Dr Stossier looks at me with a wry smile. ‘You would be drunk before you were able to reap any of the antioxidant benefits of red wine,’ he says. ‘Which would then of course outweigh any benefits. As for dark chocolate, if you want to enjoy a piece of dark chocolate now and again, then go ahead. But don’t kid yourself that it is full of antioxidants.’
Prepare yourself emotionally
So are you ready for Viva Mayr? This has been a day of preparation for the new you. In terms of physical preparation it is fairly simple. You need to buy the food on the list (without succumbing to any doughnuts or bottles of beer) and also invest in a steamer if you can. You are easing into the diet with recipes made up from food you are likely to have at home. Begin and end the day with a cup of hot water with a slice of lemon in it.
Although we have not been through them all yet, there are some Viva Mayr rules you will need to follow today and from now on. They are:
• Chew as much as you possibly can.
• Eat nothing raw after four.
• Take at least 15 minutes of exercise a day.
• Eat more early on in the day, reducing portions in the evening.
Take some time for yourself on Day One. I have three children and know how difficult that can be. It is important that you have a chance to prepare both mentally and physically. Having said that, the Viva Mayr, unlike other diets, has an easy-to-follow menu that can be served to the whole family. There is no need to cook separately for anyone.
This is not a difficult diet in terms of what you eat, and you most certainly won’t be horribly hungry, so throw yourself right into it. There are a few adjustments to your routine that will have to be made, such as eating a big breakfast and having dinner earlier in the evening. Start this diet with an open mind, and for 14 days I’ll guide you through the ins and outs of the optimum way to eat.
Once you have been shopping, have a quiet night and end the evening with a cup of hot water, or herbal tea such as lemon balm, chamomile, or St John’s wort. If you wish, add a slice of lemon. You need to begin to cleanse your system in preparation for the new you. Tomorrow is a big day.
In summary …
• Preparing yourself emotionally, physically and practically will help to ensure your Viva Mayr experience is a success.
• Spelt bread is an essential on the diet, and making it can be a therapeutic experience, not to mention great practice for chewing properly.
• Make sure you have all the right foods at your fingertips as this will help to get you through periods where you run out of steam.
Case Study
Sally, 49, London
I have four boys, and have basically been overweight since the birth of the first one. Then things just got worse. I have been on more crazy diets than you can imagine. One involved nothing but celery (the idea being that you use more calories chewing it than you consume), and another involved eating nothing but boiled eggs and grapefruit. I was starving hungry all the time, and had to cook scrummy food like macaroni cheese for the children, which just added to my misery. As soon as I heard about Viva Mayr I thought I would try it because it sounded more realistic than anything else I had tried. I also realised there was no need to torture myself with cooking for the children, because they could just eat what I did and so could my husband.
I started on a weekend. The children and I made the spelt bread, and we stocked up on all the food. Actually, it was a bit of an adventure – a challenge – and we all got into it. They didn’t like the spelt bread, but I did. I also tried to get them all to chew slowly, which with four boys was not easy. I have stuck to the diet and am steadily losing weight. I feel a lot better, too, mainly because I am finally doing something constructive about the state of my body – something that I feel is more sustainable and long-term than anything I tried before.
Day Two VIVA Eating
You are about to discover:
How to eat the Viva Mayr way
How to prepare yourself mentally for the Viva Mayr Diet
The good foods with which you can now fill your kitchen
How to put the famous Viva Mayr spelt bread to good use
Breakfast
Green tea, spelt bread, and fresh vegetable sticks with herbal spread (see here)
Lunch
Leafy salad with walnuts, apples and linseed dressing, and potato and vegetable gratin with spinach sauce (see here)
Dinner
Poached trout with vegetables and lemongrass (see here)
By the time you’ve finished this chapter and inwardly ‘digested’ all of the information it contains, you will have the tools you need to change your eating habits for life. This is not a complicated process. Even I managed it and I have spent most of my life just eating whatever happens to come my way. I am not the kind of person who really thinks about what I am putting into my body. Until now, that is. Meeting Dr Stossier has made me realise that leaving my body’s nutrition to fate or convenience – or whatever you like to call it – is close to criminal. How can I expect my body and face to stay healthy and young if I don’t even feed it properly?
