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It’s that time of year when we reach for the books – but DIETS which one? We asked nutrition experts to ON rank some popular plans. Donna Chisholm TRIAL reports on the results. DONNA CHISHOLM IS NORTH & SOUTH’S EDITOR-AT-LARGE. GETTY

32 | NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 | 33 n 2007, best-selling American the US, which assigns a score of 1 to food writer Michael Pollan 100 based on the nutritional value of I distilled the results of nearly a the food. “We’ve seen remarkable re- decade of research on healthy eating. sults – some people losing 100lb [45kg] His findings formed the first seven simply by trading up choices in every words of his 10,000-word essay in the aisle.” And the supermarkets don’t New York Times Magazine: “Eat food. mind if sales of junk foods fall. Not too much. Mostly plants.” The “They’re agnostic as to what the shop- brevity of the message was deeply per buys, as long as the shopper buys ironic, really, given Pollan has made his something.” name writing books about food. The New Year is traditionally the time Of course, there’s more to it than that, we begin our fight back – again. We buy but actually not much. By “eat food”, the latest diet book, rejoin the gym and Pollan means the sort of stuff your regard that stalk of broccoli with re- great-great-grandma would recognise, newed respect. Or we may simply not the “food-like items” clogging the Google “best diet”. To save you the trou- middle aisles of the supermarket. ble of trawling the 359 million results It’s a mantra nutritionists have been that search returns, we asked experts repeating for many years now, but it’s Elaine Rush, professor of nutrition at basically dull and quickly lost in the the Auckland University of Technology, cacophony of claim and counter-claim and Sarah Hanrahan, dietitian at the from the next new fad-diet book. Deep Nutrition Foundation, to run the nutri- CORBIS down, we probably do get it – but that tional ruler over some of the most pop- National Geographic journalist and researcher Dan Buettner. doesn’t stop us searching for an alter- ular regimens, assessing them, among native that doesn’t centre on lentils, other things, for health, flexibility and legumes and more bloody beans. “stickability”. When the My Food Bag business be- Two came out tied for first place – the in an environment that subtly nudges gan in March 2013, for example, sending Mediterranean Diet, which you’ll know them to eat more plants, to eat a little four or five days’ worth of quality in- all about unless you’ve been living under US researcher less, to move every hour, to socialise, gredients and nutritionally sound a rock since the mid-1990s, and the less Dan Buettner and in a sense to live out their purpose, recipes into the homes of Auckland’s well-known Blue Zones Diet, the prod- and that’s a really important factor.” time-poor, health-conscious upper uct of work by National Geographic says there are But isn’t trying to modify the envi- middle-classes, it took, for those who journalist and researcher Dan Buettner, lessons we can ronments of the rest of the 21st-century could afford it at least, the guesswork based on the food and lifestyle traits of all learn from world a near-hopeless task as well? out of gastronomy. The recipes, designed the longest-lived people in the world. Buettner says no, and has the evidence by nutritionist and Masterchef winner In his first book, theNew York Times five longevity it’s possible. So-called Blue Zones Nadia Lim, were balanced, calorie- best-seller The Blue Zones: Lessons for hot spots he’s Projects have been introduced in 26 US counted and complete – including a Living Longer from the People Who’ve cities, which give Blue Zones certifi- vegetarian meal every week. With close ALAMY Lived the Longest, Buettner discussed identified around cation to schools, restaurants and food to $100 million in annual revenue and Best-selling US food writer Michael Pollan. the lessons we can all learn from five the world. stores which modify their policies and a subscriber base of almost 30,000 in longevity hot spots he’d identified layout in a way that encourages people New Zealand and Australia, it’s seen around the world: Sardinia, Italy; to increase their plant-food consump- spectacularly rapid growth. Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California tion by 25 per cent. Some of the pro- Within months of the launch, how- how to cook them. ate more sugar, more salt, more fat, (where more than 30 per cent of the rice-centric diet produces the same re- jects have been running for six years, ever, it seemed the non-meat dish had But those who eat plants exclusively more calories, more variety,” he tells population are Seventh Day Adventists, sults. “In all cases, the theme is the same: with stunning results. Albert Lea, a city fallen out of favour; in response to client or, as Pollan urges, “mainly”, are still North & South from Connecticut. “Only who are encouraged to be vegetarian); real food, not too much, mostly plants.” of 17,000 people in Minnesota, reported feedback, the frequency of the vegetar- in a tiny minority, with only around in very, very recent years, from a geo- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and In a follow-up volume released in a 40 per cent drop in healthcare costs, ian option was cut to once-fortnightly. two per cent of New Zealanders iden- logical or evolutionary perspective, has Ikaria, Greece. All five produced a high 2015, The Blue Zones Solution, Buettner and Spencer in Iowa a 25 per cent drop. We might know what’s better for us tifying as vegetarian. In 2013, we came our problem changed from having too rate of centenarians (about five per explains how to integrate the diets and Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and but, in this case, when it came to put- seventh in the OECD in a survey of little food and too much physical activ- 10,000) and suffered a fraction of the lifestyles of the zones into our own lives. Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles cred- ting our mouth where our money was, countries that ate the most meat. ity to having too little physical activity diseases that kill the rest of us – includ- “This is a paradigm shift in the way we ited the project with a 50 per cent drop it was pushing shiitake uphill. Part of the problem with our food and too much food. We simply haven’t ing cancer, heart disease and diabetes. think about health,” he says, from his in childhood obesity and a 20 per cent Three years on, Lim reckons the pro- choices, says world-leading American been able to catch up biologically. We Katz says the Blue Zones diets are as Minneapolis base. “For 70 or 80 years, reduction in smoking. veg message is finally getting more trac- diet and health expert Dr David Katz, crave sugar, we crave salt, we crave notable for their diversity as for what we’ve been told, ‘Do your exercise, eat It’s not about tackling kids’ school tion. In September, the brand launched founding director of the Yale-Griffin calories, we crave fat and we crave they share. In Loma Linda, they are ve- your vegetables, get out and get moving, lunches Jamie Oliver-style, according to a vegetarian bag, sales of which she says Prevention Research Centre, is that variety. And it used to be good to crave gans; in Costa Rica, the diet includes get away from the television set’, but we Buettner, but changing the environment. have “gone nuts – we’re stoked”. Many we’re fighting six million years of it, because getting it was hard. Now eggs, dairy and meat. In Ikaria and ignore all that. Research shows trying “Canteens are very hard to change, but of the buyers aren’t vegetarians, she evolution. getting it is easy.” Sardinia, locals practise variations on to modify behaviour is a near universal if you put vegetables at the front of the says, but simply want to include more “For most of that time, homo sapiens Katz invented the NuVal scoring the theme of Mediterranean diets. In failure. The reason people in the Blue line, as opposed to the end, the amount meat-free meals in their diet and learn and our predecessors benefited if we system now in 2600 supermarkets in Okinawa, a traditional plant-based, Zones live a long time is that they live of vegetables consumed by kids goes up

