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Lose 2,5 kg in 10 days with the 10-Day Eating Plan

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Healthy diet – Google Free Image
Healthy diet – Google Free Image

Lose up to 2,5kg within 10 days . . . and don't stop there!

If the following statements fit you like a glove (and your clothes are all a little tight), we have the following solutions for you:

  • You want to spend time on the beach this summer in your bathing suit, without having to hide under a large umbrella, large towel or a the very least behind a big pair of sunglasses.  
  • You want to lose weight, but want to do it the right and healthy way, but know it will give you a boost if you can drop a kilo or two without having to wait too long.  
  • You don't want to think too much about what you have to eat. Everything needs to be spelled out clearly for you.
  • You want to keep your spring body throughout the summer, past next winter, and the next one and the next one . . .

You don't have to look any further.

Health24.com joined forces with dietitians Irene Labuschagne and Celeste Naudé from the Nutrition Information Centre of the University of Stellenbosch (NICUS) to provide you with a an eating plan, meal by meal, that can enable you to lose between 1,5 and 2,5kg within 10 days. It is healthy and balanced and will maintain your energy levels in spite of having changed your eating pattern. 

And there's more. The ten-day-plan is only the beginning. The dietitians will show you in Part II exactly how to carry on with your diet in order to carry on losing weight gradually. 

But the first thing this brand new ten-day eating plan is going to do for you is to get you started. The combination of the two eating plans will definitely help you to lose weight. It's good for you heart – among many other health advantages.  

According to Prof Ronald Pero, DNA researcher at the Lund University in Sweden, healthy eating habits can also help to slow down the ageing process. 

How can your diet slow down the ageing process? 

According to Prof Pero increasing numbers of studies are indicating that what you eat and the way you live can have an influence on the way you age. He says that If you eat correctly and healthily, you can stay and feel younger for longer.

This is how it works:

  • Besides well-known facts like that less fatty food help to keep your arteries healthy for longer, it seems that some foods contribute to reduce inflammatory reactions in cells. More and more diseases – like heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, diabetes etc. that tend to occur in older people – are now being connected with inflammatory processes in the cells. Constant low grade inflammation leads to cell damage, disease and ageing. Reducing these processes can help the body's cells to stay healthy for longer. 
  • It is an accepted fact that vegetables, fruit and nuts, fish with dark meat like sardines, tuna and salmon (rich in omega-3 fatty acids), whole-wheat and seed breads, high-fibre foods like oats, and healthy oils like canola, olive, almond or avocado oil keep cells healthy for longer. Foods that contain a lot of refined carbohydrates (like white bread and white rice), foods with a lot of animal fat, foods that are deep fried or contain a lot of hidden fat (like muffins and French fries), and foods that with a lot of sugar like sweet fruit juices and sweets switch on the inflammatory processes. 
  • Further it seems that if you follow a balanced diet and eat enough fruit and vegetables, you consume antioxidants in just the right combinations to keep your body's cells healthy and strong.

More about the ten-day eating plan:

It is worked out for women who are inactive or moderately active. If you therefore start by walking just 20–30 minutes each day – even at a pace that enables you to still be able to talk to your walking companion, you have a good chance of reaching your target and to avoid gaining back the weight you have lost.

The eating plan contains a lot of unrefined carbohydrates and fibre (about 24 g per day), less fat than the average South African eats per day, but still enough, and also enough protein. It includes five or more portions of fruit and vegetables and two to three portions fat-free dairy. The eating plan was developed to achieve weight loss of 1,5 to 2,5 kg over a period of 10 days. "We recommend that people drink at least four glasses of clean, safe water per day, over and above the fluid included in the eating plan," says Irene.

Summary of the eating plan:

Average nutrient composition of the eating plan over 10 days:

Energy kJ       Carbohydrates        Protein        Fat        Vitamins and minerals

   5000 kJ                  140 g                     70 g           30 g          ±60–150% of the recommended                                                                                                        daily requirement

Important explanations for use with the eating plan:

  • t = teaspoon; c = cup (200–250ml)
  • Use the medium-size bread (not the very big one) with thin ready-cut slices.
  • 1 glass of fluid = 1 glass of water / diet soda / black rooibos or herb tea – without sugar or with artificial sweetener
  • 30g of cheese = 5 thin slices / matchbox-size
  • Medium fat cheese = any reduced-fat cheese (read label) 
  • All dishes must be prepared without added oil / fat / sugar, unless indicated otherwise. 
  • Use artificial sweetener for tea and porridge if preferred.
  • Yogurt = fat-free and unflavoured or artificially sweetened fruit yogurt
  • Mixed salad may be flavoured with a bit of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.
  • Tea or coffee: without sugar or with artificial sweetener and ¼c (±40ml) fat-free milk.
  • 1 slice of whole-wheat bread can be replaced with 3 whole-wheat crispy biscuits.
  • Breakfast: 2 slices of whole-wheat toast with cheese can be replaced with 1c breakfast cereal with ½ – 1c fat-free milk throughout.   

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