The Powerhouse Veggie Diet

You've tried the bikini, looked in the mirror and decided to swap your sunshine holiday for the Welsh hills. Don't do it, you could still look great on the beach by losing a stone in four weeks with the Powerhouse Diet. It's bursting with energy, not meal substitutes or ridiculous regimes, but happy eating and real food. You won't be hungry - except on day one - you will be healthy, vital and lose pounds.

No more dreary, tasteless food, and disastrous 1,000 calorie plans. Women need around 2,000 a day, men 2,500, and once you get down to 1,000 or less you're short of iron, calcium, and most vitamins. You'll feel tired, irritable, depressed and binge after a week or ten days. Back goes all you've lost plus a pound or two - the dreaded yo-yo diet.

90% of dieters are back to where they started or worse within 12 months. You can beat the odds with the Powerhouse Diet with its mouth-watering recipes and high energy nutrients. This isn't a short term vitality sapping regime, but a diet for life. Start with these simple changes:

A good vegetarian diet uses a wide variety of protein sources, eggs, cheese, nuts, cereals, pulses, beans and, if you like them, the manufactured vegetable proteins like Quorn, tofu or TVP. There is no doubt whatsoever that vegetarians who follow this principle are healthier than meat eaters, suffering less from heart disease, circulatory problems, high blood pressure, gallstones, constipation, piles, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome and specifically less bowel cancer. Unfortunately I see many younger veggies who just stop eating meat and get most of their protein from eggs and cheese, resulting in a very high fat diet with all the health disadvantages of being copious meat eaters.

Iron and vitamin B12 can sometimes be a problem for vegetarians - and nearly always are for vegans - so its probably worthwhile taking a low dose supplement on a regular basis just to make sure that you're not deficient.

Choose semi-skimmed or skimmed milk (not for the under 5's) and look for lower fat cheeses and yoghurts. Eat lots of pasta, rice, beans and potatoes (not fried) together with at least five helpings of other fresh fruit and vegetables.

Eat good breakfast cereals like porridge, muesli or wholewheat products without added salt and sugar, and at least five slices a day of wholemeal bread – be very mean with the butter (it's better than margarine). Avoid sugar and watch for hidden fat in biscuits, cookies, cakes and meat products. Beware the salt, it causes fluid retention and swelling, raises blood pressure increasing the risk of strokes. Read the labels - you'll be amazed.

It's what you do to food that piles on the pounds. Don't fry, but grill, steam or bake and avoid all thickened or creamy sauces. Use low fat yoghurt or fromage frais instead of cream and take plenty of time over meals so they're more satisfying.

Never miss breakfast and don't go more than three hours without food - always have a banana and a bag of unsalted fresh nuts, raisins and dried apricots handy to satisfy those hunger pangs - better than doughnuts or chocolate. Eating regularly keeps blood sugar levels on an even keel and prevents those sudden sugar cravings.

Exercise is vital as it helps burn more calories than you eat and still allows you enough food to provide essential nutrients and energy for physical and emotional health. Balance the equation by increasing activity any way you enjoy. The benefits are enormous and even a brisk walk each day speeds weight loss, improves heart and circulation, increases muscle strength, builds stamina and keeps you mobile. Exercise also generates the ‘feel-good' endorphins in your brain - a huge bonus.


Day One
Kick start your metabolism with a detox day to stimulate the liver and get your digestive system working. The only low calorie day in the Powerhouse Diet and the one when you might feel hungry. Avoid the potential headache by drinking lots of water, but don't eat any foods not on the list.

This day provides 512 calories and more than your daily needs of potassium, vitamins B1, B6, folic acid, niacin, A, C and E - the powerful and protective antioxidants.

Breakfast:
An orange, half a grapefruit, a large slice of melon
A glass of unsalted vegetable juice
A cup of herb tea with honey

Midday:
A plateful of raw red and yellow peppers, cucumber, tomato, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, radishes and lots of fresh parsley. Add extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
A large glass of unsweetened fruit juice.