34 | NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 | 35 GIANLUCA COLLA/NATIONALGIANLUCA GEOGRAPHIC/GETTY GETTY A 100-year-old man working in a field in the “Blue Zone” of the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. A 100-year-old woman lifts weights each morning in Loma Linda, California.

20 per cent.” Blue Zones Project schools answer is knowing that animal prod- n a nod to the cuisine of the physical activity and fine motor skills!” – he fears Pollard’s “Eat food. Not too have removed junk food, sweets and soft ucts, meat in particular, are like radi- centenarians of Okinawa, North We order two of the five vegetable much. Mostly plants” mantra is hard to drinks. “It’s making the whole food ation. We know that eating a lot of it & South invited nutritionists dishes: the broccoli and eggplant. But achieve in real life. environment in a school 30 per cent – say two servings a day or more – I Rush and Hanrahan to discuss the rest of the meal is fish-protein “It’s an aspirational banner; a nice healthier, but it’s not a silver bullet – about triples your chances of diabetes, their analysis and diet rankings at heavy – scampi, tuna and snapper Diets hold the little catchphrase. Diets hold the prom- it’s silver buckshot.” cancer or heart disease, but eating very Auckland’s award-winning Japanese sashimi, crayfish taco and a “spider promise of what ise of what we should be (or how we Buettner describes himself as mainly little – fewer than five times a month restaurant, Masu. slider” in a squid-ink brioche. It’s not believe we should be) rather than how vegan, but eats some fish. At 55, he holds – probably won’t hurt you.” They’re both Blue Zones fans. long before Rush declares herself full, we should be (or we are. It’s the same as believing we three world records in endurance cy- Creating an environment that makes Buettner’s work, says Rush, is the best saying she finds fish very satiating. how we believe should be sitting cross-legged on a sun- cling. “Now I do yoga and just cycle to it easier to eat more plants might be evidence we have that, over the long Hanrahan and I plough on to a teriyaki drenched deck doing yoga and looking work.” Yet even he lost nearly 4kg when something as basic as making a new term, diets like this increase longevity. chicken skewer. “My satiety switch is we should be) fabulous. The sad reality is tired bodies, he switched to a Blue Zones lifestyle. vegetarian friend. “The second-best And it doesn’t involve demonising any made of stronger stuff,” says Hanrahan. rather than soggy breakfast cereal and a long com- He’s working on a new book, which thing you can do is find a vegetarian food or nutrient. Rather, she says, it’s While this meal contains more protein how we are. mute to work. Diets have the same includes a meta-analysis of 155 diet recipe – and I’d argue a bean recipe you all about the “four fs” the Blue Zoners than they’d usually eat – their rule is emotive pull, but the promise will very surveys done over the past century can make in one pot – that you love.” He practise: fingers – they don’t smoke; having half the meal in vegetables – it’s rarely be realised. in all five Blue Zones – a worldwide nominates his Ikarian Stew (see the feet – they walk; food – mainly plant; a treat. “It’s different if you’re doing it “It’s not about being a monk or an average of “what the 100-year-olds recipe on page 45). and fellowship, which is particularly all the time,” says Rush. “They should be thinking half a plate avoider. It’s about being someone who really ate, because you can’t just ask Moving to a healthier diet, he says, crucial. It’s not about being deprived They say despite the fact nutritionists of vegetables and good-quality protein. embraces food for what it is – a fabu- them what they’re eating now”. requires four things: the belief it’s good of food, but enjoying it with others. have been hammering basically the same They should never have to get down to lous part of your life, a fabulous thing The results have clearly shown, he for us, the knowledge we like it, the “Families that eat together have a better message for more than 30 years, much nutrient level.” to enjoy. And, of course, the world is says, the “incredible power” of beans skills to make it, and a social network diet and it usually means the food has of the public remains befuddled about But amid enthusiasm that Blue Zones full of fabulous food and fabulous op- of all descriptions. “If you look at all in which it’s easy to make it. been cooked at home.” healthy eating. “We know more and more may be the answer to our nutritional portunities. But we’re no longer chil- five cultures and what they ate on an Being time-poor is no excuse. “The At Masu, when the starter edamame about less and less. We’re drilling down prayers, Auckland University professor dren and we can’t live in a candy store average day, they have about a cup a Blue Zones diet should give the average beans arrive, they’re liberally sprinkled on small details, but losing sight of the of nutrition David Cameron-Smith has for the rest of our lives.” day of beans.” person 10 extra years of life expectancy with flaky salt. Should we worry? “No!” whole picture,” Rush says. Hanrahan a word of warning. Though he agrees Rush and Hanrahan agree it’s not an People in the Blue Zones often saved – that’s about 90,000 hours over the says Hanrahan. “We should be saying agrees, and says the average home cook with a number of the Blue Zones prin- easy fix. “We are soaking in caffeine, meat meals for celebrations and were course of your life.” it tastes great!” shouldn’t need to be thinking about mag- ciples – particularly the need to be part alcohol and processed foods. Healthier mainly, but not exclusively, vegetarians. Plenty of time to plan a few bean And, Rush points out, they require nesium when they’re putting dinner of a supportive group, and that healthy diets are more expensive and fresh “Blue Zoners weren’t absolutists. The stews in the slow cooker. some effort to eat. “Look at all this together or shopping for food. food choices need to become habitual foods aren’t always available or growing

