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One approach to helping you find the foods that won’t
trigger sugar spikes, is the Glycaemic Index, which measures how fast different
foods are converted to sugar in the blood stream. It’s not just the basic foods
that vary – the variety and even the cooking method of something like potatoes
has a dramatic effect. So boiled potatoes cause much less of a spike than a
jacket spud.

I’ve added some links about GI in the Resources section. But
remember, it’s about finding what works for you. One 5:2 convert swears by a
small jacket potato as her main meal on a Fast Day!

Alcoholic
Drinks

These
are high in calories and won’t fill you up - on an empty stomach, they could
lower your willpower, too.

Confession time: I know it’s nothing to be proud of, but I
have been known to save 100 calories for a glass of wine if I am going to the
pub. Obviously, you shouldn’t be having 20% of your calories as alcohol on a
regular basis but wine or particularly brut champagne/cava can be a very nice
pick-me-up. Two glasses, though, and you probably won’t be able to resists what
everyone else is eating…

Breakfasts

For
years, received diet wisdom has held that breakfast is the most important meal
of the day – but I’m one of many 5:2 dieters to discover to my surprise that I
don’t actually need it. In fact, on Fast Days, many people seem to find that
the longer they can delay their first meal, the less hungry they feel.

However, if you can’t face the day without it, there are
lots of options for you.

Ready-Made Options

With
ready-made breakfast options, it makes sense to get label-savvy – so many
cereals are high in sugar that they could really knock you off course.

Cereals

Many
5:2 dieters avoid sweetened packet cereals, due to the blood sugar high/low
that I mentioned in the introduction to this part of the book. Also the
portions when you measure them out are really tiny. Porridge or All Bran are
probably a better bet, or some low-sugar mueslis including mainstream brands
like Alpen – look for higher fibre and lower carbohydrate counts on the label.

Cereal bars

These
are marketed as healthy alternatives to normal cereals, but have many of the
same drawbacks – most come in at 100 calories or so but are so sweet you’ll be
craving another one within an hour or less. I used to love one particular
brand – but always ended up eating two, which defeated the object, I could have
had a normal biscuit instead for fewer calories! A  test of cereal bars carried
out by
Which
in the UK showed that one contained almost 4 teaspoons’
worth of sugar. So again, be wary.

Porridge/Oatmeal

Nutritionists
often recommend oats as a good breakfast cereal because they release energy in
the body slowly. For portion control, a pre-measured packet like Oatso Simple
or Quaker Instant Oatmeal works well for some dieters. It’s better to make it
with water to save calories, but if you can’t bear it, semi-skimmed milk will
still keep the calories under 200.

Oatso
Simple Original with water

98 calories

Oatso
Simple Original with 180mg semi-skimmed milk

188 calories

Quaker
Instant Oatmeal, Lower Sugar Flavours

120 calories

Quaker
Oatmeal Perfect Portions Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal

160 calories

Out
and about, Pret a Manger do a
Porridge with Compote
for 267 calories or
without for 242 calories - a hefty chunk out of your allowance, but filling and
easy.
Starbucks Perfect Porridge with Skimmed Milk
is 205 for a pot, as is
Sainsbury’s Express Porridge Pot.

In
the US,
Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal
is 140 calories without all the extras
– I’d definitely advise against the brown sugar. The McDonald’s oatmeal is
pretty high in calories at 270 for the
Apple and Cinnamon variety.
See
below for home-made versions.

Smoothies

Pure
fruit smoothies might seem tempting for a meal on the go, but they are not
ideal, for the reasons given in the previous chapter – fruit can play havoc
with blood sugar and make you hungry very fast. But those with yogurt, oats and
other slowly-digested ingredients may be a better bet. Look at the calorie
counts but also at the sugar/carbohydrate count on the label - the lower the
better.

