Bosh! Healthy Vegan.

Henry Firth and Ian Theasby.

COPYRIGHT.

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2019

Text Copyright © Henry Firth and Ian Theasby 2019

Photography Copyright © Lizzie Mayson and Nicky Johnston 2019

Henry Firth and Ian Theasby assert the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardback ISBN 978-0-00-835295-0

eBook ISBN: 978-0-00-835296-7

Senior Commissioning Editor: Kate Fox

Project Editor: Laura Herring

Food Photography: Lizzie Mayson

Portrait Photography: Nicky Johnston

Food styling: Pip Spence

Prop styling: Louie Waller

Design & Art Direction: Hart Studio

Recipe Nutritional Consultant: Clare Gray

With thanks to Newington Green Fruit & Vegetables

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Version: 2019-12-20

NOTE TO READERS.

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 Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008352950.

CONTENTS

COVER.

TITLE PAGE.

COPYRIGHT.

NOTE TO READERS.

FOREWORD BY DR RUPY AUJLA.

WELCOME.

WHY EAT PLANTS?.

HOW TO LIVE WELL.

HOW TO EAT WELL.

FANTASTIC FEASTS FOR EVERYONE.

LIGHTER.

ULTIMATE VEG TACOS.

TOFU YAKI BOSH!.

PUTTANESCA POTATO STEW.

HEALTHY SAAG PANEER.

NASI GORENG.

KEEMA ALOO.

SPICY SZECHUAN-STYLE SHIITAKE STIR-FRY.

TOM YUMMO SOUP.

MIXED VEG KATSU CURRY.

CRISPY TOFU SATAY BITES.

INDIAN SPICED TOMATO SOUP.

MUSHROOM SOUP.

SPICY LENTIL SOUP.

ZINGY WATERMELON SALAD.

GREENER.

NIÇOISE SALAD.

BOSH! BURNT AUBERGINE.

SATAY SALAD.

CAESAR SALAD.

MIDDLE-EASTERN SPICED CHICKPEA SALAD.

SALSA VERDE COUSCOUS.

RAINBOW STIR-FRY.

OVEN-ROASTED SALMON TOFU STEAKS.

GREEN SHAKSHUKA.

BBQ PORTOBELLO & POTATO SALAD.

SUPER SUSHI SALAD.

JERK JACKFRUIT SALAD ’N’ BEANS.

THAI TEMPEH SALAD.

HEARTIER.

BRAISED JACK CHILLI.

FEIJOADA & ’SLAW.

HEARTY, HERBY STEW.

JAMMIN’ JAMBALAYA.

BANGIN’ BOLOGNESE.

‘CHORIZO’ PASTA.

PASTA E FAGIOLI.

BBQ SLOPPY JACKETS.

TOTAL PROTEIN CHILLI.

THAI NO-FISHCAKES.

GOAN-STYLE CURRY.

ASIAN-STYLE RISOTTO.

CAT’S CURRYFLOWER.

EMJ’S HEARTY HOTPOT.

SUNNY SRI LANKAN CURRY.

SALAD LASAGNE.

EASY & HEALTHY ROAST DINNER.

MEATY MUSHROOM PIE.

HEALTHIER PIZZA DOUGH.

PEPPERONI & PESTO PIZZA.

TEXAS BBQ PIZZA.

BBQ BOURBON SAUCE.

HOISIN JACKFRUIT PIZZA.

HOISIN SAUCE.

LEGENDARY RENDANG.

NOT-THAT-NAUGHTY BURGER WITH FRISBEE FRIES.

MEATBALLS WITH MASH & GRAVY.

CRISPY, STICKY TOFU WITH PAK CHOI WOK-TOSSED RICE.

TREATS.

ANNA’S BLUEBERRY TOAST LOAF.

CHOCOLATE & BANANA MUFFINS.

SALTED CARAMEL APPLE CRUMBLE & CUSTARD.

BANANA & CHOCOLATE MOUSSE.

BAKEWELL BOSH! BALLS.

COOKIE DOUGH BOSH! BALLS.