36 | NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 | 37 in our backyard,” says Rush. “We know what to do, but how to do it is the chal- lenge for us all.” Food writer Lauraine Jacobs is scep- tical New Zealanders will embrace the Blue Zones solutions. “I just don’t think New Zealand is ever going to be a really health-conscious place.” She acknowledges, though, the “huge shift” in recent years, with more chefs mak- ing vegetables, not meat, the main event on the plate. “They’re not advo-

cating a vegetarian diet but knocking GETTY back on the quantity of meat.” She says attitudes to the status of A 101-year-old woman from the “Blue Zone” of the Nicoya Peninsula vegetables in the diet are obvious when in Costa Rica, where the local diet is rich in eggs, dairy and meat. you ask friends or workmates what they’re having for dinner tonight. “Unless you strike a vegetarian, the first thing they’ll say is, ‘I’m having fish, Ranking The Diets or lamb or beef.’ If you ask me, I’m more likely to say, ‘I got this fantastic o how would you fare on one Weight loss: Not a primary asparagus up the road and some beet- of these diets? The Nutrition goal, but likely to produce it root and we might have a little bit of S Foundation’s Sarah because of low glycaemic- steak with it.’” Hanrahan, who put together these index foods, unprocessed Katz, a friend of Dan Buettner and meal plans for the Blue Zones, foods and calorie control. an admirer and advocate for his work, Mediterranean, dairy- and sugar-free says after two decades in the “trench diets, says she hasn’t included calorie A DAY’S MEAL PLAN: warfare” of competing nutrition advice, counts. The Mediterranean-type Breakfast: Porridge made KEN DOWNIE he’s concluded some diet proponents diets, she says “are more about food from rolled oats, topped with Above: Sarah Hanrahan (left) and Elaine Rush tuck into edamame beans at Masu, without worrying about the salt. are misguided, while others are sheer as part of a healthy way of life. Eating nuts and fresh fruit/berries. hucksters taking advantage of the latest this way means you can by and large Lunch: 2 slices wholegrain bread preoccupation du jour. “Some are ab- forget about calorie counting, as long with ½ avocado and/or some THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET solutely sincere and have just drunk as you eat from modest-sized plates.” homemade hummus (chickpeas, far too deeply of their own Kool Aid. lemon juice, garlic, tahini, olive The principles: Based on mostly Robert Atkins [founder of the low-carb THE BLUE ZONES DIET oil, salt, pepper). Lentil and plant-based foods (fruit and ] was a clear example of cauliflower soup (olive oil, onion, vegetables), olive oil, wholegrain that. I think his message was wrong The principles: Identifies common garlic, ginger, curry powder, red bread, beans and legumes, nuts and and silly in some fairly obvious ways.” themes in the diets of those living in lentils, cauliflower, vegetable seeds. Different regional specialties One of the reasons scientists have the Blue Zones – areas throughout broth, salt, pepper). Generous include meat, chicken, vegetable and such a hard job convincing the public the world with a higher ratio of bowl of salad (lettuces, tomatoes, fish dishes, the choice depending of the right way to go, he says, “is that centenarians. A community/social cucumber, celery, olives, feta cheese, on what is local and seasonal. we never say we absolutely know and focus that helps to bring about drizzle of olive oil), ingredients Small portions of yoghurt, cheese it’s a completely done deal. That’s how change and reinforce it. Focuses on in descending order of volume. (low-fat dairy) and eggs. Moderate science works. And it’s hard for that to more traditional diets. Mainly plant- Dinner: Salmon marinated with miso wine intake explicitly included. compete with, ‘I have seen the light. I based but some areas have more paste or soy sauce. Three handfuls Pluses: Appropriate for the whole know what no one else knows. There’s seafood. Limits red meat. Blue Zones of salad made from baked kumara, family, and encourages plenty of a vast conspiracy among everyone else centenarians tend to eat meat dishes black bean, capsicum, red onion, vegetables and healthy fats. Like Blue trying to lead you the wrong way. I am – usually pork or chicken – only greens such as spinach, celery. Zones, encourages the enjoyment the messiah, follow me.’ once a week or even less, with meat Dressing: olive oil, lime juice, ground of food and meal-times as a social “My advice to people when they hear often considered a celebratory meal. cumin and coriander, salt, pepper. activity, encourages wholegrains that kind of absolute, almost religious, Suggests eating to 80 per cent full. Drinks: Water, herbal teas, green and establishes a healthy eating conviction is to step away from your Midday meal is the main one of the tea, tea, coffee, red wine. pattern that can be followed for

