The Fast Diet: Menu Planning and Recipes Revisited for the 5:2 Diet

 

The Fast Diet:

Menu Planning and Recipes Revisited for the 5:2 Diet

Last week was a funny old week, it started off with a lovely birthday on Sunday, a trip to Fountains Abbey on Monday and then sadness on Thursday……more about all of these events later, but for today I want to share some of my most popular 5:2 recipes and meal plans from the archives, as well as remind any new readers why the fast diet is so beneficial and works for me. As I am sharing meal plans, I will also be linking up to Mrs M’s Meal Planning Monday too. I have been staying with my parents recently, so any new 5:2 diet recipes have been temporarily put on hold, but, I will be back later this week and next week with some lovely new low-calorie recipes suitable for fast days, as well as some new normal “feasting” recipes too. I thought it was about time I revisited some of my archived recipes, and shared them with you, as I had forgotten just how many recipes I have created for the 5:2 diet over the last few months…….so, sit back, have a cup of green tea (if you are on a fast day) and take your pick – I have soups, salads, curries, stir-fry, pancakes, stews, pies and many more enticing recipes to share, I even have a burger recipe too! To visit ALL of my 5:2 recipes, please follow this link: The Lavender and Lovage 5:2 Diet Fast Day Recipes and Meal Plans. I have FIVE pages of enticing and easy to make recipes, and NOT a “boring diet recipe” in sight! That’s all for now, see you later with all of my news, new recipes and more…….Karen 

The recipe that started it all off, and my MOST popular recipe for soup!

Roast Tomato and Garlic Soup Recipe 

Kick start the day with this amazing fruit salad.

Fresh Fruit Salad Recipe

Calories in Fruit: 

Apple raw, with skin, 100g = 1 small, 52

Apricot raw, with skin, 100g = 3 apricots, 48

Banana 1 medium, 94

Blueberries raw, 1 cup, 81

Grapefruit 1 medium, 82

Grapes 1 cup, seedless, red or green, 114

Kiwi fruit 1 medium, no skin, 46

Lemon 1 medium, 17

Nectarine 1 medium, 67

Oranges 1 large, 86

Peaches 1 medium, 42

Pear 1 medium, 98

Pineapple 1 cup, diced, 76

Plums 1 medium, 36

Raspberries 1 cup, 60

Strawberries 1 cup, 46

Watermelon 1 wedge, 92

Just in time for summer, a simple and extremely tasty Mediterranean salad. 

Halloumi & Tomato Salad Platter Recipe

Elegant and low in calories, only 180 calories per portion. 

Herb and Spice Crusted Baked Chicken Breasts Recipe

A protein packed vegetarian recipe, great for lunch box sandwiches and snacks.

Vegetarian Red Pepper, Lentil and Cheese Pâté (Spread) Recipe

Yes, you can have a burger on the 5:2 diet! This gourmet burger is packed with flavour and is only 290 calories each.

Luxury Steak Burger with Artichokes and Olives

A Mexican style stir-fry with chipotle chillies and lots of vegetables.

Smoky Mexican Stir Fry with Chicken Recipe

Pancakes with blueberries for breakfast, also packed with oats for health too.

Pancakes for Breakfast – Blueberry & Oat Pancakes with Cinnamon Recipe 

An amazing Chinese inspired dish that is only 200 calories per portion.

Chinese Garlic,Ginger & Honey Chicken with Noodles (200 Calories)

My most popular recipe, this has hundreds of visits a day and is also our favourite curry recipe too!

Tiger Prawn Curry with Basmati Rice Recipe

A wonderful Frittata recipe with peas, mint and potatoes too……perfect for any time of the day.

Low-Calorie Minted Pea & Vegetable Frittata Recipe

A DELECTABLE vegetarian recipe with only 200 calories and lots of attitude!

 Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad with Feta Cheese Recipe

Cheesy topped fish pie that will be loved by all the family and only 300 calories per portion.

Easy Cheesy Family Fish Pie Recipe 

And finally, a KEBAB recipe, yes, you can have your kebab on  a fast day!

Cajun Chicken Kebab and Spiced Yoghurt Dip Recipe

To talk more about the benefits of the 5:2 diet, here is some information that I found on the 

BBC Health News website:

Scientists are uncovering evidence that short periods of fasting, if properly controlled, could achieve a number of health benefits, as well as potentially helping the overweight, as Michael Mosley discovered.

