Woman Special Series - 500 Calorie Diet 2 2016

One thing that makes the500 Calorie Diet so easyto follow is the fact itdoesn’t feel like you’reon a diet. On fast daysyou can comfort yourself knowingthat for five days you can eat whatyou like, within reason.We recommend that you aim to eataround 2,000 calories on non-fastdays and continue to stick to a largelyhealthy, balanced diet. But becauseyour intake of vitamins and mineralswill be less on fast days, you’ll need totop up with these on your normal days.Our five days of menus show you thefoods you can eat on non-fast days.You’ll see they are fairly healthy –with a few treats included``````Keep proteins low in fatLow-fat sources of protein includelean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans,pulses, lentils and vegetarian meatsubstitutes. Nuts and seeds are alsoa good source of healthy protein.``````Choose wholegrainsYour body’s preferred source of energyis starchy carbohydrates. You can get itfrom wholegrains, such as wholemealbread, brown rice, wholemeal pasta,oats and other wholegrain cereals. Theseare more nutritious than their ‘white’counterparts, plus they’re higher in fibre.This means they have a lower glycaemicindex (GI), so they break down andrelease their energy more slowlyto help maintain stable bloodsugar levels. They’ll also keepyou feeling fuller for longer.``````Fill up your platewith vegMost vegetables are low incalories and virtually fat-free, plusthey’re packed with essential vitamins,minerals and antioxidants.``````Eat enough healthy fatsFat will be cut down to the bare minimumon fast days. On the other days make sure``````that you’re getting enough healthy,unsaturated fats from olive oil, avocados,nuts and seeds (and their oils), andoily fish such as salmon, mackereland fresh tuna. Some fats are essentialfor health – as long as they’re fromthe right sources.``````Maximise the fruitsFruit is another good sourceof vitamins, minerals andhealthy plant compounds.It’s also a great wayto satisfy your sweetcravings, but in a healthy,low-calorie way.``````TipOn days when you’resplurging on lunch or afancy coffee and cake,try and eat extrahealthily for the restof the day.Not sure how much you shouldbe eating on non-fast days?Here’s our expert guide...WhaT TO eaTThe reST OFThe TIMe!