Although the Viva Mayr Diet is very much focused on how we eat (which we will deal with in the subsequent chapters), before you can think about that, you need to decide what to eat.
This is where good digestion begins and, as good digestion equals slimness, youthful looks and a healthy lifestyle, it’s extremely important. We are all masters of what we put in our mouths. In other words, we all have choices. No one is force-feeding us. As Dr Stossier puts it; ‘If you want to go down the junk food route, then that’s your decision. If you decide to opt for a healthier life that’s your decision, too.’ And we both know which one he would prefer us to choose.
Years ago, one nutritionist said to me that ‘healthy eating begins in the supermarket’. Pretty basic, but something we tend to ignore as we pop a few ‘treats’ into the trolley. We all have our weak points. I have a total thing for shortbread biscuits, which I obviously don’t tell Dr Stossier about, for fear of being sacked before I even begin to work on his book. But as I prepare to go for a stay at his famous Viva Mayr Clinic to research this book, I wonder if I will be searched on my way in and what may be the consequences of hiding one packet of M&S Organic shortbread fingers in my luggage. They are organic, after all.
Food provides our bodies with nutrition. Different foods provide the body with the substances it needs to live; in other words, they convey life. In order for them to give us life and health, they need to contain nutrients as well as their life force and vitality. These nutrients are defined by the quality of the food we choose to eat. So what should we be eating? Probably not shortbread biscuits. Even organic ones.
Our nutrition is divided into three groups: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. I have heard this countless times, but have no idea what it means or what I am supposed to do with this knowledge. I have also been told that we should be eating around 50–55 per cent carbohydrates, 15 per cent protein, and 30 per cent fat. Also important is fibre. So what does this all mean?
Counting carbs
‘We have been told to eat more carbohydrates so that we produce energy,’ says Dr Stossier. ‘But really these guidelines are misguided. If we eat a lot of carbohydrates, the pancreas needs to produce a great deal of insulin to bring them into our cells. Insulin is required to metabolise carbs, and to use the energy with which they can provide us. So basically, when you eat a lot of carbs, your body converts them into sugars. In order to control your blood-sugar level, your body produces the hormone insulin. But if there is insulin in our bodies, it tell us, ‘there is energy – we have enough, so use it’. So our body turns any excess energy from the carbs into fat, which is effectively a ‘store’ of energy for later use. It’s not a great situation. As long as insulin levels remain high in the body, we will also store the other components of food, such as protein or fat. This has a massive influence on our weight, and affects the way that we should exercise as well (see here).
Dr Stossier suggests that we should eat about the same amount of protein but increase our intake of the right kinds of fats (making sure we make the right choices between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids; more on that later) and cut down the carbs, as well as the amount we eat overall. ‘Some people eat up to 3,700 calories or more a day,’ says Dr Stossier. ‘This would be ideal for an active sportsman training for a competition, but it is way too much for most normally active people. There is no mystery to losing weight; cut down on carbohydrates and increase your intake of unsaturated fatty acids.’
If you think about the fact that a Krispy Kreme Caramel Kreme Crunch doughnut, or its cousin the Apple Fritter, each contains almost 400 calories a pop, you’ll see how easy it is for the calories to add up. After all, who can stop at one when they sell them in handy boxes of a dozen?
The fact is that we do all eat way too much. I know I do. There is no reason at all to eat a huge breakfast and three-course lunch, and then repeat the ritual in the evening. We will go into eating in a later chapter, but it’s worth noting now that since I met Dr Stossier, I sometimes skip dinner altogether and make do with a snack like some oatcakes and cream cheese. And you know what? I don’t die of starvation during the night …
Not surprisingly, Dr Stossier recommends we avoid the likes of the Caramel Kreme Crunch and try to stick to organic food (see here). I suddenly feel quite smug about my organic shortbread biscuits.
