The 21 Day Blast Plan: Lose weight, lose inches, gain strength and reboot your body. Annie Deadman
and minerals and we only need small amounts of these. They will be present in a whole range of natural foods. They are not present in processed foods and they are vital for completing the healthy picture. They are the icing on our cake . . . or rather the broccoli on our steak and chips. Let’s take a closer look at both these groups.
THE MACRONUTRIENTS
CARBOHYDRATE
Everyone flinches when you mention carbohydrates.
They’re not bad for you. They’re the petrol in your tank and they give us energy to move and think. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Good natural carbohydrate-rich foods are absolutely vital for our muscles, for energy and for our brain function. They are also essential for our digestive systems. They have received bad press because if we eat too much carb-rich food but don’t actually move that much, then the body stores the surplus as fat.
Carbohydrate covers a whole range of foods: fruit, vegetables, oats, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar. And then there’s processed sugary foods such as cakes, biscuits, buns, chocolate – which I sometimes refer to as drug food – impossible to stop at one!
They are ALL carbohydrates and so they tend to be tarred with the same brush because they are the first food group to be modified in any fat-loss plan. Which is why their reputation in the media has gone from bad to worse.
We at Blast HQ like carbohydrates. A lot. But we like them at the right time. And we like them to be the right sort. The more natural the food, the more vitamins and minerals they will contain, and the better they are for our health, our wellbeing and our body shape.
‘Yawn. Heard it all before. Got to do the whole green, wholefood, wholegrain thing . . . How come those lovely little chocolate biscuit thingies I enjoy each evening don’t do the same job? They’re carbs, too, aren’t they?’
They are. Read on.
Complex carbohydrates from natural sources (oats, potatoes, brown rice) will be converted much more slowly into usable energy (glucose) than simple carbohydrates (sugary products, some fruits, your chocolate thingies). The more processed and sugary the food is, the quicker it will be converted into glucose.
So there you are on the sofa nibbling your family bag of chocolate things creating lots of glucose. But you have no intention of using up that glucose (you’re still on the sofa), so the body has to do something with it.
Yes.
It drives that glucose into the fat cells and locks it up. And what’s worse, it takes a lot of effort for those fat cells to give it up, unless we make some small changes to the way we eat. I talk much more in the next chapter about what happens to that glucose in those fat cells, but for now, let’s have a look at another food group: protein.
PROTEIN
Protein is pretty top dog, in terms of the food on our plate. Every cell in the human body contains protein, so that gives you some idea of how important it is. We need protein not only to build and repair these cells but also (I can feel a list coming on, stay awake) . . .
• For the making of enzymes and chemical reactions in the body (stuff that happens without us noticing)
• In muscle contraction (you’re going to need to do a bit of that)
• In the manufacture of hormones, which send messages around the body
• To make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body
• The repair and strengthening of bones, hair and nails
Protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids, of which there are twenty different types. Twelve of them can be made in the body but the other eight must come from our food. Meat, fish and eggs are known as ‘complete proteins’ because they provide all twenty of the amino acids.
Nodded off yet?
The eight amino acids that we must get from our food are known as ‘essential amino acids’. It’s an odd term since they are no less important than the other twelve. They are – brace yourself – leucine, lysine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, threonine and valine.
The best sources of these eight essential amino acids are animal products. However, if you’re a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy, then you will manage to obtain all of them. If you’re vegan and opting for a more plant-based way of eating, then you should focus on foods that contain high levels of lysine. That’s because foods that contain even very small amounts of lysine will also contain substantial amounts of the other essential amino acids, so you will be sure to get enough of the whole package. Examples of lysine-rich foods are tofu and tempeh (also a soya product but more flavourful than tofu). Pistachio nuts, black beans, quinoa, soya milk and pumpkin seeds are also good sources.
Protein repairs our muscle tissue. During the 21 Day Blast plan you will be doing some exercise, and during that exercise your muscles will be challenged and placed under stress, but in a good way. Ensuring that you have enough protein in your meals will help the muscles repair, recover and keep them strong and firm. This also means that the body’s systems are more likely to use your body fat for fuel rather than to start breaking down this muscle. Holding on to our muscle is vital for successful fat loss and I will be droning on about this in Chapter 9. To aid protein awareness, so to speak, I’ve added the grams of protein per portion to each recipe in Chapter 8.
Now, on to fat. That’s dietary fat, not the stuff round our middle.
FAT
Fat is absolutely essential in your diet. Don’t let any book, newspaper, magazine, bloke down the pub fob you off with some story about fat being fattening. Yes, it’s high in calories (9 calories per gram, compared to protein and carbohydrates, which are both 4 calories) and that’s probably where the reputation has come from. So you only need a little dose to give your health and weight-loss processes a massive leg-up.
So why is fat important?
• It is vital in the production of those hormones
• It provides you with energy
• Fat makes your food taste delicious
• Every cell in the body has a layer of fat, so fat is essential to keep these cells healthy
• Fat cushions and protects your organs and nerves
• It is a powerful aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K . . . that’s eyesight, bones, skin, immune system and heart-disease prevention, in a nutshell)
This next bit is worth learning off by heart – and reciting to anyone who will listen . . .
Back in the day, fat was hailed as a major contributor towards heart disease, strokes and a challenge to good health. We were sucked in and we believed it. This led to a whopping rise . . . and rise . . . of the ‘LOW FAT’ label.
The fat was taken out of food products and sugar was added in its place. This meant it was cheap and its shelf life was long.
‘Yesssss . . .’ thought the food manufacturers, thumping the boardroom table. ‘Result!’
Alas, it was us, the consumer, who lost out. The added sugar made them moreish. Too moreish. Addictive even. If you dump this book and read no further, make a promise to yourself that you’ll scrutinise a few labels on your next food-shopping trip. You’ll see what I mean.
Nearly done with fat. We just need to gen up on the different types. Couple of matchsticks for your eyelids for this next bit.
• Saturated fats (meat, eggs, dairy, coconut oil): Saturated fat’s previous bad reputation for being a main player in the causes of heart disease, strokes and other inflammatory conditions has eased. It’s a natural product and has a rightful place in our diet.
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