The Viva Mayr Diet. Helena Frith Powell

that we should eat fish and other animal proteins, such as cheese and meat, a maximum of every second day. Better sources are vegetable proteins, such as pulses, seeds and nuts, which provide us with the amino acids we need in a more easily digested form.

      ‘People focus too much on proteins because they think they need them to give them energy,’ says Dr Stossier. ‘Eating too many proteins causes our bodies to store them, which means they are not properly digested in the intestine, leading to putrification.’

      Putri-what? It sounds disgusting. Dr Stossier explains that putrification, or ‘toxin overload’ as I will call it, is the result of protein being metabolised more by intestinal bacterial overgrowth than by our own digestive enzymes. This is part of a maldigestive process (we’ll go into this in more detail later; see here) that leads to a buildup of toxins in our bodies. These substances have to be eliminated by our metabolic organs (such as the liver and kidneys), or else they will be stored in connecting tissues between your bloodstream and cells. If these get blocked up, then we can’t supply blood to the cells. In turn, the cells produce waste products and we can’t dispose of them, so the waste products are stored. This leads to an overload of toxins, causing heart attack, strokes, rheumatic diseases, diabetes and all sorts of dreadful things. So not only do we have more toxins in our bodies, but our detoxification organs are put under enormous pressure, which compromises their ability to do their jobs effectively. If this all seems a trifle unclear (sorry to mention trifle) then fear not, it will all be explained a little later in the book. Better still, putrification can be avoided, faster than you can learn how to spell it.

      To reduce the risk of a toxin overload while eating proteins, and for better digestion, white meat is best, such as turkey, veal and chicken. Lamb follows that, then red meat and last of all pork. Game is somewhere between white and red meat. All fish is fine; eel is slightly fatty, but how often do you come across that? Also bear in mind that cream cheese is more easily digestible than hard cheese (see here for delicious cream-cheese spreads). Some people also find goat’s and sheep’s cheeses easier to digest. Why? Because all milks contain a sugar called lactose. Our bodies have an enzyme known as ‘lactase’, which is used to digest lactose. As we get older, our bodies produce decreasing quantities of this enzyme, which means that we may find it harder and harder to digest milk and milk products. Goat’s and sheep’s milk contains less lactose, so can often be more easily tolerated. And, again, other good sources of protein include pulses (lentils, dried beans and peas, for example), and nuts and seeds. In fact, many other foods, including potatoes, contain some protein, as well as whole grains. So you will be getting more than you think you are, even before you take a bite of that steak.

      Don’t forget your fibre

      Fibre is an essential part of your diet, as it acts like a broom in the digestive system, clearing out the debris and moving the food along. Better digestion can prevent putrificaction in the gut, and it can also ensure that toxins don’t hang around for ages, where they can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the intestines. What’s more, fibre ensures that digestion occurs at the right speed, giving the body time to absorb the nutrients from our food. Where do you find fibre? In whole, fresh foods, such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Nuts and seeds will provide you with some fibre as well. You’ll be getting plenty on the Viva Mayr Diet.

      Many of us do not get enough fibre in our diets because we choose refined foods over the wholegrain alternatives. White bread and pasta, for example, will contain very little fibre, whereas wholegrain bread has lots. White bread is what Dr Stossier calls ‘empty food’, devoid or low in nutrients and not much use to our bodies.

      ‘It is insane that people will eat white bread and then take a fibre supplement,’ he says, getting almost angry. I am really beginning to see why he is nicknamed the ‘friendly werewolf’. He definitely has a wolf-like quality. I am thankful it’s not a full moon as he continues his tirade. ‘Why not just eat some brown bread and get the job done?’

      Furthermore, make sure you choose wholemeal cereals, wholemeal noodles and pasta, muesli, oats and so forth, whenever possible.

      Eating your greens … and reds, yellows, purples …

Other foods that you should make a beeline for when shopping are brightly coloured fruits and vegetables. The bright colour signifies a large number of antioxidants, which they will pass on to us (see here), and fresh vegetables and fruit are also rich in a variety of other vitamins and minerals, as well as being a very good source of fibre. We’ll talk about antioxidants a little later (see here); however, for now, you may want to know that they are, for one thing, the nutrients that can help slow down the degenerative effects of ageing. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t want some of those! Remember that fruit and vegetables will contain fewer antioxidants if they are not grown in a natural environment. You’ll be getting plenty of fresh and raw vegetables and fruit on the Viva Mayr Diet. What’s more important here, however, is when you eat them.

      Going organic

      The reason for choosing organic food and drink is that humans take energy from food, energy that is produced by the sun. This energy was first measured by a man called Professor Fritz Popp (I promise you, that is his real name) and it is called a ‘biophoton’, from the Greek word meaning life and light. A tomato that has been exposed to plenty of sunshine has a lot more of the kind of energy we need than one that was forced in a greenhouse in winter. This is because a tomato that has been grown naturally will be full of antioxidants, which it has had to produce in order to protect it from the negative effects of the sun. These are the very same antioxidants that we can use to protect our bodies. In fact, there is some recent research that suggests that skin creams that contain antioxidants enhance the protection they give to our skin.

      ‘Take an orange, for example,’ says Dr Stossier. ‘It gets its nutrients from the soil; it grows and produces its fruit under the influence of sunlight and a natural environment. The life force, or ‘energy’ of a plant is contained within it, and when we eat that plant, we also take in its energy. This is measurable, and is known as a ‘bioprotein’. So, a bioprotein is, in fact, a measurement of a food’s vitality, or energy. And studies have found that organic food contains many more of these bioproteins than non-organic food. Organic food does give us much more vitality than other foods, so wherever possible you should buy organic.

      It makes sense to eat food that is as natural as possible. Not only is it healthier, but it also mirrors our own natural state. Unfortunately, some production processes either prevent the food’s energy from being created (for example, if it has no access to natural sunlight) or destroy it (for example, by irradiating food to preserve it or cooking food in a microwave oven).’

      There are a multitude of other reasons to eat organic, including supporting sustainable farming, ensuring we aren’t consuming unhealthy pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, and other chemicals in our food, and avoiding GMOs (genetically modified organisms), which may contain little or no vitality at all.

      Having said that, eating organic is not the most important aspect of the Viva Mayr philosophy, and if you don’t have access to organic food there are many things you can do to compensate. ‘Apart from the really obvious things like junk food and sweets with no nutritional value, there is nothing you have to avoid as long as you chew it properly,’ says Dr Stossier. ‘Food is not good or bad, food is food; it is neutral. It is always a question of what we can get out of the food, so we have to look at our eating habits. The quality of the food is not the most important thing, but if we can reduce the intake of industrially prepared foods then it’s a good thing.’

      So I guess shortbread biscuits are out? Unless they are homemade? ‘They lack nutritional value,’ says Dr Stossier, smiling. All very well, but they have many other things going for them.

      The Viva Mayr Diet is not about depriving