Evening meal:
Large mixed salad with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Lettuce, tomato, watercress, onion, garlic, beetroot, celeriac, fresh mint and any herbs you like.
A large glass of unsweetened fruit juice or unsalted vegetable juice.

Drink at least three pints of fluid, water, weak green tea or herb tea.

The Powerhouse Diet supplies all the nutrients you need, but for extra health insurance take a simple one-a-day vitamin and mineral supplement like Genesis, from health stores, chemists and supermarkets. Biotta Swiss Organic Vegetable Juices without salt or additives are available from health stores.

DAY 2
After yesterday's Powerhouse Detox, you're all set for six days of brilliant food, and a substantial but sensible weight loss. Don't miss out on the exercise - it doesn't have to be hell to be healthy.

It's okay to switch the meals around on any one day, or even to switch days, but don't mix meals from different days - as each one is nutritionally balance to provide you with a Powerhouse of energy and nourishment. This day will give you well over your minimum need of all the essential nutrients but only 1500 calories. Plenty of calcium, iron, iodine, and lots of selenium which is highly protective against heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer. You'll also get huge amounts of all the B vitamins, essential for mental and emotional good health.

Breakfast:
Sliced blood oranges and pink grapefruit. A helping of low fat live yogurt, with a teaspoon of chopped nuts and a teaspoon of honey.

Light meal or snack:
Scrambled eggs with mushrooms

250g/8oz mushrooms teaspoon of butter 2 spring onions
fresh parsley 1 clove garlic 6 eggs
1 tbs olive oil salt and pepper chives

Clean the mushrooms and chop into fairly small pieces. Clean and finely chop the onion and the garlic. Heat the oil in a frying pan with the butter, and fry the onions and garlic gently until they begin to take on colour. Remove with a slotted spoon, put mushrooms into pan. Season and fry briskly for 10 minutes, turning often. Beat the eggs. Season. Add chopped chives and pour over the mushrooms. Stir until set. Serve on a bed of mixed salad leaves.

Dried Fruit Compôte (make enough for 2 meals)

250g/8oz prunes 1.2 ltr /2 pt water 125g/4oz dried apricots
1 rosehip teabag 125g/4oz dried figs 2tbs honey
50g/2oz raisins 3-4 cloves 25g/1oz flaked almonds, to decorate

Wash fruit and place in a large bowl with teabag, honey and cloves. Add boiling water, cover, and leave to stand till cool. Remove teabag and serve sprinkled with the flaked almonds.

Main meal:
Peppers Stuffed with Rice

4 large red, yellow, orange or green peppers, or 1 of each
175g/6oz long-grain brown rice
400ml/just under ¾ pint water 1tbs finely chopped mint 1tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 medium onion A pinch of sea salt 2tbs oil
Freshly ground black pepper 1tbs pine nuts
1tbs currants or raisins

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. The cooked rice should still be warm and moist when you stuff the peppers with it, so plan accordingly. First prepare the peppers. Wash and slice off the stalk end forming a lid to replace during cooking. Take a sliver off the other end so they don't overbalance during cooking - but don't make a hole. Carefully scoop out the fleshy ribs and seeds.

Cook the rice. Put in a heavy pan and add the water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover tightly, and cook for 30-40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, uncover, and let the rice dry a little.

Slice the onion, heat 1 tbsp oil, and fry until just translucent. Add pine nuts and currants or raisins and turn them in the hot oil and stir into the rice with chopped herbs. Season, stuff the mixture into the peppers, replace lids, and put in a baking tin with boiling water halfway up. Drizzle with remaining oil, cover with foil, and bake for 30-40 minutes - delicious hot or cold. Serve with chunks of crusty wholemeal bread. Follow with fresh dates and figs.

Keep up your fluid intake - at least 3 to 4 pints a day to flush out the system, protect against cystitis and keep your skin in good condition.

