The Ten Day Plan, back to healthy eating with Amelia Freer
A week of pork and sherry in Spain has resulted in a couple of inches on the waistline (although I don’t regret a thing). I can’t blame Spain alone, plenty of exploring on foot took place to burn off the calories of Iberian lard. The real culprit was most likely the far-too-regular ‘consolation croissant’ consumed whilst procrastinating on my day job in the weeks prior to the trip. Those of you stuck in a boring office environment will know what I mean. Post-holiday resolve coupled with the threat of imminent summer back in the UK meant action and Amelia Freer’s fab new book ‘Nourish & Glow: The 10 Day Plan’ came to the rescue.
The timing was perfect, as both the fridge and larder were bare after a week away, so no temptations were left (I hid the two remaining bottles of wine left in the wine rack, out of sight, out of mind). Amelia has a comprehensive shopping list for the plan but I tailored this to shop for the first 5 days only. Just as well, as I was hidden behind the jungle of vegetation in my supermarket trolley and had a mild shock at the till when it was time to pay. Eating healthily is not cheap. Back at home it was quite a task to ram it all in the fridge although just looking at it all made me feel very virtuous.
The book is very comprehensive, which I loved, giving explicit instructions for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Both gluten and diary free, (again something that appealed, as a constant IBS sufferer my symptoms are very definitely relieved by excluding these two), the recipes also include a vegan option for each day. You can swap amongst these to suit your tastes.
There is no denying that there a LOT of chopping involved and you will spend a fair bit of time in preparation but the instructions are well written and take into account time saving prep needed for the next day. For instance, roasting additional sweet potato and beetroot for meals later on in the plan. It also utilises leftovers, turning them into different meals over the 10 days and takes into consideration seasonality. You won’t be bored.
Visually the meals look stunning, a whole rainbow of colours on every plate and I can honestly say that each recipe I tried was delicious. Many may even become regular staples. After the 10 days you do realise that perhaps portion size may have become a little out of control and how easy it is to slip into bad habits. Amelia suggests you start on a Sunday which allows some prep for basics during the rest of the week (the nut granola is a keeper) and eases you in with a simple Sunday roast. The next few days may leave you feeling a little weary as your body adjusts but it is worth sticking to it as by the end you feel pretty amazing. The number on the scale has dropped and my clothes feel distinctly looser but more than that, eating has become so much more positive again. All I need to do is to stick with the concepts learnt but I am looking forward to rescuing those hidden bottles of wine. Now where did I hide the corkscrew?
The timing was perfect, as both the fridge and larder were bare after a week away, so no temptations were left (I hid the two remaining bottles of wine left in the wine rack, out of sight, out of mind). Amelia has a comprehensive shopping list for the plan but I tailored this to shop for the first 5 days only. Just as well, as I was hidden behind the jungle of vegetation in my supermarket trolley and had a mild shock at the till when it was time to pay. Eating healthily is not cheap. Back at home it was quite a task to ram it all in the fridge although just looking at it all made me feel very virtuous.
The book is very comprehensive, which I loved, giving explicit instructions for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Both gluten and diary free, (again something that appealed, as a constant IBS sufferer my symptoms are very definitely relieved by excluding these two), the recipes also include a vegan option for each day. You can swap amongst these to suit your tastes.
There is no denying that there a LOT of chopping involved and you will spend a fair bit of time in preparation but the instructions are well written and take into account time saving prep needed for the next day. For instance, roasting additional sweet potato and beetroot for meals later on in the plan. It also utilises leftovers, turning them into different meals over the 10 days and takes into consideration seasonality. You won’t be bored.
Visually the meals look stunning, a whole rainbow of colours on every plate and I can honestly say that each recipe I tried was delicious. Many may even become regular staples. After the 10 days you do realise that perhaps portion size may have become a little out of control and how easy it is to slip into bad habits. Amelia suggests you start on a Sunday which allows some prep for basics during the rest of the week (the nut granola is a keeper) and eases you in with a simple Sunday roast. The next few days may leave you feeling a little weary as your body adjusts but it is worth sticking to it as by the end you feel pretty amazing. The number on the scale has dropped and my clothes feel distinctly looser but more than that, eating has become so much more positive again. All I need to do is to stick with the concepts learnt but I am looking forward to rescuing those hidden bottles of wine. Now where did I hide the corkscrew?
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