Dr Stossier doesn’t like to break our diet down into percentages. He believes that if we focus on fresh fruit and vegetables (some of them raw, and at the right time), and good-quality proteins and fats, we really won’t be hungry enough to fill ourselves with carbohydrates – and, in particular, the unhealthy types, such as those made with white flour and lots of sugar. When you are eating the Viva Mayr way, it’s important simply to cut down on carbs by taking much smaller portions, and choosing wholegrain varieties which fill you up.
Fats
Fats are also important to overall health, and are an essential part of the Viva Mayr Diet. But fats are not all created equal. As you would on any healthy diet, it’s important to avoid the unhealthy saturated types – in particular hydrogenated fats or trans fats, which are now known to cause a wide range of health problems, including heart disease and obesity. Whole, fresh milk, cream and butter are fine, because they are natural products that contain healthy fats. But avoid very fatty cuts of meat (particularly those that are processed), as well as anything that has the word ‘hydrogenated’ on the label – many margarines included! The very best fats you can eat are found in cold-pressed oils, and it is these fats that can not only help to keep you healthy, but improve your overall health and well-being immeasurably. Paradoxically, they can help you to lose weight – something that we might not normally attribute to oils!
Essential oils
An essential part of a healthy diet is oil. And this is the one thing you shouldn’t compromise on. This must always be cold-pressed, preferably virgin, most definitely organic, and of the best quality you can find. And don’t worry about oil being fattening. Unsaturated fatty acids in oils taken in their pure form are not going to make you fat.
Oils, such as linseed and olive, are an essential element of the Viva Mayr Diet, and should be eaten on a daily basis. This may seem strange, as most of us were reared on the idea that fats are unhealthy and, well, fattening, but bear with me. These oils are rich in fatty acids which are crucial to good health in many ways, and they are known as ‘omega oils’. At present we have identified three of these oils, which are omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9; each is important, but it is the balance between them that is most crucial. For example, inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, inflammation of the digestive system, and even MS, are the result of an imbalance between omega 3 and omega 6. Omega 3 oils are found in linseed oil, hemp oil, and oily fish (fish from cold, deep seas such as herring, tuna, salmon and cod) so try to add as much of those as you can to your diet. Several studies relate heart disease to a lack of omega 3. Eskimos have one of the lowest rates of heart disease due to the high levels of omega 3 fatty acids they consume. In order to benefit we need to eat them regularly.
Good sources of omega 6 oils include poultry, wholegrains, eggs, nuts, most vegetables oils, hemp and linseed oils, and even the acai berry. We tend to get enough of these in a healthy diet, which is why it’s important to bump up our intake of the omega 3s, to ensure that the balance is right. And that’s one reason why you’ll find oils, such as linseed (flax) and hemp are widely used in the Viva Mayr Diet; their omega-3 content is crucial to overall health and wellbeing.
Omega 9 is not strictly an essential oil because our bodies can manufacture a small amount, provided we have adequate omega 3 and 6 in our diet. However, omega 9 can lower cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, protect against certain types of cancer, improve blood-sugar balance, and encourage healthy immunity, so if you aren’t getting enough of the other omegas, do ensure you get some omega 9s in your diet as well. Good sources are olive oil, olives, avocados, almonds, sesame seeds (and oil) and most nuts.
These omega oils, otherwise known as unsaturated fatty acids, are also essential for keeping you slim. The more you increase your intake of them, the less saturated fatty acids you will eat, and the less weight you will pile on around your stomach and hips. The reason for this is that the body tends to store unhealthy fats around the waist, giving us the unhealthy ‘apple’ shape. Omega oils (omega 3, in particular) have been found to encourage fat-burning in our bodies. In a nutshell, if you substitute omega oils for unhealthy saturated fats (such as trans fats), you will not only avoid putting on weight around your middle and hips, but you’ll encourage your body to burn off what’s there.
