The new Fast 800 recipe book makes this even clearer – you don’t have to count calories for leafy greens and broccoli.

I suggest you read the books again: there is no need to reinterpret. Fasting days do not stand alone, they are an integral part of your overall way of eating.

All of Dr Michael Mosley’s books and Dr Clare Bailey’s recipe books clearly emphasise variety and balance for long-term health. This includes eating the full rainbow of bright and dark low-sugar fruits and non-starchy vegetables (blue/ purple, red, yellow/ orange, dark green).

In the ‘The Fast 800’ Dr Mosley recommends we eat “dark-green leafy vegetables … and salads, as well as coloured vegetables – these are very low in calories and contain many essential vitamins and nutrients.” (p.92). In the ‘Clever Guts Diet’ he advocates seven different fruit and vegetables a day, twenty to thirty different varieties a week (p.191).

In ‘The Fast 800 recipe book’ Dr Bailey says “we have made non-starchy vegetables into ‘no counting’ options, as the calories in these foods are insignificant compared with their nutritional benefits.” (p.15). And “we encourage you to eat these freely, filling half of your plate with each meal” (p.241). The examples she lists include radishes, cauliflower, celery, “[bell] peppers, and salad leaves of all colours – the more colourful the better.” (p.241).

Adding sensible servings of a variety of very low calorie/ very low carbohydrate vegetables to each meal or snack is quite different to overeating one or two. NO wholefood is healthy in excess: many contain compounds that can have negative health effects if over consumed. That includes broccoli and spinach.

HTH!

DG: Maybe work out the few lowest carbohydrate (per recommended serving) vegetables or fruits in each colour group? Then fill your plate or bowl with several of these on fasting days.

I mention fruits because some are as low carb/ low calorie or lower than many vegetables, weight for weight.

I have frozen berries/ summer fruits with Greek yogurt (protein and probiotics) and chia seeds/ cracked linseeds for soluble fibre (filling and prebiotic). Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants are lower carb/ lower cal than blueberries and sour cherries.

HTH!