credit card and nobody will get hurt.” day, the evening meal the smallest. Snacks (if needed): Fresh fruit/ life. No calorie counting. Evidence GETTY The Blue Zones research doesn’t re- Pluses: Considers more than food – berries, handful of nuts, Greek shows it can reduce the risks of heart place what we already know from ob- it’s a way of life. Acknowledges there yoghurt, wholegrain crackers/bread disease and cancer. Includes treats, The Greeks know how to eat – and enjoy life. servational epidemiology, but simply is no one right way to eat. Affordable with nut butter, last night’s leftovers. but not as an everyday option. supports it, he says. “It is wonderfully and sustainable. Offers many choices Overall: Perfect for long-term But: Need to keep an eye on luscious icing on the cake.” Now if only and looks beyond weight loss. eating, with plenty of flexibility. portion size to avoid going we could have that cake and eat it, too. But: Requires cooking skills.  1st= overboard on calories.

38 | NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 | 39 Avoid meat and processed foods. The Blue Zone centenarians ate limited meat – they had little access to it.

A centenarian woman dancing with a “young boy” on her birthday, A DAY’S MEAL PLAN: Nicoya Peninsula, Breakfast: Greek (unsweetened) Costa Rica. yoghurt served with chopped

GETTY fruit/berries, chopped nuts and sunflower seeds. Wholegrain NINE LIVES bread with avocado or olive oil. Lunch: Vegetable lentil soup topped with parmesan cheese.

