This chapter is at the heart of the book for a reason – it is designed to nurture and support you and give you information that you can draw on for the rest of your life. Ayurveda is the foundation upon which I have built my life – the way I eat and the way in which I seek to balance my frenetic modern lifestyle – but I also have other tools in my wellbeing toolbox which I call upon year after year. Seasonality is a crucial part of understanding and maintaining body balance. It is a key tenet of Ayurveda too, one which we have grown further away from as our lives become increasingly urban, and we become removed from the subtle shifts within, and between, the seasons
Throughout the Body Balance Diet Plan I stick to the belief systems that support our modern way of life and that are also supported by both modern science and common sense. I’ve focused on traditional, but simple Ayurvedic advice that really helps weight-loss while boosting wellbeing. I have many friends who work in the Ayurvedic fields and whom I have consulted in the writing of this book, and I respect them because they very much live in this ‘real world’. They are also, like me, naturally cynical and opposed to ‘new age’ schools of thought, and the things they prescribe and subscribe to are the things they themselves have tried, tested and chosen to trust. This is true of me too and the recipes and plans you’ll find as you read on.
In this chapter, I explore the crucial importance of seasonality. I’ve already touched on this topic several times, but here I’ll be providing a comprehensive look at how adopting a seasonal diet can naturally and simply transform your health. I’ve consulted leading seasonality expert, Annee de Mamiel, who runs a thriving acupuncture and traditional Chinese-medicine-based clinic in London, as well as producing two exquisite holistic beauty ranges. Her knowledge of how to shift our lives in line with the seasons is truly insightful, and since I’ve started living according to her advice, I’ve felt stronger, calmer, happier, and – yes – more balanced.
Long before seasonality was lauded by top chefs and nutritionists, Ayurveda extolled the virtues of eating as close to nature, and following its rhythm, as much as possible. Of course, eating seasonally was a way of life 5,000 years ago – you ate what nature produced for you, as you had no means to survive otherwise! But Ayurveda understood that we feel differently from season to season, that our bodies and minds react one way to summer’s heat and brightness, and react another way to winter’s bitter cold. We are more prone to certain illnesses or discomforts at different times of the year; we crave different foods; we may sleep or dream differently. These seasonal changes are profound and they affect our dosha too. Not living in tune with the seasons can imbalance us, just as not eating seasonally can. Because Ayurveda is the science of life, its principles adapt and react to life’s seasonal cycles, always. We have an inherent doshic constitution, as mentioned before – our prakruti – but quite naturally and predictably, our bodies also change throughout the 12 months of the year, in response to the changing world around us. I am Pitta, but in winter, my minority dosha, Kapha, always increases. The wet, damp, cold qualities of winter cause Kapha to rise, and so I begin to eat more foods to reduce Kapha, while also taking care not to aggravate Pitta too much.
Considering our own dosha, and the foods that help our constitution thrive, is the foundation, but considering how our dosha is affected by winter and spring, summer and autumn, is the bricks and mortar that rest upon the our doshic foundation. This allows us to take a truly responsive approach to our daily diet, based upon what we need from season to season. This is as intuitive and intelligent as wellbeing gets, yet it is so easy to do. You simply eat the foods that are right for your dosha and for the season. Eating seasonally is ‘natural’ – literally – nature produces what we need, when we most need it: ‘stick to your ribs’ root vegetables in winter when we require extra sustenance; water-rich melons in summer when we’re susceptible to dehydration.
The more I researched Ayurveda, and the more nutrition experts I talked to, the more I realized that optimal health is just not possible if you do not eat in a seasonal way. Everything that Ayurveda is built on is about ‘nature’ – our own natural unchanging dosha type, our constitution, our true self – and so it follows that if we want to nourish ourselves in the most natural way we can, direct from nature, mucking around with our food as little as possible, we have to honour the seasonal rules.
We must also respect these rules because seasonality defines the way in which we live Ayurvedically. Ayurveda believes that the seasons are characterized by the three doshas.