Most of this week's recipes serve four people but can easily be adapted for less.

DAY 3
You won't believe the Powerhouse Diet can work because you've never tried a weight loss plan with so much delicious food. Believe me, it does and I've used it on thousands of my patients. Very low calorie diets fool your body into expecting a famine, metabolism slows, conserving energy and weight loss slows with it. It's the slippery slide into eating less, feeling worse and losing less weight.

When you quit starving it takes your metabolism weeks to realise the famine is over and the weight just piles back, leaving you miserable, depressed and defeated, yet again. This type of dieting is a serious health risk, affecting hormones, periods, fertility, bones, hair and skin.

Take a brisk walk today - half an hour morning and evening will burn up 400 calories and work up an appetite for another Powerhouse menu. 1600 calories today, a bit more protein, plenty of fibre and masses of bone building calcium and vitamin D, plus a healthy surplus of every single vitamin.

Breakfast:
Dried Fruit Compôte with low fat live yoghurt and an orange.

Light meal or snack:
Gratin of mushrooms and potatoes - no they are not fattening.

500g/1lb potatoes pinch of sea salt freshly ground black pepper
250g/8oz mushrooms 25g/1oz butter 150ml/¼pt half water and
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped half single cream

Heat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Peel and slice potatoes thinly. Wipe and finely slice mushrooms. Use half the butter to grease a shallow casserole. Arrange potatoes and mushrooms in alternating layers, finishing with potatoes. Lightly season each layer and sprinkle on a little garlic. Dot remaining butter on top, cover with foil, bake for about 1¼ hours. After an hour, remove foil to brown for a further 15 minutes.

Serve with lettuce and watercress salad, tossed in orange juice. Finish with a ripe pear.

Main meal:
Tofu, Vegetable and Cashew Nut Stir Fry

3 tbsp oil 250 g/8 oz tofu 1 onion finely chopped
1 green pepper chopped 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 stick celery chopped
2 medium carrots sliced a generous handful of shredded cabbage
4 medium mushrooms sliced 125 g/4 oz cashews 1 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp soy sauce

Heat oil in a wok, add tofu and fry gently till golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon then saute onion, green pepper, ginger and celery on a medium heat till soft but not brown. Add carrots and cabbage, saute for 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cashews, cook for a further minute. Add stock, cover and simmer gently till vegetables are soft. Stir in soy sauce before serving.

Apricot and Almond crumble

500g/1lb apricots - fresh or ready to eat
2tsp sugar 1tbs runny honey 2tbs water
150g/6oz porridge oats 1tbs flaked almonds 50g/2oz ground almonds
25g/1oz butter, cut into tiny pieces

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Lightly grease a pie dish. Put in the fruit - washed, and peeled or cut up if necessary. Add the sugar and the water. Mix the oats and ground almonds together and spread over the top of the fruit - there should be enough to make an inch thick coating. Drizzle the honey over the top. Scatter over the flaked almonds. Dot with the butter and put in the oven for 20 minutes.

DAY 4
A heart friendly day - little cholesterol or saturated fat, low salt and rich in heart protective monounsaturated fats. Lots of vitamins but a little low in calcium, so it's time for weight bearing exercise to strengthen bones, improve heart and circulation and burn pounds. 15 minutes skipping, 15 minutes jogging and 10 minutes running up and walking down stairs burns a massive 400 calories.

Breakfast:
Hot wholewheat rolls with a little butter. A banana.

Light meal or snack:
Risotto con Salsa Cruda

250g/8oz long-grain brown rice a pinch of sea salt half a cucumber
4 medium sized ripe tomatoes 4 spring onions 2 cloves garlic
4 carrots 125ml/4fl oz olive oil
4 radishes sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 small courgettes 1tbs fresh peas (or frozen) chopped chives and parsley

Wash rice and cook gently in twice its volume of boiling slightly salted water, covered, for about 40 minutes. Check occasionally but don't stir. When cooked remove from heat, leave uncovered for 10 minutes till dry and separated.

