Pioppi
is a tiny fishing village in the south of Italy that has a cracking beach and a
sea museum. It is also the spiritual home of the Mediterranean
Diet and the inspiration for new
book The Pioppi Diet by Dr Aseem Malhotra and Donal O’Neill,
which aims to provide a simple 21-day lifestyle plan that the authors claim can
transform your health forever.
This remarkable effect is achieved
without drastically cutting calories or exercising every hour of the day. The
Pioppi plan is based around avoiding added sugar and refined carbs, and instead
building your diet around vegetables and fatty foods like oily fish and olive
oil. The plan goes beyond your diet too, with recommended movements and
stress-busting breathing exercises.
People will be talking about this
book, so make sure you’re in the know. Here’s a bluffer’s guide to the key
pillars of the 21-day Pioppi plan, as described in the book.
Eat More Of These
Vegetables,
nuts and olive oil, for starters. The guide recommends five to seven portions
of fibrous veg and low-sugar fruit per day, and at least five of these should
be the former. The Pioppi plan also recommends two to four tablespoons of olive
oil (with food – you don’t have to neck it) and a small handful of nuts every
day. The Pioppi Diet is also big on oily fish like salmon and
sardines (three portions a week as a minimum), eggs (ten a week; Pioppi
chickens aren’t slackers), full-fat dairy, coconut oil and dark chocolate (30g
a day).
Avoid These
Sugar.
Steer clear of all added sugars. You can’t get around this by opting for honey
either – it’s banned, along with syrups and fruit juices. Refined carbohydrates,
especially those that are flour-based, also make The Pioppi Diet’s
shitlist. That includes pasta, bread and rice – if you're having them at all
they should be viewed as an occasional treat eaten in small portions. You
should also avoid cooking with industrial seed oils like sunflower, canola and
corn.
The Pioppi Diet also suggests sticking with the weekly 500g
limit for red meat recommended by the World Cancer Research Fund, and focusing
on unprocessed red meat when you do eat it.
Fast One Day A Week
Build
one 24-hour fasting period into each week. The book advises starting this after
dinner one night and skipping breakfast and lunch the next day, consuming only
fluids in between. When fasting, the theory says, the body’s insulin levels
drop and stored energy is burned off.
Don’t Break The Booze Guidelines
The
NHS recommends drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, which allows
you to enjoy a small glass of wine with dinner each day, just like the
residents of Pioppi. Stick within those limits.
Move More
The Pioppi Diet stresses that you can’t overcome the damage
caused by an unhealthy diet through exercise, but you should still be active.
Aim for 30 minutes of brisk walking five times a week, avoid sitting still for
longer than 45 minutes at a time, and spend as much time as you can outside and
around nature. The book also provides a 21-day movement protocol of bodyweight
exercises.
Sleep For Seven Hours A Night
Seven
hours of snooze as a minimum, and reduce your exposure to blue light from
phones and computers in the final two hours before bedtime. If you’ve got
access to a gorgeous Mediterranean sunset, try looking at that instead.
Breathe
Breathing is an indisputably
vital part of a healthy lifestyle and The
Pioppi Diet recommends going beyond your regular respiration
by doing short breathing exercises every day. Breathe in for five seconds and
then breathe out for five seconds, focusing only on your breathing, for two
minutes at a time. Do this four times a day.
Spend Time With Friends
The Pioppi Diet recommends increasing the time you spend with
friends and family every week. What’s more, it suggests smiling and laughing
more too. Sound advice.
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