kay, so you won’t be moving dark red wine with each meal Wholegrain bread and hummus. KEN DOWNIE Dinner: O to Okinawa or Sardinia any and whenever friends meet. Fish/chicken/lamb, Our diets are not an easy fix, say Hanrahan and Rush, above, with writer Donna Chisholm (right). time soon, but you can learn from • Have a sense of purpose. baked kumara and pumpkin, the lessons of the long-lived in the Okinawans call it ikigai, green salad (capsicum, tomatoes, Blue Zones. Nicoyans call it plan de vida lettuce, feta, parsley and basil Here are author Dan Buettner’s – essentially, “Why I wake served with olive oil, garlic and nine ingredients of longevity up in the morning”. Craft a lemon juice vinaigrette). Fruit – nothing special required and no olive oil, lemon juice, fresh juice, zucchini, capsicum, that we can all include in our personal mission statement – for dessert (raw or cooked). food is forbidden, so there’s plenty coriander, reduced-fat feta. Portobello mushrooms and daily lives. it may be something as simple Drinks: Water, herbal of choice. Weightings encourage Dinner: Grilled steak, haloumi, 25g haloumi per serve. • Move naturally. You don’t as seeing that your children or teas, tea, coffee, wine. healthier eating pattern. vegetable stacks: 8 SmartPoints, Drinks: Skim-milk cappuccino: need to join a gym or run a grandchildren grow up well. Snacks (if needed): Fresh fruit/ But: Can be too expensive for 309 calories, per serve. Uses 3 SmartPoints. (A 150ml glass marathon. The Blue Zone • Take time to relieve berries, handful of nuts, Greek some of the people who need 125g lean beef per serve, kumara, of red wine is 4 SmartPoints, oldies engaged in regular, low- stress. Meditate, relax, yoghurt, wholegrain crackers/bread to lose weight the most. parsley, garlic, lemon rind and a black tea or coffee 0.) intensity physical activity as minimise time spent with with nut butter, last night’s leftovers. Weight loss: Evidence that the Snack 1: Fruit salad with apple part of their daily routine. television, radio, internet. Weight loss: Won’t achieve support of a group helps achieve and star anise syrup: 1 SmartPoint, • Stop eating when you’re 80 • Belong. Healthy centenarians weight loss following this diet weight-loss goals ahead of those 95 calories, per serve. Includes per cent full. Many of us eat everywhere, says Buettner, have alone – you’ll need to include trying to go it alone. Realistic goals grapes, papaya, pineapple, star till we’re full (or over-stuffed). faith. They belong to strong exercise and limit portion size. – slow and steady weight loss, anise, cardamom pods, apple juice. Okinawans stop as soon as they religious communities – it doesn’t Overall: A healthy, affordable way rather than a dramatic change. Snack 2: 12g nuts: 2 SmartPoints. no longer feel hungry. None of seem to matter which one. of eating for the whole family, with Overall: Proven track the centenarians in Buettner’s • Make family a priority. The plenty of variety and flexibility. A DAY’S MEAL PLAN record and provides tools book had ever been on a diet. most successful centenarians in  1st= ( for minimum daily allowance for sustainable change. • Avoid meat and processed the Blue Zones built their lives of 30 SmartPoints):  3rd= foods. Most of the Blue Zone around their family core with WEIGHT WATCHERS Breakfast: Poached egg and centenarians ate limited meat – an emphasis on togetherness. ham: 6 SmartPoints, 179 calories. THE LOW-CARB, they had little access to it. Beans • The right tribe. Make The principles: Points or calorie Poached egg, half 65g wholemeal HIGH-FAT DIET were a cornerstone of their diets your inner circle consist of the counting, with points allotted with English muffin (toasted) with 1 Tbsp and they ate what they produced people who reinforce the good a different weighting for healthier tomato chutney. Top with 30g 97 The principles: Eat meat, fish, in their gardens. Some ate fish. habits. The Framingham Heart options – fruit and vegetables per cent fat-free sliced ham, and eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, • Drink red wine in study, which followed more attract zero points. All food is egg. Sprinkle with fresh chives. high-fat dairy, fats, healthy oils. moderation. Consistency and than 12,000 people for more allowed, long-term focus. Since Lunch: Warm quinoa and roasted Don’t eat sugar, wheat, pasta, seed

moderation are key. In Okinawa, than 30 years, found subjects December, members have received vegetable salad: 10 SmartPoints, GETTY oils, trans fats, highly processed it’s a daily glass of sake with were more likely to become personalised activity goals and 387 calories, per serve. Uses foods, “diet” and low-fat products. The low-carb, high-fat diet: meat, fish, friends; in Sardinia, a glass of obese when their friends did. access to a new fitness/activity app. small beetroot, kumara, red eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, Strict 4:1 ratio of fats to proteins Pluses: Works with family food onion, broccoli florets, quinoa, high-fat dairy, fats and healthy oils. and carbohydrates. Wine allowed.