Yogurt

There
are so many varieties of yogurt that you need to be label savvy. I love the richness
of Greek yogurt, and prefer taking a tiny portion of that on a Fast Day to more
of a low-fat variety. As always, follow your taste buds. A good breakfast option
can be a natural low-fat, low-carb yogurt and then add a few nuts or seeds
(again, measured carefully) to stave off hunger pangs later: sunflower or
pumpkin seeds will work, along with a few fresh seasonal strawberries or frozen
raspberries or blueberries.

Something on Toast…

Who
can resist toast…? It’s the crack cocaine of the carbohydrate world for me: one
slice is never enough. So it can be a risky choice on a fast day. But if you
can stick to one or two slices without butter it can make your mornings more
bearable. A medium slice of Hovis Granary Wholemeal is 92 cals: a slice from
one of their smaller wholemeal loaves is around 57. In the US, a slice of
Wonder Cottage White is 80 calories and Wonder Stoneground is 90.

The following are for the topping only and I’ve used a range
of different brands - most supermarkets will have similar products:

Eggs
are protein-rich and can also be very satisfying, especially at breakfast, so
it’s worth considering them. Poaching or boiling are the least calorific ways
of preparing them, but they can also be fried using the oil sprays you can buy,
which typically work out at 1 calorie per spray - not as tasty as butter, but
they won’t eat up your entire allowance either.

I
know most of us have our own ways of making scrambled egg, but here’s one that
always works:

Serving
suggestion
:
Instead of serving on toast, use no-cal spray to fry large Portobello/field
mushrooms for 4-5 minutes (turning halfway) - and top with the eggs.

Anytime Omelettes

I’m
a fan of omelettes because to me they seem more complete without the addition
of the (calorific) toast.

There
are many different brands available, so pick your favourite: I am a huge fan of
Flavahan’s Irish Porridge Oats - they are so creamy and yummy, even made with
water.

Oatmeal
brands have microwave or hob cooking instructions on the pack. A 40g serving of
Flavahan’s made with 240nl skimmed milk is 237 calories.

Home-made
Bircher Muesli

This is how I like my oats. I first
discovered it on holiday in the posh hotel buffet, and it’s filling and
healthy. It’s also almost effortless and tastes a lot yummier than it sounds.
The only problem is that it makes a very small portion in a bowl… but we’re
getting used to those doll’s house-sized portions.

This
is a small portion but very filling…

25g
porridge oats (97 cals)
25ml
semi skimmed milk (12 cals) or apple juice (11cals) plus a teaspoon (5g) of
sultanas (15cals)

Cool Lunches and Hot Dinners

Again,
I’ve split this into ready-made meals that I and other dieters have found
filling and tasty - and then suggestions for home-made dishes. You can
obviously have them for lunch, dinner - or breakfast, if you feel like it. It’s
your diet…

If
you choose to eat one main meal a day, then it will be really easy to find
ready meals that come in at 500-600 calories a serving. As a pointer, try to
choose meals with a balance of protein and carbohydrate, to keep you from
getting hungry again too quickly (a chocolate cheesecake or brownie dessert
might come in under the limit but will probably drive you crazy with hunger
again within a couple of hours).

If
you’re planning two or three meals a day, I’ve taken recommendations from our
forum members from the main brands and supermarkets to help you choose. If you
haven’t tasted diet meals for a while, you may be in for a pleasant surprise!

UK Options

Innocent Veg Pots -
these vegetable and
pulse-based dishes are stews or casseroles based on various cuisines, including
Indian, Thai and Mexican. They are filling, though the presence of lots of
beans and fibre can have explosive consequences… just saying. The calorie count
varies from around 215 to over 300. Many supermarkets now do very similarly
packaged own brand versions.

Kirstys.co.uk
– their ready meals are
popular with several 5:2 regulars: these healthy versions of classic dishes
come from the company featured on TV’s ‘Dragon’s Den’. They’re stocked in
Sainsbury’s and other stores: particular forum favourites are… Moroccan
Vegetables with Quinoa (276 calories) and Cottage Pie with Sweet Potato Mash
(288 calories)