Increasing fatty acids will also boost your brain power. The brain is comprised of concentrated fatty acids. In particular, there are a lot of omega 3 fatty acids in the brain; there, they create molecules which act as transmitters. The more transmitters or pathways you have firing, the more active your thinking process becomes. This is why fish is famously good for the brain. Our ability to concentrate, our energy levels, and a well-functioning nervous system are all related to the quantity of healthy oils in our diet.
‘We grew up with a teaspoon of cod liver oil,’ says Dr Stossier. ‘Now we are seriously lacking the omega 3 oils that it once provided every day.’ Personally I didn’t grow up with a teaspoon of cod liver oil, thankfully, but maybe I would be healthier if I had?
What to buy?
Oils are the first things to put on your shopping list when you begin the Viva Mayr Diet. You need three types of oils for the three types of omegas. Unsaturated vegetable oil, such as olive oil, will provide you with omega 9, hemp or linseed oil is a great source of omega 3 oils; and you can choose sunflower or other nut and seed oils for their omega 6 content. Take two tablespoons of one of these oils every day, making sure that you manage some linseed or hemp at least three times a week. If you don’t eat fish, it’s a good idea to take a good-quality fish oil supplement as well.
This is not as difficult as it sounds. Use the oils much as you do salt and pepper, and sprinkle it over whatever it is you are eating. You can swallow the two tablespoons in the morning, or mix them with some soup or even porridge. Some of them have a distinct taste, but they aren’t unpleasant. There is a recipe here for Herb spread, which is delicious blended with oil. Eaten with some bread, it is perfect for breakfast, lunch or as a snack. The only rule to follow with all of these oils is to avoid heating them. At high temperatures, these oils become toxic. You can, however, pour them over hot food, as they would have to be heated to 60° degrees Celsius to become unhealthy trans fats. If you do wish to cook with oils such as olive, sunflower or nut oils, choose the warm-pressed varieties (see here).
Cold-pressed oils need to be stored away from light, air and heat because they are extremely fragile. They should be stored in dark glass bottles, ideally in a cool place, such as a refrigerator. Olive oil will solidify when it becomes very cool; however, it will soon return to liquid form at room temperature. Some olive oils are also sold in cans to protect them from light. Pay attention to the expiry date or, even better, the pressing date if listed, to know the oil’s age. Once opened, cold-pressed oils should be used quickly, as they will become rancid and lose their nutritional value. Once oils have become rancid, they should no longer be used. They don’t taste good, and they do more harm than good to our health.
You should also stock up on nuts and seeds, because they contain omega fatty acids in their natural form and are also full of a concentrated form of antioxidants (see here). Try sprinkling sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds on your meals – anything from baked salmon, porridge and salad to sandwiches, puddings and even fruit tastes delicious with that little extra crunch. If you are prone to snacking, carry some nuts or seeds around with you instead of a KitKat (although Dr Stossier says that if you follow the Viva Mayr programme you won’t feel the need to snack any more).
Try to get into the habit of thinking about everything you put into your mouth. Is it good for you? If not, give it a miss. If you can’t hit 100 per cent, do as a friend of mine suggests, and aim for 90.
Look after your proteins
Proteins are an important part of a healthy diet, but you should avoid eating too many. In fact, Dr Stossier suggests that we should eat fish and other animal proteins, such as cheese and meat, a maximum of every second day. Better sources are vegetable proteins, such as pulses, seeds and nuts, which provide us with the amino acids we need in a more easily digested form.
‘People focus too much on proteins because they think they need them to give them energy,’ says Dr Stossier. ‘Eating too many proteins causes our bodies to store them, which means they are not properly digested in the intestine, leading to putrification.’