BOSH! BROWNIE BALLS.

JACKED FLAPJACKS.

BANANA BERRY ICE CREAM.

PBJ THUMBPRINT COOKIES.

BREAKFAST.

GREEN GODDESS SMOOTHIE.

BERRY BOOST SMOOTHIE.

BANANA, OAT & NUT SMOOTHIE.

CHARLIE’S SAUSAGE SCRAMBLE.

TROPICAL OVERNIGHT OATS.

MEXI BREAKFAST.

MAPLE PECAN GRANOLA.

BARCELONA BREAKFAST BURRITO.

BOSH! BARS.

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIGNONS.

SUMMER BERRY GRANOLA BOWL.

HEALTHY BANANA FRENCH TOAST.

GARDEN PARTY BREAKFAST BOWL.

LIST OF SEARCHABLE TERMS.

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER.

FOREWORD.
DR RUPY AUJLA. THE DOCTOR’S KITCHEN.

I’ve long been a fan of BOSH! since a mutual friend of ours, who also happens to be a medical colleague, introduced us a few years ago. So I was genuinely humbled to be asked to write a foreword for Henry and Ian’s latest book. Their recipes have convinced me, along with the millions of others across the globe, to consider plant-based dishes as not only normal, but just as satiating and exciting as any non-plant-based alternatives.

I’m excited to see that the guys have now applied their ingenuity, culinary creativity and love of all things plants to something that could absolutely shift the needle for people’s health. This book is an invaluable guide to how to eat and live healthily while following a plant-based diet.

By way of introduction, my name is Rupy, also known as ‘The Doctor’s Kitchen’. I work as an NHS medical doctor in General Practice and Emergency Medicine. I founded the non-profit Culinary Medicine UK, which teaches health practitioners about nutrition as well as how to cook, and I passionately believe that the key to a happy, healthy life starts on our plate.

It is clear to see that global healthcare systems are struggling under the weight of lifestyle-related illnesses. Without a lifestyle-focused solution that addresses the root cause of ill health, we chain ourselves to a vicious cycle of symptom control interventions.

Make no mistake, as a practicing doctor in the NHS I wholeheartedly believe in the use of life-saving pharmaceuticals and surgery. However, the biggest impact we can have on our wellbeing and future health is closely tied to the way we live our lives and what we choose to eat.

Henry and Ian provide a sincere, honest and practical guide to eating more colourfully, living with purpose and considering achievable goals to improve your wellbeing, whether you choose to go completely plant-based or not. And that is precisely why I love these guys.

Although they are passionate about the benefits of a fully plant-based life, they also appreciate other people’s individual preferences, no judgement. Even if it’s just a few meals a week, then that’s OK too. You’ll still see benefits to how you feel.

They recognise the responsibility writing a ‘healthy cook book’ comes with too, which is why they’ve made the effort to collaborate with a nutrition professional to ensure their delicious recipes are consistent with trusted international dietary guidelines without compromising on taste.

Beyond incredible recipes and actionable tips, BOSH! demonstrates a genuine desire to help motivate you to make lasting, lifestyle changes and improve your health. I’m excited for how many people this will inspire toward healthier habits and the impact it could have for you, the reader, and on those around you too. The principles of eating well include consuming a variety of ingredients, mainly plants, lots of colour and plenty of fibre. This book will help you put into action a way of eating and living that will benefit your overall health and happiness.

Welcome to the world of more beautiful plants on plates. Let’s get cooking!

Yours in Health,

Dr Rupy Aujla, MBBS, BSc, MRCGP

WELCOME.

As BOSH!, it’s our mission to help you get more plants on your plate, more taste in your food and more joy out of your mealtimes. We want you to live a long, healthy, happy life. Our aim in this book is to share with you what we’ve learned about healthy eating and the power of plants.

Four years ago, we were slightly overweight meaties. We adopted a plant-based diet and found our lives changed for the better. The weight fell off, our sleep was better, and our energy levels improved. But a couple of years later, we had become indulgent eaters, often cooking and eating up to five meals a day as we tested recipes for our cookbooks. We had taken our focus off health and wellbeing and were eating too many white, processed carbs – classic vegan junk food! It was delicious, but our health had started to suffer.