Which Dosha for which Season?
Summer, being hot and bright, is naturally Pitta.
Autumn, being cold, blustery and often dry, is Vata.
Winter, with its inherent heaviness – dark, cold, wet – is Kapha.
Spring is primarily Kapha (but it’s more complex than that – see below).
Ayurveda understands that the season is not simply the date. A cold, blustery, icy May day possesses the qualities of cold early spring, or even winter, not the onset of summer. Modern Ayurveda experts also note that these guidelines were built around a hotter climate and way of life. But, to a large extent, we do tend to share a basic idea of ‘season’ all over the world. Even if December in Oz is scorching, and freezing in New York, we still have our summers and winters, springs and autumns.
If you’re living somewhere with very little fluctuation in the weather, you should live according to whatever season predominates (all those sunshine days in California, for example, make it perpetually Pitta).
Spring is fascinating and Ayurveda calls it the ‘king of the seasons’. This damp, bright, blooming time brings us out of winter, so Ayurveda applies much of the same rules to the two seasons. It is primarily Kapha – we are coming out of hibernation and must do so gently. It is time for rebirth, to energize, to revive and start afresh. This is why I advise those buying this book to wait until spring before embarking upon the immersion diet. You really can do it at any time of year due to its gentle nature, but in spring we’re more likely to have the mental resolve to support our bodily changes, and are therefore more likely to succeed with our long-term plans.
Ayurveda believes that if we adapt our lives to the seasons we will avoid the inevitable maladies that come when we’re out of sync with the world around us. So we should anticipate what the weather will do. For example, when it shifts from early to late spring – going from brisk to warm – we can start to reduce the amount of heat-producing foods in our diet, to get our Pitta in balance, which will give us a head start when summer rolls around.
Likewise, trying to stop the body drying out at the end of summer (so, taking the Vata-reducing route), will give you the advantage in autumn when your lungs and skin might become dry (skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis and dry coughs are common autumnal complaints). For many of us this is an entirely new way of looking at the world, but one with centuries of practice to support it.
Ayurveda can at times seem to contradict itself. There’s a very clear way of seasonal eating that is recommended by all Ayurvedic practitioners, but that can sometimes appear to fight your own doshic preferences. You’re often told to reduce Kapha in winter by focusing on eating Bitter and Astringent foods, but if you are naturally of a Vata constitution, you stand to raise Vata greatly by eating these foods alone.
Though on first glance it can seem that Ayurveda has suffered a case of over-simplification, the converse is actually true. The reality of life, and the balance of our doshas season by season, is very complex. We are all made up of all three doshas and this balance is always in flux – affected by diet, of course, but also the seasons. So, our approach to balancing our body must take both seasonality and our own dosha type into account.
Within this chapter you’ll find guidance for each season, but I’ve also ensured that the recipes at the back of the book also specify which is good for which dosha, and which season to eat it in too. This should remove any potential contradictions – an issue I’ll admit I’ve had with almost every Ayurvedic book I’ve consulted while writing this one.
We must respond to the season’s changes within our bodies and look to prevent their effects before they produce an imbalance, which is far harder to treat. We can only do this by eating differently in each and every season, but in a way that is still honouring our own dosha.
At Annee de Mamiel’s perpetually booked-up London clinic, she performs a wonderfully intuitive Seasonal Attunement treatment. The focus is on balancing the body’s energy meridians or chakras, and getting the body to a point where it can expel the previous season’s literal and metaphysical waste, and move on, stronger and far more balanced, to the season ahead. For this reason, her seasonal wisdom, which draws upon nutrition, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, breath work and aromatherapy, is truly integrative and produces the sort of results which have given her a year-long waiting list.
Annee de Mamiel
Plants get their nourishment from the sun and soil. Seasonal fresh produce has been allowed to ripen in the environment it has evolved for and so it has optimal flavour and appeal – it’s crispy, fragrant, juicy and colourful. The plant has also had the sun exposure it needs, which means it will have higher levels of antioxidants. The natural cycle supports seasonal produce and is perfectly designed to support our health too. Apples grow in the autumn and they are the perfect transitional food, helping the body get rid of excess heat and waste before winter.