Chop the tomatoes. Peel and dice the cucumber, finely chop garlic, spring onions, carrots, radishes, courgettes. Place in a bowl with peas, add oil, and season - with great restraint! Marinade for 30 minutes, till oil absorbs the fresh delicate flavours. While the rice is warm, place in bowl, add the vegetable mixture, stir gently, sprinkle on chopped herbs and serve with green salad. Follow with raisins and nuts.

Main meal:
Aubergine Caviar with crudites - strips of carrot, celery, cucumber, fennel, sprigs of cauliflower.

2 large aubergines 2tbs plain low fat yoghurt juice of 1 large lemon
3tbs extra-virgin olive oil pinch of sea salt and pepper 1 clove garlic
half a teaspoon crushed coriander seeds

Heat oven to 200°C/400°/gas 6. Bake aubergines until soft, cut open, and scrape flesh into a bowl. Add lemon juice and beat in oil, drop by drop, to a smooth cream. Crush the garlic and stir into the bowl with the yoghurt. Season with ground black pepper, a pinch of sea salt and crushed coriander seeds. Stir well, cover, and chill for an hour.

Serve with the crudites - there'll be lots left over for a healthy nibble.

Vegeballs in tomato sauce

500g/1lb made up vegeburger mix 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 clove garlic
1 egg 2tbs chopped fresh mint and parsley 2tbs olive oil

For tomato sauce:

400g/14oz can of chopped tomatoes 1 large chopped onion 1 vegetable stock cube
1 tbs olive oil 2 tbs white wine 1 deseeded chopped green chilli

Put tomatoes and their juice in a wok with the crumbled stock cube, wine, onion, olive oil, and chilli. Bring to simmering point, cover and let it bubble for 10 minutes. Add herbs and stir. Make up the vegeburger mix as directed on the packet, add garlic, fresh herbs, and pepper. Form into table-tennis size balls and fry gently till done. Add to the tomato sauce and serve on a bed of green pasta. Drink as much water and herb tea as you like - at least 3 to 4 pints daily. Watch out for the caffeine, you're better off without it this week.

DAY 5
Here's a day of contrasts. Smooth sweet beetroot soup, creamy avocado - most dieters' nightmare - and a picy chickpea casserole to wake up your taste buds. Never forget that enjoyment of food is a major health bonus as happy people are healthier people. Sitting round a table with friends and family, talking, discussing, even arguing is an essential part of social interaction. Being positive and happy increases your white cell count, strengthens your immune system and raises your resistance to disease.

1250 calories today and by now you should certainly be feeling lighter and those belts and waistbands feeling looser. Already your body's eliminating processes are in overdrive and you are starting to burn up some of your fat stores to provide the extra energy you need. This is the day for a swim - even if you can't, why not have a go at aquarobic exercises, most public pools and health clubs run regular sessions. Swimming is great cardiovascular exercise and even if you're not David Wilkie you'll be consuming around 400 calories an hour.

Breakfast:
Dried Fruit Compote (as Day 2) with low fat yoghurt.

Light meal or snack:
Half an avocado, sliced, with watercress, tomatoes, cucumber, on mixed leaves with a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Crusty wholewheat roll.

Main meal:
Beetroot and apple soup 500g/1lb uncooked beetroot 1tsp lemon juice
1 onion black pepper 600ml/1pt unsweetened apple juice
150ml/¼pt sour cream

Peel and grate beetroot and onion. Process with a cupful of apple juice until smooth, add the rest of the juice, season and chill. Looks best in glass bowls, served with a swirl of sour cream. For convenience you could use Biotta Swiss Organic Beetroot Juice (from health stores), not quite so thick but still delicious.