So, we made some changes and started learning a new way of living. We learned how to balance fun food with fit food. We’ve done the hard work – and made the mistakes – so you don’t have to. In this book we share with you over 80 healthy recipes, meal plans and all the advice and guidance you need to be a happier, healthier, leaner you – whether it’s every meal, or one meal at a time.

But this isn’t a diet book. Quick diets and promises of instant transformation don’t work in the long term. If they sound too good to be true, that’s because they are. With the latest diet craze you may see short-term benefits, but these can often be at the expense of your future self.

Quick-fix diet plans can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, encourage a negative self-image and they can even permanently change your body’s metabolism. More often than not, once the diet is over you’ll go back to your old eating patterns anyway and any benefits will be reversed. We’ve all been there.

We are going to show you how eating plants can transform your wellbeing, for good. Making a small change to the way you eat, you can feel incredible and live healthier. And the best part? The food is delicious!

When we adopted this plant-based way of eating, we felt more energetic, slept better, trained better, laughed a lot more and, hopefully, we will live longer, too!

This book is for everyone, whatever your dietary lifestyle. Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, a flexitarian, a pescatarian, a meat eater – this book is for you. We’ll show you how to eat the rainbow, whether you’re looking to lose fat, eat for fitness, or just be the healthiest you can be. It’s about finding the balance that you feel comfortable with and incorporating plant-based eating into your life as much as you can.

If you’re looking to lose fat, become leaner or shape up, a plant-based diet is one of the best ways to do that. Eating the right plants will help you feel fuller for longer, which can help you start to shed fat.

If you’re looking to build muscle, you’re in the right place. Colourful plants are packed with protein and a load of vital nutrients to help you get maximum gains and experience optimum recovery after exercise. We’ll show you how plant-based nutrition can help fitness and muscle building.

If you’re just looking to be a healthier version of you, then this is for you. We want to help everyone reach their optimum health. These recipes will help your gut, blood, heart and immune system function at their best.

Our recipes are delicious, easy and offer the best in nutrition. They have been put together using the latest medical advice available for a plant-based diet, and according to government and NHS healthy-eating guidelines (the EatWell Plate) and other national food guidelines. And we’ve worked with a registered dietician to make sure that all our dishes are balanced, health-giving and well portioned.

The recipes all follow the principles of eating the rainbow. Packed with colourful plants and their unique health-giving phytonutrients, they reflect a varied plant-based diet. The meals are also full of dietary fibre and high-quality carbs, proteins and fats, and are low in salt, sugar and saturated fat (saturated fat has links with increased cholesterol, heart disease and stroke, so a diet that’s low in this is great!).

They have all been nutritionally analysed – you’ll see labels beneath the recipes indicating whether they are a particularly good source of protein or fibre, or are low in fat or sugar, as well as the calories per serving.

We’ll show you why eating plants is a great choice for your health. You’ll learn how to eat plants the right way, while discovering delicious new recipes. We’ll also give you some ideas for when you want to relax the rules a little, so you can enjoy life in balance. We all need a treat sometimes!

We’ll help you get healthy in other areas of your life as well – sleep, exercise, routine and lifestyle – so you feel more able to to start making positive, lasting changes.

We’re going to show you how to eat and live healthily. You’ll soon see just how good you can feel eating plants. Most importantly, this is still BOSH! food: hearty, comforting food that you want to eat – but with fewer calories, less sugar, and less fat.

We’re going to share with you everything we’ve learned and help you find the best you. These changes could last a lifetime. And along the way we’ll share some of the tastiest and most vibrant recipes we’ve ever created.

We’re delighted you’ve decided to join us on our healthy vegan journey.

Henry and Ian x

WHY EAT PLANTS?.

In this book, you’re going to discover delicious, moreish, comforting food that is good for your body, will nourish your soul and help you stay healthy. And moreover, everything is easy and you won’t be spending ages in the kitchen.

