We’re not saying ‘don’t slim’. We are saying ‘don’t diet’. If you want to lose weight permanently, you can. Aim to do so slowly and safely, with a combination of well-chosen, delicious food (which puts you in harmony with your body rather than at war with it), plus exercise (which is vital to help tone and reshape your body and keep it functioning at peak level).

If you were brought up being told that the food you couldn’t stand was the one which did you the most good, forget it. Dietbreakers, the effective self-help organisation which has enabled many women and some men to kick the dieting habit, suggests always choosing food you fancy, which you can really taste and enjoy. Depriving yourself is a short cut to bingeing.

Many people also find it useful to de-tox once in a while; some practitioners of traditional medicine suggest fasting as often as once a week. This doesn’t mean eating nothing, unless you are resting in bed and expending no energy (which we positively enjoy from time to time), but, instead, giving your digestive system a rest by eating lots of fruit, salads and vegetables and drinking pure water and herbal teas.

If you have a real problem with food, whether it’s overeating, under-eating or bingeing, feeling ashamed or frightened won’t make it go away. Many of us have been in exactly the same situation, not knowing where to turn or what to do. There are good sources of help, including the international self-help organisation Overeaters Anonymous. Nutritionists and naturopaths, amongst other complementary therapists, can suggest sensible eating plans. Counselling or psychotherapy can help with low self-esteem. The Eating Disorders Association also provides excellent information packs for the estimated one in ten people with serious problems.

Learning to eat well and enjoy your food will give you health, prevent illness and provide you with that energy and joie de vivre which are essential to beauty.

GUIDELINES FOR HEALTHY EATING

The joy of eating well is that putting good food into your body gives you more energy, which in turn means you rush around more, boost your metabolism (the rate at which you burn up food energy). Then you can eat more than many of us would ever dream of allowing on our plates.

Nutritionists Gillian Hamer and Kathryn Marsden suggest the following:

• Each day, aim to eat:
  one serving of Protein (eggs, cheese, soya, meat, fish)
  at least five servings of Vegetables and Fruit (preferably more vegetables than fruit)
  at least 1 tsp of good quality Oil (extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil, sesame, flax)
  at least one serving of Carbohydrates (large jacket potato; cupful of cooked rice, pulses or cereals; up to four slices of bread, made with stoneground, unrefined flour, preferably rye rather than wheat)
  
  
• Drink lots of Water to keep your kidneys working well, de-tox your system and improve your complexion (see Skin). Start by drinking a litre of pure, still water at room temperature throughout the day and work up to 2 litres. If you like, a glass of good wine a day is fine.
  
  
• Cut down on Fat but don’t count fat grammes or go on a fat-free diet. Your body needs natural poly- and mono-unsaturated fats to work properly (try vegetable oils and seeds or oily fish such as mackerel, trout, sardines and salmon) as well as sensible amounts of saturated fats (butter and cream). So kick the cakes, biscuits, take-aways, chips and hydrogenated margarine spreads. Use olive oil for cooking and salad dressings, and small amounts of butter, not hydrogenated margarine for spreading. Never deep-fry food – instead, grill, steam, sauté, stew or stir-fry in a wok.
  
  
• Eat more Fibre but banish wheat bran – it can actually irritate your colon. Go for brown rice, pulses, rye bread instead. Grind linseed, pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a coffee grinder and sprinkle onto salads or on your breakfast, which could be either non-wheat cereal, porridge or sheep or goat’s milk yoghurt.
  
  
• Wash all vegetables and fruits thoroughly. Supermarket apples have probably been sprayed about 18 times with chemical pesticides. Fruit, vegetables, meat and fish may contain antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals, so buy Organic produce wherever possible.
  
  
• Begin with a good breakfast and eat four or five smaller meals a day. Grazing on nutritious foods and snacking are now believed to be good for you.
  
  
• Eat slowly until you are comfortably full. Then stop.
  
