Thomas - Diet cheats cookbook: cook smart, satisfy cravings, and lose weight forever! 100 guilt free redcipes

All your favourite meals made healthier! Cheat your way to keeping the weight off, while still indulging in your favourite dishes, with our simple twist on tasty recipes. Dig in for: Breakfasts and brunches, from Huevos Rancheros to Blueberry MuffinsTempting light meals and lunches including Thai Crab Cakes, and Cheats Chicken BurgersSatisfying suppers such as Pad Thai and Chilli Con Carne And even tasty treats like Butternut Squash and Brownies! With our easy-to-follow Green, Amber and Red food lists, and concise and accurate nutritional information, including calories, for each recipe, losing weight has never been easier! Heather Thomas is a health and cookery writer and editor who has worked with all the major slimming organisations in the UK, including Slimming Magazine, Slimming Clubs, Weight Watchers, Slimming World, Rosemary Conley, LighterLife, Scottish Slimmers, Unislim, Cambridge Weight Plan and Tesco Diets. She is the author of The Avocado Cookbook (Ebury, 2016) and The Chickpea Cookbook (Ebury, 2017), The Sweet Potato Cookbook (Ebury, 2017), The Hot Sauce Cookbook (Ebury, 2018). Heather has worked with many top chefs, nutritionists and womens health organisations and charities, and has contributed to health and food magazines in the UK and the United States. She practises what she preaches and eats a very healthy diet and stays slim and fit. The key to losing weight effectively is an eating plan thats simple to follow, enjoyable, sustainable, never leaves you feeling hungry and allows you to make your own choices about what you eat.

In this book we take the hard work and stress out of dieting theres no calorie counting and you decide what you want to eat. The quick and easy recipes enable you to eat a healthy diet with delicious food and good-sized portions that leave you feeling full for longer. You can navigate your way through the day without worrying about calories and quantities theres no number crunching and its easy to stay on course. Traffic light colour-coded food lists We have three colour-coded food lists (green, amber and red) to help you make the right choices. By choosing freely from the green list, you can stop worrying about what youre eating and proceed at your own pace, enjoying a wide range of healthy, nutritious foods. Its all about making smart choices.

All the foods on the amber list can be eaten in moderation not freely like the green foods. Amber foods tend to be higher in fat and calories but are still nutritious. Foods on the red list should be regarded with extreme caution and only eaten occasionally, if at all, as treats in very small quantities. This healthy traffic lights approach is easy to follow and it really works, and its reflected in the recipes in this book. Just pick and mix your breakfasts/brunches, lunches, suppers, snacks and desserts theres such a wide range that youre spoilt for choice. There are even special cheats low-calorie slimming versions of many of your favourite dishes and take-out foods.

You really can enjoy eating the foods you love but in a healthy, sustainable way. Slimming success If you want to be successful at losing unwanted pounds and maintaining a healthy weight long term, you need to learn new healthy eating habits and make them an intrinsic part of your lifestyle. Its not difficult its common sense. 1 Eat a healthy diet You need to eat a varied diet with all the nutrients that are essential for good health, including lean protein (which includes vegetable protein from whole grains, pulses, beans, nuts); carbohydrates that are not over-refined and high in sugar (starchy vegetables, whole grains, brown rice, wholewheat pasta); vitamins and minerals; and, yes, even fat. Always opt for healthy fats monounsaturated olive oil, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils (in moderation on the amber list) rather than animal full-fat dairy products like cream and butter (red list). 2 Eat 3-a-day You should eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. 2 Eat 3-a-day You should eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

If you go without food and miss meals, youll crave it even more, your metabolism will slow, youll have less energy and your health will suffer, so dont be tempted to skip breakfast or go without lunch. 3 Healthy snack attack By eating regular healthy meals that fill you up you are less likely to feel hungry and be tempted to snack on foods that tend to be high in fat and sugar to give you a quick fix. But if you are still hungry, dont worry you can choose a wide range of healthy options from the nutritious foods that can be eaten freely on the green list (see ). 4 Eat less sugar and fat Effective weight loss and maintenance are determined by the choices you make, so be smart and take control. Sugar is empty calories and contributes nothing to your health and wellbeing. Its easy to reduce your intake: just choose sugarless or low-sugar foods and drinks and use natural plant-derived sweeteners, such as stevia.

Learn which foods contain hidden sugar, including baked beans, ketchup, fruit yoghurts, fresh and canned soups, bread, breakfast cereals, smoothies and alcohol. Fat (and that includes oils as well as the visible fat on meat and in dairy products, such as milk and cheese) has more calories than any other nutrient, so always make the smart choice and opt for healthy vegetable fats (nuts, avocados, seeds) and oils (e.g. olive and sunflower), oily fish and low-fat dairy foods. Remove the skin from chicken and all visible fat from meat. Hidden sugar and fats Sugar is often listed under other names, so check the label before buying and look for the following: corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, fruit sugar, glucose, lactose, maltose, molasses, sucrose, honey, agave syrup, maple syrup they are all sugars. If you have a sweet tooth, enjoy the natural sweetness of fresh fruit and starchy vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, swede and even peas, which are all green foods.

Beware of packaged fruit juices as many contain added sugar and unwanted calories. Its better to eat an orange or squeeze one yourself. Fats are sneaky and you may often eat them without even realising. Be aware of the hidden fats in mayonnaise, salad dressings and sauces as well as cookies, chocolate, desserts and snacks. Even healthy yoghurts and smoothies can have a high fat content. 5 Fill up with fibre The dietary fibre in food makes you feel fuller for longer as well as playing an important role in promoting a healthy gut and digestive system. 5 Fill up with fibre The dietary fibre in food makes you feel fuller for longer as well as playing an important role in promoting a healthy gut and digestive system.

Eating high-fibre, low-GI (glycaemic index) foods (vegetables, fruit, beans, pulses, whole grains) that release energy slowly will reduce hunger pangs between meals, making you less likely to snack. GI ratings are given for all our recipes. Eat at least five portions of fruit and/or vegetables from the green list every day to boost your health and increase the fibre in your diet. 6 Treat yourself Identify your trigger foods. We all have favourites that are hard to eat in moderation, especially when we need to spoil ourselves. You dont have to give them up just enjoy them as an occasional treat to help you stay on track.