The Viva Mayr Diet: 14 days to a flatter stomach and a younger you. Dr Stossier Harald

       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,