40 | NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 | 41 GETTY Focuses on natural, unprocessed Improved blood-sugar control. foods. Typical mix of 50 per cent Plenty of information available energy from healthy fats, 25 per on how to be a sugar-free cook. cent carbs and 25 per cent protein. But: More cooking skills and time Pluses: Encourages plenty required. Focusing on only one of whole foods and lots of nutrient/food can simply open the vegetables, and allows for high- door to a different way of eating quality grains and legumes. badly. Recommended substitutes THE SKINNY ON SNACKING But: High saturated fat intake such as honey, maple syrup and is associated with higher rice malt syrup are very similar to here you are, tucking into conclusions of a 2007 review cardiovascular risk. Unnecessary sugar and are broken down in your T your mid-morning hummus of snacking science for the restriction on highly nutritious body in the same way as sugar. and carrot sticks in the belief you’re European Food Information foods, such as wholegrains. Weight loss: Likely because increasing your metabolic rate Council, which found that eating Difficult to get the exact amount of reduced calories. (thereby burning more calories), more often doesn’t burn more of carbohydrate right – there reducing hunger and stabilising calories but can still have a can be individual variation. A DAY’S MEAL PLAN: your blood-sugar levels – when you beneficial effect on body weight Weight loss: Plenty of Breakfast: Poached eggs stumble upon a newspaper article – by making people less likely to evidence that reduced carb on wholegrain toast and/ suggesting you’ve got it all wrong: gorge at mealtimes and allowing intake is good for weight loss. or Weet-Bix with milk. that snacking will make you even more opportunities through Lunch: Vegetable lentil soup more hungry and it interferes with the day to compensate for any A DAY’S MEAL PLAN: topped with parmesan cheese. the body’s ability to burn fat. calorie deficits or excesses. The Breakfast: Eggs and vegetables, Wholegrain bread and hummus. The science sounds… well, review also says healthy snacking fried in coconut oil. Fry frozen Dinner: Sausage, walnut sound. As Professor Stephen produces a lower level of blood vege mix (carrots, cauliflower, and beetroot hash with Greek Atkin explained, when head cholesterol and spreads the broccoli, beans), and add 3 or 4 (unsweetened) yoghurt and salad. GETTY of diabetes and metabolism at absorption of nutrients more eggs and spices. Add spinach. Drinks: Water, herbal teas, The Paleo Diet — meat readily available now tends to be from commercially Hull York Medical School, the evenly throughout the day. Lunch: Asian lettuce wrap. green tea, coffee, smoothies. farmed animals and may contain more unhealthy fats than the wild animals the hunter-gatherers would have chased and eaten. insulin released by our bodies No wonder a 2013 article in Contains 120g minced chicken Snacks: Berries, vegetables, seeds upon eating will keep us going for the UK’s Nutrition Bulletin breast cooked with red onion, garlic, and nuts. Plain popcorn, vegetable around three hours, after which calls for more research to reach ginger, carrot, spices, soy sauce, rice chips, nuts, toasted chickpeas, our bodies start using energy consensus about the optimum vinegar, black bean sauce, honey. nut butter on wholegrain toast. from our fat stores. So, if we can number and composition of Shredded cabbage slaw mix. (Based on recipes from Sarah hold out for four to five hours meals and snacks for bodyweight Dinner: Lamb chops, roasted Wilson’s book I Quit Sugar.) being linked to health benefits. and lemon juice dressing, fresh between meals, we burn more control, health and wellbeing. tomatoes and cauliflower mash. Overall: Because going sugar- Large amount of meat can be chopped herbs to flavour. fat. “In my view, the ideal would AUT Professor of Nutrition Includes 1-2 lamb chops depending free forces you to eat less highly relatively expensive, although Snack: Small handful mixed fresh be not to snack at all. It’s normal Elaine Rush and Nutrition on size, milk for mash, half head of processed food, you may well there are plenty of ideas available nuts, about 2 Tbsp. Piece of seasonal to feel hungry between meals.” Foundation dietitian Sarah cauliflower, olive oil, basil pesto. move to a healthier diet with more for using cheaper cuts. However, fruit. Carrot and celery sticks. Another UK expert, Naveed Hanrahan back snacks – such Steamed asparagus and broccoli. whole foods and vegetables. meat readily available now tends Dinner: 200g fresh fish, foiled Sattar, professor of metabolic as fruit and nuts – for balancing Drinks: Water, coffee (with  5th to be from commercially farmed and baked in oven or pan fried in medicine at Glasgow University, blood-sugar levels. (Rush also cream), tea, small amount wine. animals and may contain more a little butter. Ratatouille: classic says snacking puts organs enjoys a special low-GI muesli Snacks: Nuts, fruit, vegetables, THE PALEO DIET unhealthy fats than the wild dish with courgettes, eggplant, such as the liver and pancreas bar being developed by AUT.) small amounts dark chocolate. animals the hunter-gatherers tomatoes, capsicum, onion, etc. under greater stress, as blood If you do snack, combining Overall: Emphasising whole The principles: Based on the diets would have chased and eaten. Roasted pumpkin pieces. Side salad sugar and fat levels stay higher elements from more than one food foods and healthy fats is a good of our hunter-gatherer ancestors Weight loss: Has been with olive oil and vinegar dressing. throughout the day, in turn group (such as those carrot sticks option, but evidence still supports – no or limited grains, dairy, associated with weight loss Dessert: ½-1 cup of berries. increasing stress on blood and hummus, fruit and yoghurt, reducing saturated fat. Could sugar or highly processed foods. and lower calorie intake. Drinks: Herbal teas, minimal vessels and, perhaps, the heart. cheese and crackers) ensures be difficult as a family diet to Wide variations in application. coffee. No soft drinks or fruit Some scientific studies on you consume a wider variety of get the carb ratios right. Pros: Moves away from processed A DAY’S MEAL PLAN: juices. Alcohol in moderation, “between-meal eating episodes” nutrients. Snacks that have high  3rd= foods and focuses on cooking whole Breakfast: 3 eggs, poached; but not beer (contains gluten). support the notion of “three water content or that are high in foods from scratch. Encourages spinach, wilted, 100g; 1 tomato, (Meal plan by Auckland paleo square meals”, finding no fibre and protein result in stronger THE SUGAR-FREE DIET vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts. halved and seared in pan; kumara, nutritionist Julianne Taylor, difference between eating satiety signals and therefore But: Includes larger portions ¾ cup sautéed (use precooked as recommended by founder fewer or more frequent meals lengthen the time between meals. The principles: Eliminates of meat and processed meat and reheat for speed). Professor Loren Cordain.) (calorie for calorie) on several And bear in mind, one study foods that contain added sugar. than current dietary guidelines Lunch: Shredded chicken, 120g; Overall: With an emphasis key factors: weight loss, fat found that if a snack was regarded The most extreme forms also recommend. Most extreme mixed greens, 2 cups; cucumber on whole foods and plenty of loss, appetite control and as healthy, the participants restrict fruit and vegetables versions have no dairy or grains, slices, ½ cup; 2 tomatoes. Other vegetables, Paleo can be a healthy measurements of hormones ate 35 per cent more of it than that contain natural sugars. when there’s plenty of evidence salad vegetables as desired, eg diet. However, eliminates whole that signal hunger and satiety. snacks regarded as unhealthy. Pros: Moves away from processed/ to suggest these can be high-value sliced radish etc. Root vegetable food groups which are replaced Such studies contradict the STACEY ANYAN sweetened foods and promotes foods we are well adapted to digest. salad (cooked kumara, beetroot, with more expensive protein. cooking whole foods from scratch. May exclude legumes, despite them carrots, etc), 1 cup. Olive oil  6th