You’ve probably heard that a plant-based diet is good for you. There’s a reason many of the world’s top athletes are adopting plant-based diets. It’s the new buzzword in fitness. And it’s being recommended increasingly by doctors as a lifestyle promoting long life, weight loss and health.

We have found that it has loads of other benefits, too, like better sleep, improved recovery after exercising, and more consistent energy levels. It’s better for the planet too. We felt like we’d discovered a superpower when we first made the switch. We are now fitter, happier and healthier than we’ve ever been.

PLANTS ARE GOOD FOR YOU.

Your parents always told you to eat your greens, and they were right! Eating more plants is a sure-fire way to turbocharge your wellness: most plants are absolutely jam-packed with phytochemicals which have various positive benefits for the body, from offering anti-oxidising properties, to providing vital vitamins and minerals, and supporting good gut health.

You may also find, as we did, that the higher fibre intake and a reduction of what are thought to be inflammatory foods characterised by eating vegan leaves you with better digestion and a healthier gut.

The easiest way to maximise nutrition on a plant-based diet is to remember to ‘eat the rainbow’ (we talk more about this on here). It’s also best to avoid over-processed foods as much as possible. Get a variety of colours, flavours, textures and spices into your diet on a daily basis: aim for your plates of food to be beautifully colourful.

STILL EAT ALL YOUR FAVOURITE FOODS.

‘Surely a vegan diet just means eating loads of salads and rabbit food? Lettuce and carrots, right?’ We beg to differ! A good vegan diet, packed with health-giving properties and general planty goodness, can still be hearty and comforting.

We started BOSH! to show the world just how delicious plant-based food can be. We created our videos to prove that you can still have all your favourite foods, but without the meat and dairy. And with our new, healthy recipes, nothing’s changed.

Incredible-looking burgers, luscious roast dinners, wonderful stews and curries and even pizza can still be on the menu! And we’re not talking about processed burgers or cauliflower-base pizzas either. We’re talking about proper hearty meals made as you like them, with just a few small tweaks to nudge the meal in a healthy direction.

‘Going vegan made me stronger than I’ve ever been… I feel better than ever, I look and feel younger.’

David Haye – British Professional Boxer

DITCH THE DIETS.

We all know about those best-selling ‘healthy’ or ‘fat-loss’ cookbooks that contain meals packed with meats, fish and cheese. Many are based on the same principles of the ketogenic or Atkins diets, which encourage your body to burn fat instead of glucose. These books and their exercise plans may result in weight loss in the short term, but chances are it will be short-lived. They may also be very high in fat and saturated fat.

And, if you aren’t doing the exercise plans associated with these diets, then you may not even see the benefits. You could even end up putting on weight rather than losing it, due to the high calorific content of the food.

Crashing in and out of different diets with different approaches to weight loss, by eating less, or eating more fats and proteins, you could end up affecting your body’s metabolism. Your body has an optimum balance, and it may adjust how it operates so it can remain there.

Unlike those diets, our approach to nutrition, healthy eating and fitness is flexible. You don’t have to be doing complicated aerobics routines every day. We’re not saying you should avoid exercise – we are big advocates of it! – but our approach to eating works independently, with you moving and getting your body active in your own way. Perhaps a brisk walk to work or cycle to and from the shops is enough to get your heart beating faster. That’s fine – you’ll still feel the benefits from eating our meals. Or, if you are a regular gym-bunny, then this book will work for you too, and later on we’ll show you how to tailor your meals to achieve your fitness goals (see here).

HEALTHY EATING IS FOR LIFE.

This book will help you work through a few small changes to your lifestyle (and when we say small, we mean small), to steer yourself towards a happier, healthier you: one, two, three years from now. We hope this book will help you take control of your health, your body, your food, your energy levels, for once and for all.

By learning a few simple rules on how to nourish yourself on a plant-based diet, you can take the stress out of mealtimes for good. We certainly won’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t look like either. Loving your body as it is, right now, is more important than anything else.

THE PLANT SLANT.

