Buenfeld - Good food eat well: healthy diet plans

Any references to writing in this book refer to the original printed version. Readers should write on a separate piece of paper in these instances.

Delicious and nutritious recipes to help you lose weight and feel great

Wed all like more energy, better digestion and improved wellbeing. But it can be hard to know where to start with a diet, and healthy recipes can be complicated or made with hard-to-find ingredients.

Good Food have combined the expertise of their nutritionists and the imagination of their test kitchen to create three brand-new weight loss plans. Each one targets a different area from making you look and feel your best to boosting immunity and improved digestion, as well as an entirely vegetarian option. Daily meal plans are included which supply under 1,500 calories a day, and provide you with balanced nutrition. The book also offers optional healthy snacks and treats to add if your goal isnt weight loss.

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Epub ISBN: 9781473530461

Version 1.0

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BBC Books, an imprint of Ebury Publishing,
20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,
London SW1V 2SA

BBC Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

Photographs BBC Magazines 2017

Recipes BBC Worldwide 2017

Book design Woodlands Books Ltd 2017

Front cover image: Mike English BBC Worldwide 2016

All recipes contained in this book first appeared in BBC Good Food magazine.

First published by BBC Books in 2017

www.penguin.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9781785940743

Author: Sara Buenfeld
Nutritionist: Kerry Torrens
Design: Interstate Creative Partners Ltd and Rosamund Saunders
Cover Design: Interstate Creative Partners Ltd
Production: Alex Goddard
Picture Researcher: Gabby Harrington

If you or one of your family tends to suffer one cold after another then you may need to take a closer look at your diet and lifestyle. Its estimated that 60-70% of our immune defences are located in our gut so what we eat and how we look after our digestive system is key. Stress and burning the candle at both ends, combined with a diet of processed, on the hoof meals will also play its part in making us feel run down.

This 7-day immune support plan is based on natural, unprocessed foods, with meals cooked from scratch, so you get to enjoy them at their most nourishing. Our recipes are based on ingredients with specific properties that support the functioning of the immune system and the health of your gut.

Throughout our plan weve included naturally fermented or probiotic yogurt. This is a fabulous source of gut-friendly beneficial bacteria. Keeping with our natural philosophy, weve avoided yogurt with added flavours, thickeners and sweeteners in preference for a good quality plain, live whole fat yogurt.

Eating fermented foods regularly helps top up our good gut bacteria and promotes the right environment for these beneficial bacteria to thrive. These gut microbes are important because when attacked by a virus, our gut bacteria leap into action to stop the virus from multiplying and neutralise any toxins it makes. Other fermented foods include kefir, miso, kimchi and sauerkraut, which you can add to complement the plan and boost your intake of beneficial bacteria further if you like.

As well as boosting levels of gut bacteria, its also important to supply the fuel for them to thrive. These bacteria-friendly foods, typically fibres like inulin, are known as prebiotics and can be found in certain vegetables and fruit like onions and garlic, asparagus and bananas as well as oats. Including these foods regularly helps support the gut environment and strengthen your immune defences. Thats why weve included fibre-rich ingredients like chickpeas, beans, lentils, brown rice, nuts, seeds, fruit and veg in our immune-friendly recipes.

We all know vitamin C plays a big part in protecting us from coughs and colds, but its also important in the healing process. Dont limit yourself to citrus fruits peppers, broccoli and kale are all excellent sources. Vitamin C is light and heat sensitive so use the freshest ingredients or opt for frozen, because these are picked and packed promptly to lock in their vitamin C goodness. Vitamin C is lost during the cooking process, so follow our recipes to minimise cooking time. Also, because vitamin C is water-soluble, when you are cooking vegetables as an extra side dish be sure to make use of the cooking liquor, say in a sauce or stock or adding to soups or stews. Alternatively, steam or lightly stir-fry your vegetables.

Nutrients often work more effectively together one such partnership is vitamins C and E. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, so its best absorbed when eaten with some fat or oil, which helps strengthen our immune system. Vitamin C helps regenerate vitamin E so it can continue its protective role. Avocados are naturally rich in vitamin E and of course being a source of healthy fats makes them the ideal means for us to access and absorb their vitamin E content. Weve combined them with vitamin C rich sweetcorn in our Peruvian chicken, avocado & quinoa salad () these veg are rich in beta-carotene, which our bodies convert to vitamin A.

Zinc is a key nutrient for strengthening our immunity and studies also suggest that, if we do catch a cold, it may help shorten the duration of it. Meat, cheese and seafood are good sources but so too are mushrooms see our Squash, mushroom & gorgonzola pilaf .

Once youve completed the 7 days you may wish to start to build your own immunity plan using the additional recipes in this chapter all our recipes are packed with key ingredients bursting with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients as well as gut-friendly pre and probiotic foods, which support the health of your gut and the effectiveness of your immune function.

The secret to the success of any approach to healthy eating is preparation and planning, so we recommend using the Saturday before you start to do the shopping as well as a little bit of food prep.

We suggest you enjoy the meals as set out in the 7-day immune support chart for the most nutritionally balanced approach, but if you do want to mix, match or repeat dishes, youll still get all the benefits of eating unprocessed and wholesome foods.