“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not,” Mark Twain once wrote, predating the concerns of a generation of 5:2 dieters by a good century. It’s a common fear: that any attempt to eat better means somehow downgrading your quality of life, spending hours cramming¹ steamed chicken into endless Tupperware containers and maybe – just maybe – never being able to have a Belgian bun again. But that’s not really true. You can improve your diet without sacrificing everything you hold dear.

“唯一保持健康的方法就是去吃一些你不爱吃的，喝一些你不爱喝的东西，并做一些你不想做的（运动），”马克·吐温曾经写道，他在一个世纪以前就为使用5比2节食法的减肥一代提出了关注。大家都很害怕：任何试图吃的更好都是从某种程度上降低你的生活质量，花时间填满清蒸鸡放进无止境的特百惠保鲜盒里，而且可能——仅仅是可能——再也不会去碰比利时小面包了。但是这是不对的。亲爱的，不牺牲你想吃的那些东西依然可以改善饮食。

Eat a better breakfast.

早饭吃的更丰盛。

This doesn’t have to be difficult. The main thing to do is add protein – which experts roundly agree increases satiety² and makes mid-morning snacking less likely – and fruit or veg. Two scrambled³ eggs and a handful of spinach⁴ will cover this quite nicely. No time/budget for that? Even an apple with a spoonful of nut butter is better than cereal – especially since non-digestible compounds in granny smiths have been linked to obesity-fighting effects.

这不难吧。你要做的主要的事情就是添加蛋白质——专家都非常认同要增加饱腹感，而且尽可能在上午的中间时段不要吃零食——还有水果和蔬菜。两个荷包蛋加一点菠菜就非常完美了。没时间/没钱吃这些？即使一个苹果配上一勺果仁奶油也比吃谷类要好——尤其是因为绿苹果里不易消化的成分可以有减肥功效。

Rethink drinks.

再想一想喝什么。

If you make only one change to your diet, cutting out calories from fizzy drinks is the easiest. Swap⁵ them for sparkling water with lemon or lime: there’s some evidence that they blunt the insulin spike⁶ that usually happens after a big meal, meaning you’re less predisposed to store food as fat.

如果你只想从一个方面改变你的饮食，不喝高卡路里的汽水最容易不过了。用柠檬或者青柠的苏打水代替吧：有一些证据显示吃完大餐后，它们会让胰岛素升高，意味着你较不容易储存食物堆积脂肪。

Use if-then planning

使用假设计划

Any plan that relies on having a stack of broccoli⁷-loaded Tupperware on hand at all times is doomed⁸ to failure. Instead, use if-then planning and work out your worst-case dietary backup plans right now. Good examples would be: “If I miss breakfast, then I’ll grab a bag of beef jerky and an apple, not a croissant.” There’s mounting evidence that having pre-programmed behaviours can keep you on track when you’re at your weakest.

任何依赖狂吃一堆堆西兰花——手头边的保鲜盒里始终堆积了这些蔬菜的方法，注定是要失败的。相反，马上使用假设计划得出你最坏情况的节食后补计划。给你举个不错的例子：“如果没吃早饭，那就带上一袋牛肉干和一个苹果，不要拿羊角包。”越来越多的证据显示预知好行动可以让你在最脆弱的时候不偏离计划。

Eat more sweet potatoes.

多吃甜土豆。

They’re potassium-rich and stuffed with vitamin A, they’re less than £2 a bag. The safest three cooking options are: 1) stab them with a fork and microwave them; 2) chop them into wedges, brush them with oil, sprinkle with paprika and bake for 20–25 minutes; and 3) peel, boil and mash⁹ them, preferably with butter.

它们含钾丰富，富含维他命A，而且便宜（一袋两磅）。最不会失败的三种烹饪方法：1）用叉子刺进去放微波炉转；2）切成块，刷上油，撒上辣椒粉烤20-25分钟；3）剥皮，煮沸，捣碎，最好拌点黄油。

Make green veg taste better.

做些更可口的绿色蔬菜。

Yes, you should eat broccoli: it has many beneficial effects, and there’s some evidence that steaming actually enhances them. You should also be eating spinach (wilt it in coconut¹⁰ oil, preferably stirring it with a garlic clove-tipped fork for flavour).

是的，你必须多吃西兰花：它有很多的益处，而且有证据显示蒸一下效果更佳。而且你也要多吃菠菜（用椰子油让它萎缩了，最好拍碎蒜瓣加进去搅拌一下，然后用叉子吃）。

Get a slow cooker

慢锅炖食物。

Caramelising onions and making cornflour paste after eight or nine hours at work is nobody’s idea of a good time. A slow cooker is your best bet – you can sling¹¹ some chicken thighs¹², minced¹³ garlic and soy sauce in in the morning, and come back to a feast.

加焦糖融化洋葱，八九个小时后再用玉米粉团做东西就错过烹饪的最佳时间了。慢锅炖是你最好的选择——你可以把煲吊起来，在早上就丢一些鸡大腿，蒜末下去加点酱油，然后回来再享受这顿大餐。

Eat carbs around activities.

活动的时候吃碳水化合物

High-carb? Low-carb? Zero-carb? All varying degrees of madness. The real trick to carbs, according to a host of nutritionists, is eating them – or steering¹⁴ clear of them – based around how much physical activity you’re doing. If your day’s exercise is fiddling¹⁶ with a computer keyboard, which suggests that you steer¹⁵ clear of rice, potatoes and bread.

高糖？低糖？不含糖？这种分级简直是疯了。据大多数营养学家所说，对待碳水化合物的最好的方法就是吃掉它们！——或者不去碰它们——建议在你做多少运动的基础上。如果你的日常运动是敲键盘的话，那就建议你不要去碰米饭，土豆和面包了。