A Veggie Dish

Spiced Chickpea Casserole
250 g/8 oz dried chickpeas 2 tbsp oil 2 large onions sliced
or 400 g/14 oz canned
2 large aubergines 3 peppers, 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow - sliced
2 large potatoes fresh coriander 2 cloves garlic
chilli powder paprika allspice
salt & pepper 2 tsp olive paste 2 tsp tomato puree

If using canned chickpeas, rinse well to remove salt. Otherwise soak dried chickpeas in cold water overnight, drain then add to a large saucepan of boiling water, cook briskly for 10 minutes then cover and simmer till soft - 1-2 hours.

Soak chickpeas and leave in colander sprinkled with a little salt to drain for half an hour. Rinse and blot dry. Heat the oil and fry onions, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, first blotting off excess oil with paper towel. Fry aubergines in the same oil - you may need to add a little more; remove and blot dry. Do the same with peppers and tomatoes.

Heat oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Make layers of each of the vegetables in an ovenproof casserole, together with the chickpeas. Add the garlic, a generous pinch each of chilli, paprika and allspice, and season. Mix the olive paste and tomato puree with 2 tbsp of water and pour it into the casserole dish. Pour in enough water to come almost to the top, cover, put in the oven and cook for about 1½ hours. Serve with warm wholemeal pita bread and a green salad.


If you've been really good so far, treat yourself to a glass of good red wine with your main meal, but don't forget the rest of your fluids, 3 to 4 pints a day.

DAY 6
Here's a Powerhouse Day of 1600 calories, 20% less than you need. Plenty of fibre to prevent the constipation that most dieters get, and a healthy surplus of calcium, iron and all the vitamins. B6 is vital for women and you'll get twice as much as you need today.

Breakfast:
An orange. An apple. A banana. Low fat live yogurt.

Light meal or snack:
Salad Vegecoise
1 head of crisp lettuce 12 black olives 2 hard-boiled eggs
2 cloves garlic 4 firm red tomatoes 3tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red pepper 1tbs balsamic or cider vinegar ½ cucumber
a pinch of herbes de provence sea salt and pepper

Put lettuce in a bowl and arrange the other ingredients attractively on top. Quarter the eggs, and tomatoes, deseed and slice the pepper and cucumber. At this point, put a damp cloth over the bowl and place in a cool place until you are ready to serve the dish.

Make a dressing with the finely chopped garlic, oil, vinegar and seasoning - three parts extra virgin olive oil to one part cider or balsamic vinegar. Pour it over the salad at the last minute. Serve with a chunk of wholemeal bread.


A Main meal veggie dish

Lentil and Barley Pilaff
250 g/8 oz green or brown lentils
125 g/4 oz pot barley
600 ml/1 pt vegetable stock
2 tbs oil
2 onions finely sliced
1 clove garlic chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 stick celery chopped
1 tbs fresh parsley finely chopped
175 g/6 oz thick yoghurt

Wash the lentils, drain and put in a pan covered with water to an inch or so above. Bring to the boil, stirring often, and simmer on a low heat till very soft - about 1 to 1½ hours. Add more boiling water if necessary. Drain off the surplus liquid and keep hot. Wash and soak the barley in cold water for 1 hour, drain and cover with stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs oil, add one of the onions and the garlic, carrot and celery and cook for a few minutes. Combine with the barley and lentils and heat through in a moderate oven 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Meanwhile, heat the other tbs of oil, fry the remaining sliced onion and serve the pilaff garnished with the onion rings and a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley. Serve with a bowl of yoghurt.


Spiced Apricots (Make enough for 2 meals)
250g/8oz dried apricots 4 cloves ½ tsp allspice
400ml/¾pt apple juice 1tbs honey
1 small stick of cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg peel of 1 washed unwaxed orange

Wash the apricots thoroughly. Put them in a pan with the apple juice, spices, orange peel, and honey. Bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, and simmer over a very low heat until the apricots are tender. Fresh apricots can be cooked in the same way.

This is a day to invite your friends round and show them that healthy eating combined with weight loss doesn't involve sack cloth and ashes. While you're dashing around cleaning up the house, pushing the vacuum, polishing the table, and picking up the clothes and newspapers that seem to multiply during the working week, remember that an hour's brisk housework can burn up 250 calories.

