Ryvita Q&A

We’ve had a number of very good questions about the challenge being sent through the Bikini Fit website.

So we’ve set up a new section on the website to post our responses. It’s worth taking a look at the topics discussed and feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Q. How do I know if it’s right for me?

A. If you are over 18, overweight and have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 25, you can take part. If you don’t know your BMI, please use our calculator to find out.

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Q. I was wondering if it costs you anything to take the challenge.

A. No it is free to take the challenge; all you need to do is print the challenge kit from the website.

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Q. Please could you tell me what drinks, apart from water, is permitted with your challenge?

A. The following drinks are permitted:

  • Unlimited - Water, tea/coffee with skimmed milk , no sugar
  • Limit - fresh fruit juice, low calorie soft drinks
  • 2-3 times week - 1/2 pint beer or 2 measures of spirit with diet mixer or small glass of wine
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Q. Will this Bikini fit challenge fit into my Slimming World plan?

A. Probably the best thing to do would be to print off a copy of the diet and show it to your slimming world representative. This is a stand alone diet plan for 2 weeks so we are not really sure how it fits with slimming world.

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Q. Approx how many calories should your evening meal have?

A. The Ryvita Bikini Fit Plan is based on a 1500kcal per day diet. The plan uses food group allocations for each meal event so that meal planning using food groups is used as opposed to restrictive calorie counting, allowing for greater flexibility. So, as outlined in the plan, the evening meal should be made up of 2 portions of fruit and vegetables, 1 portion of bread, cereal or potatoes, 1 portion of milk/dairy, 1 portion of meat or fish (or vegetarian alternative) and 1 portion of fats (for details on portion sizes see the complete Bikini Fit Plan).

Having said that some people like to have a calorie quota to work with, and if this is you then the structure to your day might look something like this:

  • Breakfast: 250Kcals;
  • Lunch: 350Kcals;
  • Evening meal: 700Kcals;
  • Snacks/desserts: 200Kcals.

You should bear in mind that this is for guidance only; the precise calorie content at each meal isn't important as long as your overall daily calorie intake is within the guidelines.

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Q. Are there any vegetarian alternatives for the main meals?

A. Yes. Here are some ideas for vegetarian alternatives for your main meal.

ALL recipes given serve 4 people and are suitable for the whole family to eat. Recipes have been kindly supplied by the Vegetarian Society and the British Egg Information Service and have been adapted, where appropriate, to reduce fat and energy content.

Autumn casserole with chestnuts - Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and gently fry 350g sliced leeks and 3 chopped stickes of celery until fairly soft. Add 350g chopped parsnip, 350g diced carrots and 50g chestnuts and cook for a few minutes, stirring well. Pour over 600ml vegetable stock and mix in a bay leaf, 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 3 tbsp chopped fresh thyme and 2 tbsp tomato puree. Bring the casserole to the boil, simmer for 1.5 hours or until all of the vegetables and chestnuts are quite soft.

Remove approx. one cup of vegetables and liquid and puree this until smooth, then stir it back into the casserole

Season to taste. Serve with mashed potato and steamed green vegetables for a complete meal.

Fusilli with egg and broccoli - Cook 225g fusilli pasta according to packet instructions, adding 225g broccoli florets for the last 4 minutes of the cooking time.

Drain in a colander. Put 3 medium eggs in a small pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil.

Boil for 7 minutes; drain, rinse in cold water. Peel away the shells and roughly chop.

Stir 3 tbsp pesto sauce into the pasta and broccoli. Stir in the cooked eggs and plenty of ground black pepper and serve topped with 15g parmesan cheese. Serve with a large green salad.

Brown lentil chilli - Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and fry 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves crushed garlic until quite soft. Add 1 tsp cumin seed and 1 tsp corainder seeds and cook until the seeds begin to pop. Add 2 sticks chopped celery, 2 diced carrots, 1 chopped red pepper, 225g diced courgettes and 225g chopped mushrooms, and sweat for about 10 minutes.

Add 125g brown lentils, 3 whole fresh chillies and 2 tsp chilli powder. Stir in well and cook for 2 minutes. Pour over a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and 300ml of vegetable stock. Stir in 1 tbsp of tomato puree and boil. Simmer for 1 hour. Add more stock if necessary. Add 1/2 tsp ground cumin, season to taste and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Remove the whole chillis prior to serving! Delicious served with baked potato or rice.

Baked butternut squash - Cut 2 whole butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place the squash halves on a baking sheet and brush the flesh lightly with 2 tsp olive oil. Bake in the oven at 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for 30 minutes until the flesh is soft. Mix together 200g sweetcorn kernels, 100g chestnut puree and 150g ricotta cheese in a bowl. Divide between the squash halves, spooning into the hollows. Return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes. Serve with a baked potato and green salad.

Quick Chickpea Curry - Gently fry 3 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 small piece of root ginger (finely chopped), 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground coriander in 1/2 tbsp of olive oil for 3 minutes. Add 2 whole chopped tomatoes and 150ml of vegetable stock and cook for a further minute. Blend the ingredients in a liquidiser or food processor until smooth.

In the original pan, fry 2 small chopped onions in 1/2 tbsp olive oil for 3 minutes, add 225g sliced mushrooms add cook for a further 3 minutes. Pour the curry paste over the onions and mushrooms, add 425g can of chick peas (drained) and 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander. Heat gently for 10 minutes. Stir in 25g creamed coconut and season to taste.

Serve with boiled rice or couscous.

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Q. My daughter MUST avoid gluten. Does standard Ryvita contain any?

A. Gluten is a protein that is present in Wheat, Rye, Oats, Barley, Spelt and Kamut. All Ryvita crispbread, therefore, contains gluten, however some people are only intolerant to wheat gluten but can happily eat the other grains. It really depends if your daughter is intolerant to all gluten cereals or just wheat.

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Q. Can I do this challenge longer than 2 weeks?

A. The challenge is a starting point for a healthier lifestyle and is designed to last for 2 weeks, therefore you should stop the challenge after this period.

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Q. What is a nutritionally balanced meal?

A. In order for you to have a balanced meal you should be looking at the five major food groups. So, you should take into account the following aspects:

  • Lots of fruit and veg
  • Low fat
  • High levels of fibre
  • Protein- meat and fish will give you plenty of this, or you can try tofu if you are vegetarian
  • Carbohydrates
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Q. Don’t I need more variety in a healthy weight reduction diet?

A. You should only take The Bikini Fit Challenge for a 2 week period. You should make your third meal nutritionally balanced (see our great ideas on the challenge kit!) and make plenty of fruit and veg part of your everyday diet.

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