Its been a while since I last blogged but I haven’t been wasting my time.

Some time ago Barry and I decided that we wanted to make some major life changes – basically, to cut back on work, downsize, explore a bit more of the world and also examine what improvements we could make to our health and lifestyle.

So, we  tidied up some loose ends and set off to San Diego, USA for three months to escape the British winter. Our aim: to relax,think about our plans for the next two years and beyond and to investigate raw food.

So, we’re here, we’ve been in our rental apartment on the beach for a month now and we are certainly chilled, but what of our lifestyle changes?

Perhaps now I should explain that we’ve always espoused a healthy lifestyle, but nobody is perfect, bad habits creep in – working crazy hours, eating on the run, late nights, early mornings, too little fresh air or sun. Do I need to go on? I’m sure you’ve fallen into at least some of these traps.

So, raw food, Well, we said we’d be flexible in our plans and, having researched extensively and finally found an holistic nutritionist, we arrived on her doorstep, jetlagged and exhausted and were told in no uncertain terms that neither of us should even consider a raw diet.

I still love the idea but, as I suspected, our health issues and the fact that we live in a cold climate are against us.

Our nutritionist looks the absolute picture of health so we decided to take her advice for the time being.  Despite being part of a wellbeing cooperative that has a complete service of consultants, testing and therapists, she suggested that we keep our costs down as much as possible and start out by following a “Clean Eating” plan.

So off we went with a couple of bottles of pills (more about this later), a tub of protein shake and a list of instructions to follow.

So, how did we get on?   Be patient and I’ll tell you in a few days.

Lorraine Terry

Forget all the fancy diets you read about, just follow the plan below for a couple of weeks and you’re sure to shed the pounds.

If you want to stay on this diet  be sure that you’re eating a wide variety of foods, try all those funny looking fruits and veg that you normally ignore.  Don’t get bored – experiment, there’s a recipe on the internet for absolutely everything.

Lots of people have food that doesn’t agree them, this isn’t a reason to give up. Find a solution, there is always an alternative.

Breakfasts

• Fat free live yoghurt (add fruit, crushed almonds)

• Oat porridge made with water or 0% fat milk with summer berries

• Scrambled eggs on wholewheat toast (with smoked salmon or a slice of bacon with all the fat removed)

Lunches

• Big raw veg salad with grilled fish or tinned mackerel/tuna + two ryvitas

• Greek salad made with fat reduced feta + ½ a pitta

• Cottage cheese with a small baked potato

• Grilled chicken breast (no skin) with mixed salad

• Homemade vegetable soup and one slice of wholewheat bread

Dinners

• Any grilled meat with all fat removed and steamed veg and a small portion of rice or other grain

• Any grilled fish with steamed veg and a small portion of rice or other grain

• Marinated tofu with stir fry veg

Liven up your veg with a splash of balsamic vinegar and/or a sprinkling of sesame seeds and use a wide variety of veg

Use a spray oil for cooking

Desserts

• Fresh fruit salad

• Frozen grapes (or try a wedge of pineapple on a stick)

• A bowl of cherries in season

• Frozen fat free yoghurt lolly

• Iced Berries (whiz a few spoons of fat free yoghurt with some previously frozen berries)

Extras

Herbal teas

1 cup of 0% fat milk (try adding ¼ tsp of decaf coffee and whisk to make a latte)

Herbs and spices to flavour

Snacks

Try to avoid snacking but if you must choose from the following:

2 cubes of a good quality dark chocolate

Crudites – carrot, celery, pepper etc. (make a dip with a couple of spoons of fat free yoghurt mixed with chopped cucumber and fresh mint)

2 ryvitas with a small cube of fat reduced cheese (or a laughing cow spread)

a few almonds

A piece of fruit (put it on a stick and freeze for a tasty ice treat)

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: You have the following rights to this report: You are free to give it away, use it as a bonus with your own packages, or print it off for personal use. You may not sell it, rewrite any of the content, or claim any of it as your own.

LEGAL NOTICES: While all attempts have been made to provide effective, verifiable information in this report, neither the Authors nor Publisher assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional. If advice concerning health matters is needed, the services of a qualified professional should be sought. This report is not a source of medical information, and it should not be regarded as such. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to only the subject matter covered. It is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering a professional service. If expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

1.  Eat regularly and don’t skip meals.

2.  Always eat breakfast, a small amount of protein and some fruit is fine.

3.  Reduce portion sizes, it’s all too easy to overeat.

4.  Eat seasonal organic locally produced food where possible.

5.  Use wholegrains in preference to white.

6.  Try using grains other than wheat (eg. oats, quinoa, rye)

7.  Eat more of the green leafy veg than the sugar rich roots.

8.  Use herbal teas in preference to coffee and fizzy drinks.

9.  Drink plenty of water, but be careful not to overdo it.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: You have the following rights to this report: You are free to give it away, use it as a bonus with your own packages, or print it off for personal use. You may not sell it, rewrite any of the content, or claim any of it as your own.

LEGAL NOTICES: While all attempts have been made to provide effective, verifiable information in this report, neither the Authors nor Publisher assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions. Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional. If advice concerning health matters is needed, the services of a qualified professional should be sought. This report is not a source of medical information, and it should not be regarded as such. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to only the subject matter covered. It is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering a professional service. If expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.