2-Day Super Diet

Humans have experienced cycles of feast and famine since the hunter-gatherer days. Having access to plentiful, energy-dense food is a fairly recent circumstance for those of us who live in developed countries. Unfortunately, living in this abundance contributes to our obesity epidemic. The good news is practicing intermittent fasting—lowering your calorie intake for two days and eating normally for the rest of the week—can help you be more mindful of your eating, control your weight, feel more energetic and stop yo-yo cycling. Plus, you can look forward to eating delicious food on your fast days, so you won’t feel deprived. Check out our meal plans on pages 6-9 to get started today!…

A HISTORY OF FASTING The practice of fasting for health or spiritual reasons is as old as the hills. Pretty much every religion, and many Eastern philosophies, have forms of fasting. Typically, fasting is promoted as a means of discipline and for focusing the mind. More recently, fasting has been promoted as a means to lose weight. Until relatively recently, humans had forced periods of fasting due to the availability of food. Cycles of feast and famine would have been commonplace during our days as hunter-gatherers thousands of years ago right through to less than a century ago. It is only more recently in human history that food has become so plentiful and available to us. THE “THRIFTY GENE” THEORY There is no doubt our bodies are built to cope…

MENU 1 • MUSHROOM & THYME POACHED EGG (page 19) 103 cal • CAJUN CHICKEN SALAD (page 48) 145 cal • ZUCCHINI & CORN FRITTERS (page 68) 240 cal TOTAL 488 CAL MENU 2 • SPICY ZUCCHINI OMELETTE (page 14) 61 cal • BLOOD ORANGE & LIME POPSICLES (page 91) 37 cal • SWEET POTATO & BROCCOLI FRITTATA (page 56) 175 cal • MORROCAN CHICKEN PILAF (page 78) 222 cal TOTAL 495 CAL MENU 3 • BAKED BEANS ON RYE TOAST (page 13) 98 cal • SMOKED PAPRIKA POPCORN (page 92) 34 cal • ROAST BEEF, BEET & BROWN RICE SALAD (page 33) 169 cal • VEGGIE TACO PLATE (page 72) 191 cal TOTAL 492 CAL MENU 4 • SWISS CHARD, EGG & HAM TOMATO BAKE (page 16) 97 cal…

MENU 1 • HAM & EGG POCKET (page 18) 100 cal • SMOKED SALMON & CELERY RIBBONS (page 288) 104 cal • CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (page 73) 200 cal • MUSHROOM PIZZA (page 85) 180 cal TOTAL 584 CAL MENU 2 • RICE PUDDING (page 13) 112 cal • SPICY RED PEPPER DIP (page 95) 97 cal • SPINACH & RICOTTA FILLO PIE (page 38) 175 cal • CRAB & ZUCCHINI “SPAGHETTI” (page 61) 186 cal TOTAL 570 CAL MENU 3 • SWISS CHARD, EGG & HAM TOMATO BAKE (page 16) 97 cal • ROASTED PUMPKIN SEED SPICED TRAIL MIX (page 95) 72 cal • BROCCOLI PASTA WITH LEMON & GARLIC (page 32) 204 cal • THAI BEEF SALAD (page 67) 214 cal TOTAL 587 CAL MENU 4 • SPICY…

soft-boiled egg with sumac salt active time 10 minutes start to finish 10 minutes serves 1 1 egg½ teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted¼ teaspoon sumac pinch sea salt flakes¼ piece whole wheat bread, toasted, cut into fingers 1. Cook egg in a small saucepan of boiling water for 6 minutes for soft boiled. 2. Combine sesame seeds, sumac and salt in a small bowl. Serve egg with salt and toast fingers. nutrition facts per serving 5.3g total fat; 1.7g saturated fat; 88 cal; 3.7g carbohydrate; 7.5g protein; 0.4g fiber tips If you can’t find sumac, use Chinese five-spice and freshly ground black pepper instead. If you prefer a bigger breakfast to start your day, add extra toast—1 slice of toast will add an additional 45 calories to this breakfast. baked beans on rye…

margarita pressed pizza active time 10 minutes start to finish 10 minutes serves 1 1 tablespoon tomato paste1 flour tortilla (8 inches)1½ ounces cherry tomatoes, sliced thinly6 fresh basil leaves1 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly 1. Preheat a sandwich press. 2. Spread the tomato paste over half of the tortilla, leaving a ½-inch border. Top with the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 3. Fold over to enclose filling. Lightly wrap tortilla in parchment paper; place in sandwich press. Cook for 3 minutes or until golden and cheese has melted. Cut into wedges to serve. nutrition facts per serving 9.7g total fat; 4.8g saturated fat; 243 cal; 25g carbohydrate; 12.5g protein; 2.8g fiber crab & corn soup active time 10 minutes start to finish 10 minutes…