 calories, providing you stick to 100g of yogurt. A boiled egg is a good savoury option – lots of protein and only about 80 calories.

A small handful of walnuts (14 halves) adds up to nearly 200 calories, but you should easily burn that off and more with an hour of tennis

A small handful of walnuts (14 halves) adds up to nearly 200 calories, but you should easily burn that off and more with an hour of tennis

I am a 55-year-old man troubled by two prime health concerns for most of my life: insomnia and brittle bones. Few medications seem to work and I don’t want to take sleeping pills. I read that a magnesium supplement could cure both of these ills. Is that true? How much should I take?

Do you have a question for Dr Mosley? 

Email drmosley@mailonsunday.co.uk or write to Health, The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT.

Michael can only answer in a general context and cannot respond to individual cases, or give personal replies 

Low levels of magnesium can lead to brittle bones as it is vital for bone mineral absorption, and there is some evidence in studies that it can contribute to insomnia. Before opting for supplements, try boosting your diet with magnesium-rich food such as pumpkin seeds, spinach, almonds, cashews, and oily fish.

High quantities of magnesium supplements taken over a year or so can worsen brittle bones and no supplements that I am aware of have yet been proven to improve sleep.

It may be advisable to also increase your intake of calcium, and Vitamin D which aids calcium absorption. You’ll find calcium in milk, cheese and yogurt, and Vitamin D in mackerel, salmon and eggs.

 



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