42 | NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 NORTH & SOUTH | FEBRUARY 2016 | 43 THE ZONE DIET Milk and coffee chickpeas). 238 calories. JUICING – HEALTHY OR JUST TRENDY? are allowed in Drinks: Water, black coffee, tea. The principles: Eating a certain the Zone Diet. Snack: 1-2 mandarins. ratio of macronutrients per meal 37 or 74 calories. “Finally, Auckland welcomes a dedicated juice bar” announced limits inflammation, controls Overall: There is evidence an online article in October. It’s competing with several new blood-sugar levels and results in a that periodic has health inner-city businesses offering bespoke, cold-pressed juices, for healthier weight. Daily diet consists benefits, but that’s usually in the which you’ll see little change from $10 for a 250ml serving. of three meals and two snacks, each context of an overall healthy eating

Like many trends that reach our shores, however, juicing is already containing 30 per cent fat (low GETTY pattern. Doesn’t address this, passé overseas. In New York, where the juice bar craze attracted saturated and omega 6), 30 per cent however, only calorie intake. investment from the likes of Starbucks and spurred fanatics to go protein, 40 per cent carbohydrates Suggests limiting caffeine to 1-2  8th on Manhattan “juice crawls”, “peak juice” has been reached. (low GI, fruit and vegetables mostly). cups a day. Milk allowed, light Foodie gospel has it that cold-pressed juice – which involves the Females 1200 calories a day, male blue or trim recommended. No THE DAIRY-FREE DIET application of extreme pressure to crush the juice out of the pulp – 1500 calories. Egg yolks, red meat fruit juices or soft drinks.

