"SO WHAT DO YOU EAT?!"

That's a question I get asked a lot these days. The answer is: more than you think! It's easier to say what I don't eat.

Things I avoid:

• Anything with grains in it - bread, pasta, rice, cous cous, porridge, cereals, sauces thickened with maizena or flour...
• Fruit
• Starchy vegetables - potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sweetcorn and such
• Legumes
• Anything with sugar in it (obviously)

Things I eat, but in moderation:

• Dairy products - all full fat versions
• Nuts
• Artificially sweetened stuff - like a sugar free choccie bar at weekends, and the odd bottle of coke zero

Things I eat as much as I want of:

• Protein - meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, protein powder
• Fats - real butter, oils, mayonnaise (again, no margarine or "light" products
• Vegetables that grow above the ground - cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, courgettes, aubergines, mushrooms, spinach, cucumber, olives, all kinds of salad leaves +++
• Cheese

Ok that's not a complete list, but it gives a rough idea. It is important to know that I won't be eating like this forever - once I have reached my goal weight, or just before, I will slowly be indroducing more slow carbs into my diet. That means eating a moderate amount of beans, lentils, wholegrains, maybe the odd portion of wholegrain pasta or a small potato (with skin) with my dinner... So once I am near or at my goal weight I'll be slowly increasing the amount of carbs week by week until I see the weight loss stagnate. The level of carbs at which I don't lose or gain, is the level I will remain at.

I've been experimenting with alternatives to the food I have stopped eating, and have found some substitutes for potatoes and pasta, that I want to share with you:

• Cauliflower puree is an excellent alternative to mashed potato. Simply boil, drain, and use a hand-held blender to mash to a smooth puree, with a bit of butter, salt and pepper
• Grated cauliflower, either microwaved with a tablespoon of water, or shallow fried, is a great alternative to rice. Add spices and seasoning as desired.
• Courgette is fast becoming a favourite veg here. I slice it thin with a cheese slicer and use instead of pasta sheets for lasagne, or slice it into long thin strips with my V-slicer and use instead of spaghetti.

This is fast becoming the longest post ever... I have some recipes I want to share with you too, but I will do that in a separate post!