DAY 7
1600 calories from this day's “Sunday Special” cooking still leaves 400 to spare. Dust the cobwebs off your old bicycle (or hire one) and spend Sunday afternoon burning 350 calories an hour.

Breakfast:
A large glass of fresh orange and grapefruit juice. Cold apricots (yesterday's) with low fat live yogurt, 1 tablespoon oats and three brazil nuts.

Light meal or snack:
Courgette Pasta with beansprouts, spring onion, soy sauce and fresh ginger
(serves 1)
1 courgette 1 tsp grated ginger 1 tsp light soy sauce
5g/1 tsp Olive oil 100g/3½oz spaghettini
5g/1 tsp Parmesan cheese 1 chopped spring onion 25 g/1 oz fresh beansprouts

Finely grate courgette, ginger and Parmesan. When pasta is cooked, transfer to serving dish. Add all the other ingredients, stir and eat.

Main meal:
Sage Burgers
250 g/8 oz mixed nuts - peanuts, walnuts, cashews 125 g/4 oz wholemeal breadcrumbs
1 medium onion 1 tbs sunflower oil
300 ml/ ½ pt vegetable stock 2 tsp yeast extract
3 fresh sage leaves black pepper
a little wholemeal flour oil for frying

Grind the nuts and bread together until quite fine (if you haven't got a processor use a coffee mill). Chop the onion very finely and saute in oil. Heat the stock with the yeast extract till just boiling. Combine all ingredients and mix well. It should not dry out too much but if it does moisten with a little more stock. When cool enough to handle, shape into four burgers, dust with a little wholemeal flour and fry in shallow oil till golden brown, about 3-5 minutes each side. Delicious hot or cold. Serve with a Watercress, spring onion and chopped brazil nut salad.

Orange Soufflé Omelette
Serves 2

4 eggs 2 tsp brown sugar
juice and grated rind of 1 orange 5g unsalted butter

Separate yolks from whites and use two for sauce above. Beat remaining yolks, add juice, rind, and sugar. Whisk egg whites to peaks, then fold in yolks. Melt the butter and make omelette as normal. When it starts to bubble, slide pan under hot grill to puff up and turn golden-brown. Serve at once.

Don't forget your full quota of fluids - a minimum of 3 - 4 pints daily.

Today's menu serves a perfect ace. This Powerhouse of nutrients provides much more than your daily need of selenium and vitamins A, C and E, a combination of the most powerful antioxidants which protect against heart and circulatory disease and many cancers.

Congratulations - though it wasn't that difficult was it? Now get on the scales, but you already know from your clothes that you're going in the right direction. Before you carry on with this Powerhouse Eating Plan it's important to determine whether you need to lose more weight, so for the mathematically minded here are two useful sums.

Body Mass Index calculates the relationship between height and weight. To work out your BMI divide weight in kilograms by height in metres squared.

Weight in kilograms
BMI = -------------------
(Height in metres)²

20 and 25 is ideal, 25-30 a bit overweight, 30-40 moderately obese, over 40 grossly obese. Under 20 is too thin.

Check your waist/hip ratio. Measure round the belly button, and largest part of hips, then divide waist by hip measurements. 0.75 or less for women and 1.0 or less for men is ideal. As the figure increases, so does your risk of heart disease.

If your weight is a serious problem and you don't know why, keep an honest diary of everything that goes into your mouth for a whole week, then read it carefully. But remember, that surveys show we have very selective memories when asked to recall what food's been eaten. All over the world people forget about the same things - bars of chocolate, sticky buns, doughnuts, and bags of chips. Surprise, surprise, no-one ever forgets a portion of broccoli or a bowl of salad.

Use this Powerhouse Diet as a basis for your future eating and you won't go far wrong. Repeat day one monthly to give your digestion a rest.