I’d always thought of fasting as something unpleasant, with no obvious long-term benefits. So when I was asked to make a documentary that would involve me going without food, I was not keen as I was sure I would not enjoy it.

But the Horizon editor assured me there was great new science and that I might see some dramatic improvements to my body. So, of course, I said, “yes”.

I am not strong-willed enough to diet over the long-term, but I am extremely interested in the reasons why eating less might lead to increased life span, particularly as scientists think it may be possible to get the benefits without the pain.

How you age is powerfully shaped by your genes. But there’s not much you can do about that.

Calorie restriction, eating well but not much, is one of the few things that has been shown to extend life expectancy, at least in animals. We’ve known since the 1930s that mice put on a low-calorie, nutrient-rich diet live far longer. There is mounting evidence that the same is true in monkeys.

Growth hormone:

The world record for extending life expectancy in a mammal is held by a new type of mouse which can expect to live an extra 40%, equivalent to a human living to 120 or even longer.

It has been genetically engineered so its body produces very low levels of a growth hormone called IGF-1, high levels of which seem to lead to accelerated ageing and age-related diseases, while low levels are protective. Professor Longo has investigated growth hormone deficiency in humans A similar, but natural, genetic mutation has been found in humans with Laron syndrome, a rare condition that affects fewer than 350 people worldwide. The very low levels of IGF-1 their bodies produce means they are short, but this also seems to protect them against cancer and diabetes, two common age-related diseases.

The IGF-1 hormone (insulin-like growth factor) is one of the drivers which keep our bodies in go-go mode, with cells driven to reproduce. This is fine when you are growing, but not so good later in life.

There is now evidence suggesting that IGF-1 levels can be lowered by what you eat. Studies on calorie restrictors suggest that eating less helps, but it is not enough

As well as cutting calories you have to cut your protein intake. Not entirely – that would be a very bad idea. It’s about sticking to recommended guidelines, something most of us fail to do.

The reason seems to be that when our bodies no longer have access to food they switch from “growth mode” to “repair mode”.

As levels of the IGF-1 hormone drop, a number of repair genes appear to get switched on according to ongoing research by Professor Valter Longo of the University of Southern California.

Intermittent fasting:

One area of current research into diet is Alternate Day fasting (ADF), involving eating what you want one day, then a very restricted diet (fewer than 600 calories) the next, and most surprisingly, it does not seem to matter that much what you eat on non-fast days.

Dr Krista Varady of the University of Illinois at Chicago carried out an eight-week trial comparing two groups of overweight patients on ADF.

“If you were sticking to your fast days, then in terms of cardiovascular disease risk, it didn’t seem to matter if you were eating a high-fat or low-fat diet on your feed (non-fast) days,” she said.

I decided I couldn’t manage ADF, it was just too impractical. Instead I did an easier version, the so-called 5:2 diet. As the name implies you eat normally 5 days a week, then two days a week you eat 500 calories if you are a woman, or 600 calories, if you are a man.

There are no firm rules because so far there have been few proper human trials. I found that I could get through my fast days best if I had a light breakfast (scrambled eggs, thin slice of ham, lots of black tea, adding up to about 300 calories), lots of water and herbal tea during the day, then a light dinner (grilled fish with lots of vegetables) at night.

On my feed days I ate what I normally do and felt no need to gorge.

I stuck to this diet for 5 weeks, during which time I lost nearly a stone and my blood markers, like IGF-1, glucose and cholesterol, improved. If I can sustain that, it will greatly reduce my risk of contracting age-related diseases like cancer and diabetes.

Current medical opinion is that the benefits of fasting are unproven and until there are more human studies it’s better to eat at least 2000 calories a day. If you really want to fast then you should do it in a proper clinic or under medical supervision, because there are many people, such as pregnant women or diabetics on medication, for whom it could be dangerous.

I was closely monitored throughout and found the 5:2 surprisingly easy. I will almost certainly continue doing it, albeit less often. Fasting, like eating, is best done in moderation.

 Menu Plan Idea: 

Fast Day (500 calories)

Breakfast: Fat-Free Plain Yoghurt and Banana = 110 calories

Lunch: Salmon Niçoise Salad = 240 calories

Salmon Niçoise Salad (5:2 Diet)

Supper: Curried Carrot Soup = 85 calories

Total:

435 calories + 65 cals for 150mls skimmed milk = 500 calories