The Viva Mayr Diet. Helena Frith Powell

       Grains, pulses, nuts and seeds

      Walnuts

      Pumpkin seeds

      Almonds

      Whole linseeds

      Chickpeas (dried)

      Sesame seeds

      Amaranth seeds

      Ground oats

      Buckwheat flour

      Millet

      Corn flakes

      Spelt flour

      Rice flakes

      Soya flour

      Polenta

      Potato flour (an Italian deli should sell this)

      Risotto rice

       Herbs & spices

      Note: some of the dried herbs can be found at your local health-food shop

      Fresh ginger

      Fresh lemon verbena

      Fresh dill

      Fresh chervil

      Fresh tarragon

      Fresh lovage

      Fresh coriander

      Fresh thyme

      Fresh rosemary stalks

      Fresh marjoram

      Fresh mint

      Fresh parsley

      Fresh or dried fennel

      Fresh lemongrass

      Fresh basil

      Cinnamon sticks

      Ground cloves

      Ground ginger

      Ground cinnamon

      Nutmeg

      Vermouth

      Dried caraway seeds

      Dried yarrow

      Dried horsetail

      Dried birch leaves

      You may also want to consider getting some crystals to energise and purify your water; rose quartz is a great choice, if you can get it.

      So no doughnuts and no deep-fried Mars bars – funny that. If the list looks sadly lacking in sugar hits, just remember that your taste buds will change in a few days and you will no longer crave all those sweet things. You are perfectly capable of living without them, and you will start to feel and look better very quickly as a result of eating the kinds of foods listed above, which actually have some nutritional value.

      Going off-piste?

      It’s perfectly acceptable to create your own meals rather than following the suggested menu plans, although you may want to try them for a few days first, to get the hang of the way food is prepared at Viva Mayr. Here, you’ll find hints for cooking the Viva Mayr way, and a little later in this section you’ll find out what foods you need, and why you should be eating them. By all means experiment with the foods listed above, or choose some of your own. The key words are fresh, organic (if possible), varied and whole. So get plenty of different whole grains, fresh, brightly coloured fruits and vegetables, a little fresh, lean meat and fish, some good-quality seeds and nuts, plenty of fresh herbs, organic eggs and some dairy – sheep and goat’s, if you can; otherwise, cow’s milk dairy produce will be fine, too. The most important things you can and should purchase are cold-pressed oils, which feature every single day on the Viva Mayr Diet (see here).

      What about sugar?

      When I ask Dr Stossier what type of sugar is best for us to eat, he is very firm when he responds.

      ‘No sugar – that’s the best sugar you can have.’

      But that’s totally and utterly impossible. How can anyone possibly live without sugar? I mean, even if you wanted to, how could you avoid it? Is there such a thing as sugar-free shortbread biscuits?

      ‘I know it’s difficult,’ he concedes, ‘but the fact is that you don’t need any more sugar than you get from the food you already eat. We get so many different forms of carbohydrates that it is not necessary to add more.’

      I ask him if brown sugar is better. Apparently it is not. How irritating is that? I have spent the last 20 years taking brown sugar lumps instead of white ones because I think they are healthier. I don’t even have any white sugar in the house; I do everything with brown sugar, even baking – which is not easy if you’re trying to bake a white fluffy sponge.

      ‘Brown sugar is very often only white sugar that has been coloured brown to give it the appearance of natural, healthy sugar,’ explains the doctor. ‘In fact, natural sugar wouldn’t even taste like sugar. If you have a sweet tooth then use the plant Stevia instead.’

      I have tried Stevia in its raw form and also in a chocolate mousse. It is delicious and sweet enough for anyone. You can buy it online or in health-food shops. But be aware that a craving for sweet things is a sign that your cells are asking for sugar because they need energy to digest your food. This means you have not given your body the best chance to digest, and is not good news. You are either eating the wrong thing at the wrong time, not chewing enough (see here), eating too much protein (see here) or eating when you are stressed (see here).

      Fruit is a better option than sugar. Instead of sugar, sprinkle fruit on your cereal. An ideal breakfast would be muesli and some fruit followed by eggs (preferably not fried, sadly, which will upset my daughter who likes nothing better than to start the day with one or even two fried eggs), and some raw vegetables. While I was at the Viva Mayr Clinic, I had an avocado with linseed oil for breakfast – surprisingly delicious and one of the most nutritious ways to start the day. But if you can’t imagine going on without your daily fix of doughnuts, Mars bars or fizzy drinks, please do me a favour and just give it three days; that’s all it will take to break your nasty habits, for your taste buds to mellow, and for those things to seem like sugary, unhealthy and fattening blasts from the past.

      Roll up your sleeves …

      Once you have all your ingredients stashed away, then it’s time to make spelt bread. Spelt bread is one of the things for which the Viva Mayr Clinic is famous – or even infamous! Everyone who goes there, from film stars and property magnates to professional football players is put on a diet that includes spelt bread.

      The first time you eat it, you may well be horrified. The bread tastes, well, stale. I can imagine the great and the good who visit the clinic – and are used to the better things in life – being rather shocked when they are presented with a bowl of vegetable broth and some, um, stale bread. But the point is that it teaches us to chew properly. Actually, I grew rather fond of the taste while I was at the clinic. Freshly baked, it is delicious, once you have learned how to chew properly.

      Spelt bread is easy to make. You will need to prepare it the day before you want to eat it. I find it easiest to do the first part of the preparation when I get up in the morning and the second part when I get home from work. Here is the recipe:

      Spelt bread