In the spring the abundance of leafy greens helps us alkalize our systems and detox after a long winter of heavier foods. Our Western guts – fuelled by sugar, wheat and dairy (all acidic foods) – are often very acidic themselves. In the summer we need to cool down and stay hydrated by eating more fruit, berries, cucumber and watermelon. Building a lifestyle around seasonal food facilitates the body’s natural healing process, and embracing the natural rhythm of things also helps simplify our lives by reducing our options. While you may be able to buy melons all year round now, it doesn’t mean you should! As far as possible, stick to what has just been grown and harvested in the climate you are in, and harvest the healing energy of nature every time you do so.
Essential oils are a powerful way to improve our emotions as they act directly on our limbic system, affecting our physiological responses and how we feel. If we choose oils that have an affinity with the season, the benefits will be greatly heightened.
• Spring – look for oils that link to woody notes, to help reduce stress and irritability, and ease your frustration and anger. Try lavender, bergamot, peppermint, chamomile (Roman and German), grapefruit and ylang ylang.
• Summer – choose light, energizing and cooling herbaceous oils that will soothe the heart and promote peace of mind, love and joy within you. Try jasmine, melissa, neroli, palmarosa, rosemary, rose, ylang ylang and lavender.
• Late Summer – focus on healing to promote care, support and sympathy within you, helping you to think clearly and feel nurtured and supported, while grounding you and returning you to your centre. Try lemon, grapefruit, thyme, marjoram and vetiver.
• Autumn – use oils which will strengthen and support the lungs and boost the immune system, while also encouraging the breath and helping us to release and let go of anything that no longer benefits us. Try eucalyptus, cypress, fragonia and elemi.
• Winter – this is the time to strengthen your inner core, rest and replenish. It’s also the time to release fears and fortify yourself so you have a platform of energy for the New Year. Try geranium, juniper, cedarwood, cypress, ginger and vetiver.
Breath is life! It is the flow of energy. Survival without it is measured in minutes. Breathing is so important that you do it without thinking. Your breathing is the voice of your spirit. Its depth, smoothness, sound and rate reflect your mood. If you become aware of your breath and breathe the way you do when you are calm you will become calm. Practising regular, mindful breathing can be both relaxing and energizing.
Focusing on the breath is one of the most common and fundamental techniques for accessing a meditative state. Breath is a deep rhythm of the body that connects us intimately with the world around us.
Simple Breathing Exercise
Close your eyes, breathe deeply and regularly, and observe your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Give your full attention to the breath as it comes in, and your full attention to the breath as it goes out. Whenever you find your attention wandering away from your breath, gently pull it back to the rising and falling of the breath.
Inhale through your nose slowly and deeply, feeling the lower chest and abdomen inflate like a balloon. Hold for five seconds. Exhale deeply, deflating the lower chest and abdomen like a balloon. Hold for five seconds. Do this three or four times, then allow your breathing to return to a normal rhythm.
You will begin to feel a change come over your entire body. Gradually you will become less aware of your breathing, but not captured in your stream of thoughts. Your focus will become more inward. You will just ‘be there’.
We’re coming out of winter, a time when Kapha is at its highest – think of the dampness we carry in our systems if still throwing off chesty coughs and colds, and also the lethargy we’re left with after months of darkness.
