The 2-Day Diet is all over the press now. But does it work? Is it effective for extreme cases? Does it prevent serious illnesses?

Judging by the many comments from the people who have tried it, the anser in all cases is Yes. Here then is what you have to do.

The diet is simplicity itself. Two diet days are followed by five days on a sensible Mediterranean-type intake (see picture).

The basic principle is that on diet days you eat no carbohydrates, just Proteins, such as eggs, fish, poultry (skinless), other meats or tofu; Fats, such as olive oil, whole nuts and peanut butter; Dairy, such as small portions of cheese, milk or yoghurt; Low-carbohydrate fruits, such as berries; Low-carb vegetables, especially greens — but no potatoes or other high-carb veg; Drinks: water, tea, coffee and low-cal cordials.

On non-diet days simply consume sensible portions of fresh fish, meat, salad, vegetables and wholegrains. No junk food, takeaways or processed foods.

It’s as simple as that. Keep portions low but make sure you are satisfied on non-diet days. You will then be able to carry this regime on without time limit.

The diet is said to dramatically cut risks of cancers, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, strokes and other circulatory and heart-related conditions.

What are we to make of the latest interest in humble vitamin D?

The health pages of the press are now incomplete without a piece on this miraculous nutrient, previously linked only with rickets, or bent bone syndrome. Something for the very poor only, maybe, or immigrants from hot, sunny countries?

Vitamin D3 (the natural version) is said to be a must-have pill to pop for a variety of conditions, not just bone-specific, but with 2,776 functions in the human body.

New research has shown a remarkable correlation between the incidence of heart disease in a country and the burning of coal in power stations. Since Britain switched from coal to other fuels during the Miner’s strike in the 1980s, heart disease has diminished amazingly.

Doctors claim the success for themselves, of course, with new drugs, such as statins. But it really should be attributed to the miners who shot themselves in the foot by shutting down the UK coal industry.

The operating factor is that burning coal in power stations puts so much sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere that it filters out ultra-violet (UV) radiation in the 295nm band. That is precisely what stimulates the skin to produce Vitamin D, which is closely associated with diminshed levels of heart disease.

A massive project that ran almost every possible cause of heart problems through the Legal & General computer showed no link with obesity, butter fat (indeed, butter gave an inverse correlation), and no apparent benefit from vegetables. There may be other links to diabetes, though.

The shining star of this programme was Vitamin D. So could the advice change to “put away the sunscreen and take to the beaches”? We shall see.

However, other tests show that good quality vitamin D supplements are very effective in boosting levels in the blood.

Healthspan recommends a supplement dose of 25 micrograms (ug) of natural D3 a day for optimum health.

Researchers from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona have shown that extra virgin olive oil prevents breast cancer, and many other types of the disease.

Click on pic for a larger image. Photo by John Evans.

If it is consumed with other aspects of the Mediterranean diet, especially tomato-rich dishes, it seems to be even more effective.

The oil was found to launch attacks on tumours which stunt their growth and even make the cells implode. It also protects against cell DNA damage, a common cause of cancers.

Tests on rodents showed that olive oil disables a gene that controls the growth of breast cancer, while turning off proteins that cancer cells live on. More than 45,000 cases a year of breast cancer are diagnosed in Britain, making it the UK’s most common cancer.

Scientist Dr Eduard Escrich believes that everyone should consume 50ml of best olive oil a day for optimum health. That works out as around five tablespoons, or 500 calories, which may seems excessive to anyone reducing their weight. However, if the oil is substituted for butter and fats in savoury dishes, it simply substitutes other foods on a calorie for calorie basis.

Another study found that olive oil also affects genes that are linked with the hardening of arteries and other heart diseases.

Although Spain does have an interest in promoting olive products, this research backs up much evidence from previous studies worldwide.

Have you considered the Nordic diet?

The wholesome and delicious Nordic Diet

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark have launched an expensive programme to identify and test products from northern climes that could be part of a new healthy, Nordic diet.

Research by Elling Bere of Agder University in Norway, has indicated that native berries, such as blueberries, cowberries and cloudberries contain as much unsaturated healthy fat as fish per unit of energy.

He also determined that they were rich in antioxidants, which reduce the levels of harmful free-radicals in cells. Free radicals are known to cause heart disease, stroke and cancer.

It’s believed foods from the north could soon be replacing the Mediterranean diet currently top of nutritionists’ list for a long, vigorous life.

Instead of olive oil, citrus fruit, tomatoes and pasta, we could soon be shopping for elk, rapeseed oil, cowberries and cloudberries.

It has to be said, though, that the Danish authorities are not exactly neutral in promoting their own products. Whether European and American consumers will abandon their pizzas and Nicoise salads for soused herring remains to be seen.

However, it has been said that although foods of the south are low in saturated fats, the Med diet produces a lot of plump and overweight people.

Traditional Nordic diets are high in in fish like, salmon, trout, cod and herring, all rich in unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. The leaner qualities of northern foods, such as elk and reindeer, promote leaner people over time.

Another pointer in favour of Nordic foods is that they are more convenient to produce in colder climates, like Britain, than alternatives from the Mediterranean.

Things are looking up for the northern lifestyle.