is better for you. Proponents say the spinning blades of traditional and processed foods are limited. (Meal plan by Julianne Taylor, The principles: Remove CORBIS centrifugal juicers, which mash fruit and Pluses: Doesn’t require special based on guidelines by Zone dairy-based foods. vegetables up against a fine mesh with food, and emphasises whole foods founder Dr Barry Sears.) Pros: Useful for genuine Ikarian Stew a metal blade, destroy the nutrients by and healthy fats. Encourages plenty Overall: Less likely to be intolerance, allergies. There exposing them to heat and oxygen. of vegetables and fruit, and has a sustained long-term because it’s too are now good non-dairy Dan Buettner (above) believes But much in the same way frozen lower carb intake, which is good prescriptive, which means you’ll substitutes, such as calcium- it’s important to find plant-based yoghurt’s health claims have been for weight loss but not ridiculously need to get the “user’s manual” fortified almond and soy milk. recipes you love and nominates overstated (local chain Yoghurt Story was low. Meals aren’t complex. out every day. You need to be well But: Eliminates a food group this stew as a good place to start. charged last December by the Commerce But: It’s very proscribed, with not a organised and always thinking that has nutritional benefits and Commission for making false claims lot of room for personal preferences – about and planning your meals. alternatives can be expensive. Ingredients about the product’s health benefits), this indeed, you have to be something of a  7th Doesn’t address unhealthy eating • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil seems to be another case of the sales mathematician to work out the ratios – patterns. No evidence of any benefit • 1 large red onion, finely chopped pitch skipping lightly over the science. and meals have to be eaten at specified THE 5:2 DIET for those without allergies. • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped Experts say the temperatures in centrifugal times. Leaves out wholegrains, Weight loss: Not primarily • 1 fennel bulb juicers don’t get high enough to significantly and there’s controversy around the The principles: Intermittent a weight-loss diet, but cutting • 1 cup black eyed peas (with dried alter the plants’ chemicals and vitamins, and science supporting the Zone claims. fasting. Followers argue that out higher-calorie dairy options peas, bring to a boil, boil for 1 minute, the assumption that cold-pressing results in Weight loss: Restriction in calorie eating less occasionally is easier such as cream and high-fat remove from heat, cover and let sit more nutrients is just that: an assumption. Even if cold-pressed juice does intake would result in weight loss. than cutting every day, and more cheese could reduce weight. for an hour. Drain, rinse, and use.) contain more nutrients, it’s not known whether those nutrients are better accurately reflects how our ancestors • 1 large, firm, ripe tomato, absorbed by our bodies. To add to the uncertainty, micronutrients behave A DAY’S MEAL PLAN ate. Eat normally five days a week A DAY’S MEAL PLAN: finely chopped in different ways. The lycopene found in tomatoes, for instance, changes ( for an average larger female (approximately 2000 calories Breakfast: Porridge made from • 2 tsp tomato paste, diluted into a form that is better absorbed by our bodies when heated or cooked. or smaller male): for women, 2400 for men) and rolled oats and water, topped with in ¼ cup water Large amounts of nutrients don’t equate to more benefits. Fresh Breakfast: 2 cups fresh fruit salad, severely restrict intake (500/600 nuts and fresh fruit/berries. • 2 bay leaves orange juice contains more vitamin C than that made from frozen 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 6 tsp calories) two days a week. Lunch: Wholegrain sandwiches • salt to taste concentrate. But even a 355ml serve of the frozen variety contains slivered almonds or chopped nuts. Pros: No specific food groups with variety of fillings – egg, • 1 bunch dill, finely chopped more than the recommended daily amount of vitamin C, and there Snack: 30g low-fat cheese banned. Relatively simple to follow. hummus, salad, avocado. Fruit. are (as yet) no proven benefits of consuming more vitamin C than like Edam, ½ cup grapes. But: No evidence of long-term Dinner: Baked fish, baked kumara Directions is recommended. Also, the naturally occurring fibre present in Lunch: 100g chicken breast, cooked, effectiveness and not appropriate and pumpkin, green salad (capsicum, 1. Heat half the olive oil over cold-pressed juice varieties – touted as another advantage – might no skin, chopped; ¼ cup chickpeas for family eating. Doesn’t tomatoes, lettuce, parsley and medium heat and cook the onion, actually prevent certain nutrients from being absorbed. or kidney beans; ½ capsicum, address causes of weight issues. basil served with olive oil, garlic garlic and fennel bulb, stirring Elaine Rush, professor of nutrition at AUT, says aside from being chopped; 1 cup sliced green beans, Focus is on energy intake. and lemon juice vinaigrette). occasionally, until soft (about “a saviour for people with bad teeth who can’t chew”, drinking blanched; 1 tomato, chopped. Weight loss: Will reduce weight Dessert: Fruit, raw or cooked. 12 minutes). Add the black-eyed juice “takes away the natural physiological response to chewing. Toss salad with 4 tsp olive oil through energy restriction, Drinks: Water, herbal teas, peas and toss to coat in the oil. It’s very easy to overindulge with things that go straight down.” and vinegar dressing. 1 pear. as long as there’s no “binge green tea, coffee, non-dairy 2. Add the tomato, tomato paste Nutrition Foundation dietitian Sarah Hanrahan adds: “If we’re Snack: ½ cup fresh pineapple, eating” on the other days. milks (soy, almond, rice). and enough water to cover the chewing less, it’s another step to eating more quickly and perhaps not 40g ham. Snacks: Berries, vegetables, seeds beans by about an inch. Add the enjoying it as much because it stays in the mouth for a shorter time.” Dinner: 170g salmon; steamed A FASTING DAY’S MEAL PLAN: and nuts. Plain popcorn, vegetable bay leaves. Bring to a boil, re- Stripped of the fibre-rich satiety factor of whole fruits and vegetables mixed vegetables such as Breakfast: Spinach chips, nuts, toasted chickpeas, duce heat and simmer until the (you can only eat so many apples in one sitting), juice can be surprisingly broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, omelette (1 medium egg, 60g nut butter on wholegrain toast. black-eyed peas are about half- high in calories. Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones, likens juice capsicum, courgettes, carrots, spinach). 92 calories. (Meal plan by nutritionist cooked. (Check after 40 minutes, consumption to the quick calorific hit of fizzy drinks. “The glycemic 2 cups; 4 tsp toasted almonds Lunch: Fruity prawn cocktail Sarah Hanrahan.) but it may take over an hour.) index on that is as bad as Coke. For eight ounces, there are 14 grams mixed with vegetables. (prawns, apple, celery grapes, fat- Overall: Appropriate for those 3. Add the chopped dill and season of sugar. People get suckered into thinking, ‘Oh, I’m drinking this Dessert: l large orange, or free fromage frais). 130 calories. with problems digesting dairy with salt. juice.’ Skip the juicing. Eat the fruit. Or eat the vegetable.” 1 glass wine with meal. Dinner: Moroccan root products or who have an allergy/ 4. Continue cooking until the black- STACEY ANYAN Drinks: Allows drinks with no tagine with couscous (tagine intolerance. Otherwise unnecessary. eyed peas are tender. Remove, pour sugar. Tea, coffee, herbal tea. includes carrot, courgette, leek,  9th in remaining olive oil and serve. + GETTY

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