Spring naturally supports change, and Ayurveda places a lot of store in this season, when it’s all about getting rid of the Kapha that’s built up within our bodies. We hear a lot about ‘fresh starts’, and perhaps the term has become hackneyed, but I’ll never forget the year when I returned from a 10-day April escape (having left the UK after five solid months of rain, snow and far-lower-than-average temperatures) to find my garden blooming. My camellia tree was glorious – bursting with fat pink blooms, and all the little wildflowers along the garden path had sprung up, seemingly overnight. I have that picture emblazoned in my mind because it came with a huge accompanying sigh of relief. Feeling the spring sunshine on my face, looking up at that blue sky, taking a first full deep breath of warm air into my lungs, I knew that winter was over, I’d left repeated bouts of illness behind me, and now I could start to heal and move forward in both body and mind. Of course spring is not without its typical ailments: whenever flowers start to bloom, hay fever rears its head too, and Kapha types tend to suffer most. We’re also in the process of getting rid of all that stagnant Kapha energy within our systems; the token spring cold is a symbol of that – and the body’s own bid to spring clean itself.
By eating Ayurvedically and always in line with the seasons, you can really bolster your body against most health complaints, but you need to reset your way of life first. The easiest way to do this is to get your body clock back on track and in spring, we all benefit from waking along with the sunrise – before 7am.
Early waking dispels sluggishness, which is the cornerstone of Kapha. Kickstart your digestion and sharpen your mind. In lieu of hot water you can also try a cup of fresh, stimulating tea – grate ginger into boiling water, allow to cool and add a small drizzle of honey to taste.
Food-wise you should focus on Bitter, Pungent and Astringent flavours. These foods are naturally cleansing, and that’s what spring is all about. Focus on light and fresh meals that are easy to digest – we don’t want to add more stodge to a stomach that’s in the process of shifting winter’s excess. Food should, however, be warm – steamed, poached and grilled/broiled food is all great in spring.
Spicing is important – ginger, and most peppers (black, cayenne, chilli) are all good, but Pitta types be wary of overdoing it – we all need to shift the Kapha energy in spring, but we don’t want to aggravate our doshas while we do it.
Early summer takes us from spring’s end up to summer solstice. Late summer leads up to the onset of autumn, and is when the scorching, driest days fall – it begins at a point when Pitta is at its highest and during this time Vata is also increased (the dry heat, as opposed to monsoon-like, humid weather, sparks Vata within us). Ayurvedic advice focuses on cooling Pitta down to prevent ourselves getting irritable, aggravated and unwell. Though many of us feel naturally healthier and more vital in summer, Pitta types are especially prone to getting flustered, and suffering the consequent heat and skin rashes and stomach upsets.
Get things on track by waking with the sunshine. Unlike in spring you needn’t get up at sunrise, but listen to your body and try to wake yourself at a time when you feel most energized, which should be between 6.30 and 7.30am. If you have the opportunity for a short daytime nap (which would be blissful), sleep with windows open, in a light warm room, and if you know you’ll be getting a good period of restful sleep at night, you can then fall into bed later in the summer without upsetting your body’s balance – 11pm up to midnight is fine.
In summer, we can eat more salads than at any other time without it taxing our digestive system (as you know, I’m not a fan of all-raw all the time). It’s best to eat them at lunchtime, though, and to make them up of the vegetables that best support your dosha. Too much raw food at night can imbalance Vata.
Look for Sweet, Bitter and Astringent flavours, which are naturally lighter and easier to digest. Naturally water-rich, sweet and cooling foods – particularly coconut – are wonderful at cooling the internal fire of the body. Mild coconut-spiced curries with basmati rice are excellent. Consuming your water via your food will help hydrate you on a far deeper cellular level than simply drinking gallons of water from a bottle (when it will often pass through your system without being adequately processed). Likewise, hydrating nut and grain milks such as almond and rice balance Pitta well and also offer supplementary minerals and vitamins. Adding a squeeze of lime to your water is another great way of cooling Pitta in the summer, as well as helping the body rehydrate faster.
In terms of alcohol, a beer is fine, as is wine, cider and vodka. But rum, brandy, whisky and red wine are all notoriously heating, and best forgone until autumn comes around again. In general, eating light and easily digestible foods is most important. Fruits and vegetables are at their greatest nutritional peak, giving us an abundance of choices that support healthy eating. It is particularly important to avoid overeating, especially as the summer gets later.
