regularly.
Good sources of omega 6 oils include poultry, wholegrains, eggs, nuts, most vegetables oils, hemp and linseed oils, and even the acai berry. We tend to get enough of these in a healthy diet, which is why it’s important to bump up our intake of the omega 3s, to ensure that the balance is right. And that’s one reason why you’ll find oils, such as linseed (flax) and hemp are widely used in the Viva Mayr Diet; their omega-3 content is crucial to overall health and wellbeing.
Omega 9 is not strictly an essential oil because our bodies can manufacture a small amount, provided we have adequate omega 3 and 6 in our diet. However, omega 9 can lower cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, protect against certain types of cancer, improve blood-sugar balance, and encourage healthy immunity, so if you aren’t getting enough of the other omegas, do ensure you get some omega 9s in your diet as well. Good sources are olive oil, olives, avocados, almonds, sesame seeds (and oil) and most nuts.
These omega oils, otherwise known as unsaturated fatty acids, are also essential for keeping you slim. The more you increase your intake of them, the less saturated fatty acids you will eat, and the less weight you will pile on around your stomach and hips. The reason for this is that the body tends to store unhealthy fats around the waist, giving us the unhealthy ‘apple’ shape. Omega oils (omega 3, in particular) have been found to encourage fat-burning in our bodies. In a nutshell, if you substitute omega oils for unhealthy saturated fats (such as trans fats), you will not only avoid putting on weight around your middle and hips, but you’ll encourage your body to burn off what’s there.
Increasing fatty acids will also boost your brain power. The brain is comprised of concentrated fatty acids. In particular, there are a lot of omega 3 fatty acids in the brain; there, they create molecules which act as transmitters. The more transmitters or pathways you have firing, the more active your thinking process becomes. This is why fish is famously good for the brain. Our ability to concentrate, our energy levels, and a well-functioning nervous system are all related to the quantity of healthy oils in our diet.
‘We grew up with a teaspoon of cod liver oil,’ says Dr Stossier. ‘Now we are seriously lacking the omega 3 oils that it once provided every day.’ Personally I didn’t grow up with a teaspoon of cod liver oil, thankfully, but maybe I would be healthier if I had?
What to buy?
Oils are the first things to put on your shopping list when you begin the Viva Mayr Diet. You need three types of oils for the three types of omegas. Unsaturated vegetable oil, such as olive oil, will provide you with omega 9, hemp or linseed oil is a great source of omega 3 oils; and you can choose sunflower or other nut and seed oils for their omega 6 content. Take two tablespoons of one of these oils every day, making sure that you manage some linseed or hemp at least three times a week. If you don’t eat fish, it’s a good idea to take a good-quality fish oil supplement as well.
This is not as difficult as it sounds. Use the oils much as you do salt and pepper, and sprinkle it over whatever it is you are eating. You can swallow the two tablespoons in the morning, or mix them with some soup or even porridge. Some of them have a distinct taste, but they aren’t unpleasant. There is a recipe here for Herb spread, which is delicious blended with oil. Eaten with some bread, it is perfect for breakfast, lunch or as a snack. The only rule to follow with all of these oils is to avoid heating them. At high temperatures, these oils become toxic. You can, however, pour them over hot food, as they would have to be heated to 60° degrees Celsius to become unhealthy trans fats. If you do wish to cook with oils such as olive, sunflower or nut oils, choose the warm-pressed varieties (see here).
Cold-pressed oils need to be stored away from light, air and heat because they are extremely fragile. They should be stored in dark glass bottles, ideally in a cool place, such as a refrigerator. Olive oil will solidify when it becomes very cool; however, it will soon return to liquid form at room temperature. Some olive oils are also sold in cans to protect them from light. Pay attention to the expiry date or, even better, the pressing date if listed, to know the oil’s age. Once opened, cold-pressed oils should be used quickly, as they will become rancid and lose their nutritional value. Once oils have become rancid, they should no longer be used. They don’t taste good, and they do more harm than good to our health.
You should also stock up on nuts and seeds, because they contain omega fatty acids in their natural form and are also full of a concentrated form of antioxidants (see here). Try sprinkling sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds on your meals – anything from baked salmon, porridge and salad to sandwiches, puddings and even fruit tastes delicious with that little extra crunch. If you are prone to snacking, carry some nuts or seeds around with you instead of a KitKat (although Dr Stossier says that if you follow the Viva Mayr programme you won’t feel the need to snack any more).
Try to get into the habit of thinking about everything you put into your mouth. Is it good for you? If not, give it a miss. If you can’t hit 100 per cent, do as a friend of mine suggests, and aim for 90.
Look after your proteins
Proteins are an important part of a healthy diet, but you should avoid eating too many. In fact, Dr Stossier suggests 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