Until recently, concerns about nutrition put some people off a plant-based diet, and the word ‘vegan’ was almost seen as a dirty word. Now, many doctors are moving towards recommending plant-based eating, and more health professionals are recommending plant-based – or as some people call it, ‘plant-slant’ – diets to patients for promoting long life, fitness, weight loss and better recovery from illness. Eating only plants – or a lot more plants – is now seen as the optimal way to eat. And it’s better for the planet and all its inhabitants, too.

‘I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, wholefood diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-round happier person.’

Ariana Grande – Pop Star

VEGGIES ARE EASY TO COOK AND GOOD VALUE.

Vegetables are easy to cook and don’t require long cooking times: you just need to learn how to make flavours work. We design our recipes with easy-to-find foods, so you can get most things from your local stores. And eating more plants can save you money, too. You don’t need to worry about splashing out on expensive high-welfare meat. You just want fresh veg. And if you buy seasonal or discount items (plants stay good for longer) then your shopping can be ever cheaper.

DO IT YOUR WAY.

You may well not be vegan, but this book is still for you! The more plants you eat, the better. Maybe a totally plant-based diet is just not for you. Maybe later. Maybe never. This book is written for everyone, however many plant-based meals you choose to eat each day or week.

‘Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like I’m doing the right thing for me. It definitely changed my whole life. It changed everything.’

Serena Williams – World Class Tennis Player – on adopting a plant-based diet

THE BOSH! STORY.

The worst of times.

In 2014, we were both in a bad place. Henry had just celebrated his thirtieth birthday. He woke up with ‘the fear’, having forgotten everything about the night before, and tried to work out what had happened. Luckily, save for embarrassing himself, no real damage was done. But he was also a work-hard-play-hard kind of guy, and food and alcohol were taking a toll on his life. That was the wake-up call he needed.

Around a similar time, Ian was looking and feeling under the weather, and had been for a while. Carrying a little more weight than he wanted, and inbetween jobs, he had lost all motivation. He denied that anything was wrong, but he was spending far too much time eating junk food and drinking, and not enough time looking after his body. And he was doing absolutely zero exercise. No running, no stretching, no cycling, no weights, not much walking. Nothing.

Both of us were making bad life choices. And these poor choices were making us unhealthy, unfit and unhappy.

As January approached, Ian decided to give up alcohol as a personal challenge. He found it easier than he expected, so decided to up the ante and give up meat, too. As part of that process, he started reading up on meat production, and watching veggie and vegan YouTube videos. And he decided to go vegan.

We lived together (and still do) and shortly after Ian decided to go vegan, we watched the film Cowspiracy. On discovering the environmental, health and ethical impact of animal agriculture, Henry joined Ian and went vegan overnight too.

Almost instantly, we both felt amazing. We lost a bit of weight. Our energy levels improved. We felt generally lighter, as our digestive systems were less strained. Our hair got thicker and we slept better. Henry’s hayfever pretty much disappeared. We felt fitter and healthier than ever. Despite the fact that it was harder to find food (in 2014 there wasn’t as much choice for vegans), we felt more satisfied and more fulfilled by our choices. The overall positivity of the vegan experience was intoxicating, and so we set up BOSH! to share our love of vegan food with the world.

The rest is vegan history. Within months we had millions of views of our videos. Within a year, billions.

However, there was a downside. While we were eating plant-based foods – which are, inherently, healthy – the sheer amount of food we were cooking and testing was causing us problems. We’re incredibly proud of the food in our BOSH! books, but, put simply, we were eating too much! Particularly for Henry, those repeated tests to make the perfect lasagne or burger resulted in him piling on the pounds he had initially lost.

When you immerse yourself in the vegan world, you realise just how easy it is to make vegan versions of almost anything. This is a great thing, as it shows that vegan food doesn’t need to be about abstinence. But, as any dietician, or medium- to long-term vegan or vegetarian will tell you, it’s easy to be an unhealthy vegan, or to just be eating the wrong things. After all, salad is vegan – but so are chips!