Foods that are cooling in nature are what the body craves, but don’t have ice-cold drinks. If they are too cold, although the initial relief is pleasant, your system will get a shock – eating too much cold or raw food can actually injure the spleen and stomach, cause headaches, upset digestion and slow metabolism. Stick to room temperature if you can. Too hot won’t help matters either, so tea and coffee drinkers, give your beverage a chance to cool, drinking it when it is warm rather than hot.
Meat-eaters should look for lighter flesh – in both colour and flavour – so chicken and both white and oily fish are best in summer. Red meat will very quickly imbalance Pitta further. It’s also best to avoid citrus fruits – partly because they aggravate Pitta, but also because they’re not summer fruits (they’re harvested in late autumn and winter). Also avoid having too much tomato, chilli, onion and garlic, all of which will raise Pitta.
Aloe vera, as a morning drink before food, is recommended in summer as it both calms the stomach and helps cool the entire system. Similarly, teas made with rose, fennel and peppermint will help soothe you, and reduce Pitta.
With Vata on the up at the end of summer as the days become drier and cooler, the focus this season is on reducing Vata, and keeping the system warm, moist and hydrated, and one’s mind calm.
Foods that support this are Sweet, Sour and Salty. Comfort is key at this time of year. As autumn becomes colder and wetter, we must once again focus on balancing Kapha.
Avoid eating too many cold and raw foods, which create dampness (upping our mucus and phlegm production). Grains are great: they are warming but also cleansing and so help with shifting Kapha at autumn’s end too. Stock up on quinoa, barley and basmati rice and use as the base for many of your autumn meals.
Eat your vegetables warm and soft – steam for best results – and start enjoying seasonal soups and warming, silken stews again. Focus on foods that will ground you, dispelling that extra Vata and making you feel toasty and happy inside. Porridge is a great morning meal; when I was pregnant for the second time (and feeling both poorly and nauseous) my panacea was a cockle-warming Cardamom Chia Spice Porridge (see recipe on pages 173–4). Flavoured with maple syrup – another wonderful natural Vata-ridding food – this porridge is sweet, creamy, dreamy stuff, and chock-full of immunity-boosting antioxidants too.
Learn to enjoy and accept autumn’s beauty. We’re often sad to see the end of summer, but the stillness we can experience in autumn is unparalleled. It’s a wonderful time to add an evening walk to your routine: wrap yourself and the family up warmly in layers of cotton and wool and head out to a quiet spot, taking in the changes around you – red, yellow and orange are all Vatapacifying colours, so you’ll be surrounded by a dosha-balancing canopy on every stroll. How lovely! Return to a cup of warm milk, spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom (or mix them to taste), and then off to bed before 10pm, as we need more sleep to keep us fit, balanced and healthy once the sun starts setting earlier.
For most of us, winter is cold, damp and cloudy – consequently, things can feel a bit sluggish. We move more slowly, we wake less eagerly, and many of us wander around harbouring a cough or cold and don’t have that same ‘zip’ in our steps. This is all attributable to Kapha. At times, however, we can also experience Vata – on those bright, clear, icy-chill days – so if you have a Vata constitution, you must take care to keep Kapha at bay, while also pacifying your Vata.
As Kapha and Vata are at opposing ends of the dosha spectrum, whatever you eat to reduce Kapha will raise Vata. Therefore try to eat at least some foods that encourage Pitta. Look for ingredients with delicate natural spice, sweetness and also a satisfying, nourishing quality, without being too sticky, heavy or wet. Think of healthy, filling foods that are not processed ‘stodge’. Filling foods can be well digested when you focus on wheat-free grains such as spelt, barley or quinoa – eaten with stews and soups. But also add more grain-rich meals in general to your diet – porridge, polenta and risotto (made with brown rice, barley or spelt is a great option) – and seasonal root vegetables, and also add more milk to the diet. If you can’t tolerate lactose, then warming nut or grain milks, spiced with cinnamon, vanilla or nutmeg are the perfect thing to drink before bed.