  
• Prepare meals in good time: don’t leave it until you’re so starving you’ll hoover up anything to quell the pangs of hunger. If you do come home ravenous, drink a home-juiced vegetable or fruit cocktail (or commercial fruit juices with no added sugar) – this will keep you going for at least 40 minutes while you prepare your meal

QUICK WEIGHT LOSS

Although we think diets are the work of the devil, there are times when women feel desperately unhappy if they do not lose some weight quickly. If you only have a few pounds to lose, try food combining or light de-tox, but if all else fails, don’t stop eating. This high-protein eating plan, recommended by London doctor Dr Richard Petty, can be safely followed for a week or, at most, two.

• Avoid dairy produce, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, root vegetables, wheat and fruit.

• Four times a day, eat 2–3oz (56–85g) of protein (tofu, egg, fish, chicken) with as much salad or vegetables (not root) as you like, and any sort of dressing (yes, that does include mayonnaise).

• Drink at least 2 litres of water (you will feel ill if you don’t) and take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement daily.

FOOD COMBINING

Although many doctors are reluctant to support it, food combining (also known as the Hay Diet) has helped millions overcome health problems, from migraine and skin problems to aching joints and irritable bowel syndrome (which affects about one person in four). Lately a gourmet gloss was put on this approach by Michel Montignac, whose bestselling slimming books adopt virtually the same theory in a rather more sophisticated form.

The basis of food combining is knowing which foods you should – or shouldn’t – eat at the same time. Fruit is eaten on its own (i.e. at least 30 minutes apart from other foods), while protein and starch are eaten separately from each other with vegetables and salads. For instance, you wouldn’t eat roast chicken with bread sauce and roast potatoes; instead you would combine it with vegetables or salad and a thin gravy. Food combining is therefore easier if you are vegetarian.

Food combining has the wonderful bonus of being a very effective slimming plan. Whether this is because you eat much less (as sceptical doctors insist but food combiners dispute) or whether it is because your body functions better and stores less fat (as Hay Diet followers believe) is not clear.

FOOD CRAVINGS

If you suffer from wild cravings for chocolates or jam sandwiches, don’t feel guilty – there may be underlying physical factors. The most likely are candida (the yeast-like fungus linked to thrush and to what’s charmingly called leaky gut) and food allergies or intolerances which can, paradoxically, cause cravings. Wheat allergy, for instance, which is very common, often triggers an apparent addiction to the substance in sufferers. Blood sugar imbalance is another condition which can trigger people to binge, almost invariably on sweet, fatty foods.

Food cravings are often combined with flatulence, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, lethargy, tiredness, depression, fuzzy-headedness, PMS and painful periods. Sufferers of vaginal thrush may also have itching and the typical white curdy discharge. There are several useful books and we recommend you consider consulting a reputable nutritionist or naturopath.

CAN SUPPLEMENTS HELP?

The argument about whether or not to take supplements has raged for a number of years. Many doctors and dieticians have maintained that a good balanced western diet supplies all the nutrients you need. Now research is coming down firmly on the side of sensible supplementation, confirming what many of us have found from personal experience.

The National Food Survey, based on food diaries kept by 8,043 households during 1993, revealed that the average person in Britain is deficient in eight out of 13 vitamins and minerals, compared with the new European recommended daily levels. An American government study of 20,000 people found that every single subject was deficient in one or other of ten essential nutrients.

Research also suggests that the way we live now – stressed out, smoking and drinking, bombarded by UV rays, petrol fumes and, often, radiation from office equipment – can deplete our bodies’ stores of essential nutrients. At the same time, modern farming techniques, food processing technology and the way we cook our meals mean that actual foodstuffs are not as nutritious as they used to be.

We are not suggesting that you become supplement junkies. It’s vital to eat the best possible diet, preferably organic, but we would have to sit and chew from dawn to dusk to get the levels of some vitamins and minerals now recommended by eminent researchers worldwide. Both of us firmly believe in the value of well-formulated supplements to prevent illness and keep us functioning at peak energy and fitness – and that, of course, means looking good, too.