Putri-what? It sounds disgusting. Dr Stossier explains that putrification, or ‘toxin overload’ as I will call it, is the result of protein being metabolised more by intestinal bacterial overgrowth than by our own digestive enzymes. This is part of a maldigestive process (we’ll go into this in more detail later; see here) that leads to a buildup of toxins in our bodies. These substances have to be eliminated by our metabolic organs (such as the liver and kidneys), or else they will be stored in connecting tissues between your bloodstream and cells. If these get blocked up, then we can’t supply blood to the cells. In turn, the cells produce waste products and we can’t dispose of them, so the waste products are stored. This leads to an overload of toxins, causing heart attack, strokes, rheumatic diseases, diabetes and all sorts of dreadful things. So not only do we have more toxins in our bodies, but our detoxification organs are put under enormous pressure, which compromises their ability to do their jobs effectively. If this all seems a trifle unclear (sorry to mention trifle) then fear not, it will all be explained a little later in the book. Better still, putrification can be avoided, faster than you can learn how to spell it.
To reduce the risk of a toxin overload while eating proteins, and for better digestion, white meat is best, such as turkey, veal and chicken. Lamb follows that, then red meat and last of all pork. Game is somewhere between white and red meat. All fish is fine; eel is slightly fatty, but how often do you come across that? Also bear in mind that cream cheese is more easily digestible than hard cheese (see here for delicious cream-cheese spreads). Some people also find goat’s and sheep’s cheeses easier to digest. Why? Because all milks contain a sugar called lactose. Our bodies have an enzyme known as ‘lactase’, which is used to digest lactose. As we get older, our bodies produce decreasing quantities of this enzyme, which means that we may find it harder and harder to digest milk and milk products. Goat’s and sheep’s milk contains less lactose, so can often be more easily tolerated. And, again, other good sources of protein include pulses (lentils, dried beans and peas, for example), and nuts and seeds. In fact, many other foods, including potatoes, contain some protein, as well as whole grains. So you will be getting more than you think you are, even before you take a bite of that steak.
Don’t forget your fibre
Fibre is an essential part of your diet, as it acts like a broom in the digestive system, clearing out the debris and moving the food along. Better digestion can prevent putrificaction in the gut, and it can also ensure that toxins don’t hang around for ages, where they can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the intestines. What’s more, fibre ensures that digestion occurs at the right speed, giving the body time to absorb the nutrients from our food. Where do you find fibre? In whole, fresh foods, such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Nuts and seeds will provide you with some fibre as well. You’ll be getting plenty on the Viva Mayr Diet.
Many of us do not get enough fibre in our diets because we choose refined foods over the wholegrain alternatives. White bread and pasta, for example, will contain very little fibre, whereas wholegrain bread has lots. White bread is what Dr Stossier calls ‘empty food’, devoid or low in nutrients and not much use to our bodies.
‘It is insane that people will eat white bread and then take a fibre supplement,’ he says, getting almost angry. I am really beginning to see why he is nicknamed the ‘friendly werewolf’. He definitely has a wolf-like quality. I am thankful it’s not a full moon as he continues his tirade. ‘Why not just eat some brown bread and get the job done?’
Furthermore, make sure you choose wholemeal cereals, wholemeal noodles and pasta, muesli, oats and so forth, whenever possible.
Eating your greens … and reds, yellows, purples …
Other foods that you should make a beeline for when shopping are brightly coloured fruits and vegetables. The bright colour signifies a large number of antioxidants, which they will pass on to us (see here), and fresh vegetables and fruit are also rich in a variety of other vitamins and minerals, as well as being a very good source of fibre. We’ll talk about antioxidants a little later (see here); however, for now, you may want to know that they are, for one thing, the nutrients that can help slow down the degenerative effects of ageing. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t want some of those! Remember that fruit and vegetables will contain fewer antioxidants if they are not grown in a natural environment. You’ll be getting plenty of fresh and raw vegetables and fruit on the Viva Mayr Diet. What’s more important here, however, is when you eat them.