Coming at the end of the year’s cycle, it’s normal for us to slow down during winter, and this is no bad thing. Our minds can be worn out, our bodies ready to hibernate – think of that urge we feel to settle down on the sofa and eat a hearty supper – this is all natural. What we don’t want to do is succumb to complete lethargy and overeating, as that does not do the mood, or body, any favours. Though Ayurveda believes napping in both summer and autumn does you some good, it’s not recommended in winter as it’s far harder to shake off that sleepy malaise on darker days, and you’ll end up carrying that heaviness around with you all day – which really raises Kapha.
The good news is, however, that we really can eat more in winter. Our digestive fire is always strongest in winter simply because we’re designed to need that extra fuel. Most people’s appetites tend to grow in the colder months and recede again once summer kicks in. This heightened digestive fire therefore makes winter the ideal time to enjoy some red meat once in a while, and all lean meats, particularly turkey and chicken, are fine too.
This is also the time of year to use more ghee – a type of clarified butter which is used extensively in Ayurvedic cooking. Because of my Mediterranean heritage, I use a great deal of olive oil in my cooking, and you’ll see it in lots of my recipes. I know that it’s good for you and I also think it tastes better than other alternatives.
I also use sesame, rapeseed/canola and coconut oils, which have their important and particular places. But there are certain recipes where only ghee will do, and in winter, when making certain rice, lentil or bean stews and soups, ghee is an important ingredient.
One would imagine that clarified butter is not particularly healthy, but ghee is the perfect transporter for both herbs and spices, ensuring that they are optimally absorbed and digested by the body. Ayurvedic doctors praise ghee’s ability to nourish and ‘oil’ the body’s connective tissues, muscles and joints, while also stoking your agni. It is therefore a great thing to keep in your store cupboard in winter (due to its purity, it does not require refrigeration). I would not, however, recommend lots of ghee to anyone with high cholesterol. Because I’ve tried continually to balance modern knowledge with the most salient Ayurvedic wisdom, I have used ghee in a recipe when only the unique properties of ghee will do, but I’ve used less-rich oils and fats in most other places.
Seasonal Attunement Treatment
There is a treatment called panchakarma, which is a godsend if you’re the type of person who struggles through winter with cold after cold (a sure sign that Kapha is raging within you). If you can locate a good Ayurvedic clinic, or a mobile practitioner, this treatment will really get you on the right footing and will be performed at the end of autumn to give you and your immune system a headstart. It involves some serious gut-cleansing, which can feel unfamiliar (enemas are sometimes involved) – but is nevertheless far more gentle than colonic irrigation.
The process ordinarily involves three steps: oleation, which is the ingestion of seeds and oils to loosen and rid the body of internal blockages, toxins and waste, supported by massage; bastis, which are uniquely gentle and beneficial enemas, using special medicated herbal preparations; and rasayana, which is about restoring nourishment to your system once it has been cleansed, when it is at its most receptive.
The Western world tends to wait until January to ‘detox’ and attempt to lose weight (often via spartan and restrictive crash diets!) – but Ayurveda believes in a gentle, constant process of purification, supported by the seasons, and the body’s own internal functions. To boost this natural process here are five simple but effective ways to boost inner cleansing and aid the loss of excessive weight. These principles work wonderfully all year round.
Purifying and satisfying, when taken in place of a ‘snack’ this drink will often cancel out all hunger, and is therefore a great in-between-meals drink. Of course, if you do drink and enjoy it, but are still ravenous afterwards, then please, do eat! You can adjust the mix to taste, but a teaspoon of honey and teaspoon of lime juice in a large mug of warm water is about right.