Supplements are virtually non-toxic, so there is no real issue about safety. If in doubt about quantities it’s best to stick to the manufacturer’s dosage instructions. Very occasionally someone discovers they are allergic to an ingredient in a supplement. If you find you have, say, a rash stop all your supplements, then start adding them back at the rate of one every three days to find the culprit.

We think it is worth buying the best brands you can afford because more expensive ones are invariably better formulated and so more effectively absorbed into your system. Our preferred brands are Biocare, Blackmore’s, Higher Nature, Missing Link, Natural Flow, Pharma Nord, Quest, Scotia Pharmaceuticals and Solgar.

If the supplement is doing you good, you should feel noticeably better at the end of four weeks.

If so, which?

The difficulty is choosing which supplements to take. Gazing at rows of bottles with complicated names is not enlightening. We asked nutritionist Patrick Holford of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition to suggest supplements for this book. Here are his guidelines:

Every day

• At a minimum, take a good multivitamin and multimineral supplement.

• If possible, also take a ‘super’ antioxidant formula, containing vitamins beta carotene, C and E, minerals including selenium, plus amino acids.

• Essential fatty acids are vital and most people don’t get enough. Look for gamma linolenic acid (GLA; Omega-6), which is found in evening primrose, starflower or borage oils. You should have 150mg of actual GLA daily so read the label carefully. You also need linolenic acid (Omega-3), which comes from flax seed oil – try taking one dessertspoonful daily in soup, or on cereal or salad. (But don’t take flax on its own long term; you need to combine it with Omega-6.)

• Take 1g of vitamin C daily, with 3g if you’re under stress. If a cold threatens, take 3g every four hours.

• Women aged 45 upwards should consider taking a supplement to help prevent bone density loss, particularly if they have osteoporosis (brittle bones) in the family. The most important nutrients are calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D and boron. Aim for a product containing a ratio of 400mg of calcium to 200mg of magnesium.

If you’re feeling poorly

• Boost your immune system with echinacaea (try Echinaforce by Bioforce) and an infusion of the rain forest herb Cat’s Claw, in addition to your vitamin C.

For tummy trouble and other illness

• Grape seed extract (also called citricidal) is a natural anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-parasitical. It’s marvellous for anything from food poisoning and cystitis to ear infections and sore throats. Take ten drops twice daily whilst infection lasts.

• For any sort of digestive upset, and always following a course of antibiotics, probiotics (which replace the friendly gut bacteria) are invaluable. Look for capsules or pills containing strains of lactobacillus and bifidus, which naturally populate the human gut.

For energy

• When you exert a lot of energy, you often crave sweet foods and caffeine for a quick energy fix. This is the time to take chromium, which stabilises your blood sugar levels. Try it as chromium polynicotinate, which contains vitamin B3 (200mg daily).

• Support the adrenal gland, which controls your reactions to stress of all kinds, with pantothenic acid (500mg daily).

For a healthy baby

Patrick suggests taking 400mg of folic acid before conception and during the first three months of pregnancy. Zinc, vitamin B6, essential fatty acids and selenium are also very important. It’s always wise to get specific advice from organisations such as Foresight.

When Should You Take Supplements?

Here are Patrick’s guidelines for supplementation:

• Take most of your supplements with your first meal of the day

• Take vitamins and minerals 15 minutes before or after, or during a meal

• If you’re taking two or more B Complex or vitamin C tablets, take one at each meal

• Don’t take B vitamins at night if you have difficulty sleeping

• Don’t take individual B vitamins unless you are also taking a general B Complex, perhaps in a multivitamin

• Take multiminerals in the evening to help you sleep

• Don’t take individual minerals unless you are also taking a general multimineral

• Take your supplements every day. Irregular supplementation doesn’t work

our suggestions

In addition to Patrick’s suggestions we wouldn’t be without:

Galium Complex by Blackmore’s – for a booster after bacterial or viral infections

Blue green algae – a general nutritional supplement

Ginseng – a wonderful tonic and energiser

Co-enzyme Q-10 – hailed by some experts as the most exciting antioxidant of all