I grew up in a house where we ate salad almost every day – not the sort of insipid, undressed side salad you often find in a restaurant, but a varied, bright, fresh, beautifully dressed, chopped salad that was always served with hot meals. Since becoming attuned to Ayurveda I’ve adapted my salads somewhat – I won’t eat a completely raw cold salad with a big hot cooked meal – but because I still crave my salad fix with my dinner or lunch, I will lightly roast, steam or stir-fry the vegetables for my salad (from asparagus to capsicum peppers), so that they’re warm and not wholly raw, and then make the salad up as normal. I take a lot of my salad inspiration from my Turkish culture. I just try to stick with the freshest seasonal vegetables, and dress them simply with virgin olive oil, lime juice and salt. I’ve also shifted the salad that I used to eat with my cooked food to the beginning of my meal, as a starter, and find it ignites agni – gets the digestive juices flowing – and means I eat a lighter main as a result. Ayurvedically speaking, it’s a no-brainer – you’re adding more Bitter and Astringent foods to a meal, which always helps shift Kapha (and excess weight), and said food is negligible in terms of fat and calories. I’d try to use lime more often than lemon, though, simply because according to Ayurvedic food principles lemon doesn’t combine well with cucumbers or tomatoes – and both are mainstays of a regular salad.
Ayurveda is very clear about this, realizing that cold slows the metabolism and hinders the stomach. As a wellbeing journalist I have often heard ‘diet experts’ recommend only drinking iced drinks, because it forces the body to burn off more calories in a bid to warm the water up to body temperature. Please don’t listen to this! The calorie expenditure from this process is tiny and very unlikely to result in actual visible weight loss. What it will do, however, is cause an imbalanced, unhappy (and probably rather cold) internal body. Far better to stick to drinking warm water, which helps clear the colon, is far more effective in actually hydrating the body and respects the body’s own internal environment, which can only ever be a good thing.
If you are determined to lose weight, and can only make one change to your routine, it ought to be this. Eating a filling, healthy meal at lunchtime (with two or more courses) is the way to go. Lunch hits your stomach at a time when it’s most receptive; the meal is better digested and boosts metabolism for the rest of the day, and is less likely to be eaten in a blind starving panic, which is what so often happens at dinnertime, when many of us ravenously raid the kitchen. In an ideal world, we’d eat lunch at noon and dinner at 5pm, but most of us are still sitting at desks at that time. If, therefore, you often leave six to seven hours between lunch and dinner, I always recommend a small snack around 4 or 5pm. This stops hunger spiralling into ‘grab it and stuff it into my mouth’ territory, and will then allow you to eat a lighter dinner, because the edge has been taken off your hunger. A small dinner, however, really requires a shift in psychology. We’re used to sitting down at the end of a ‘hard day’, with a glass of wine and a big plate of food. It’s a reward for making it through the day, but also our cue to switch off and begin eating, quite mindlessly, for much of the evening. If you can get yourself used to a big, lovely lunch instead, and the healthy late afternoon snack which is your ‘appetizer’, then your main meal once you’re home ought to be nothing more complex than one of the many filling but ‘lighter’ dinners I’ve provided at the back of this book. It takes time to break years and years of habit, but once you get used to not feeling heavy at the end of the day, eating a smaller dinner earlier, and going to bed with a comfortable stomach, you’ll come to love it.
Okay, so I’m entering self-help territory here, but I’m afraid that food is an emotional subject; indeed, ‘emotional eating’ is now a recognized term (and one we’ve written about a lot at my magazine, Psychologies).
The truth is, if you’re eating for myriad reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with hunger, then this entire process will be tricky. You can follow every bit of advice in this book and you’ll see incredible results, but if you are the sort of person who reaches for the third packet of cookies after a hellish work week, or celebrates promotion with a king-sized chocolate cake for one, then we have a problem. Food is gorgeous, eating is a joy; enjoying incredible flavour and cancelling out hunger is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. We’re wired to want to eat, because we need to eat. But if you’re eating for any other reason, you need to tackle that first. Counselling might be a leap too far (though if you’ve had these issues all of your life, it may not be), but joining a support group, confiding in a trusted friend, even starting an online journal might be the spur that gets you to stop eating for all the wrong reasons. There’s a lot more on this subject in Chapter 9.