We found that cutting meat out of our diet was a great thing to do – it helped us eat less saturated fat, and encouraged us to bring more fibre and nutrients into our diet. A plant-based diet reduces your impact on the planet and you know that what you eat doesn’t contribute to poor animal welfare – but if you’re not careful, you can easily end up low in key nutrients.

As well as the over-eating, our increasingly busy lives negatively affected our work-life balance. We had no time for exercise. Our hectic video production schedule meant we often didn’t leave the house for days on end. When we did leave, we filled our faces with vegan burgers, vegan fish and chips and brownies at vegan food events. Gradually we became unhealthier versions of our vegan selves, living on ‘junk food vegan’ diets. At home, there were far too many takeaways. Our meals were less ‘eat-the-rainbow’ and more ‘50 shades of beige’.

Time to change.

At the start of 2018, we decided to get healthy.

It wasn’t a big change. More a re-steering of the ship. We changed our course by a couple of degrees, watched our ship right itself, and found a completely new destination.

The best of times.

We sought advice everywhere we could, reading dozens of books, watching videos and documentaries, following courses and speaking to doctors and nutritionists. We sought out mentors. We started working with a dietician.

Our new way of eating and living focused on colourful plants, and getting the right balance of nutrients. This, as well as a small amount of careful supplementation, ensured we were getting exactly the right nutrition for our bodies.

Following our new meal plan felt great. We felt light and lean. We had successfully navigated ourselves to a place where we felt fantastic all week long, saved money, saved time on cooking, and were still able to eat the kind of meals we wanted (allowing ourselves to indulge in a vegan junk food session from time to time). We went to the gym regularly, and were better at getting up early. Our work has improved, our happiness has increased and we are healthier than we have ever been.

This is the toolkit we wish we’d read when we were starting out on our vegan journey. We wish we’d known that by following just a few simple steps and basic rules we could ensure we achieved optimum nutrition from a plant-based diet.

A new you.

Our goal is to help everyone in the world eat more plants. That’s what we’re about. It’s what we’ve always been about. It’s why we started BOSH! and why we’ve written our cookbooks.

We’ve updated our mission a little bit from where we started. As well as helping everyone eat more plants, we also want our recipes to inspire, entertain and nourish, and we want to improve the health of the planet and all its inhabitants. If everyone adopted a plant-based diet, we could make a big contribution to reducing climate change.

That’s why we’re here, and it’s why we created the recipes in this book. We’re here to show the why and the how of living healthily on a plant-based diet.

HOW TO LIVE WELL.

A healthy lifestyle means different things to different people. But all of us will benefit from focusing on these six pillars:

sleep, move, relax, love yourself, love others, live with purpose

A long, healthy, happy life has all these bases covered. Don’t compare yourself to others, but think about how well you feel when you follow the principles of each in your own life. We’d like to share with you some simple, meaningful changes you can make to live better.

SLEEP.

Rest is crucial for your body. During sleep our body undergoes all sorts of essential activities. Doctors recommend we aim for between 7 and 9 hours per night – any less than this counts as sleep deprivation, which can have many negative health consequences. So getting good sleep is crucial.

One of the most positive changes we made was to improve our sleep. We used to get up early to hit the gym, even if it meant getting only 5 or 6 hours of sleep. We were spending our days sleep deprived, trying to catch up at the weekends.

But after learning about the impact sleep has on physical performance, we made time to sleep properly. Now we get 7-9 hours of good-quality sleep most nights and the difference to our lives has been incredible. Even if we hit the gym a bit less often, we see more benefits from the times we do go, and we eat more sensibly during the day too, as we’re less likely to need a quick energy boost.

Being sleep deprived is detrimental to your health. It can impair brain function, memory and empathy. It negatively affects your mood and increases stress hormones. It is also more likely to cause us to make bad food choices, and since we’re tired, we are more likely to skip exercise. Being tired impairs our body’s ability to grow muscle, and conversely, makes us more likely to put on fat.

Of course, there are some jobs, such as doctors, nurses, chefs or shift-workers, which require long and erratic working hours, or night shifts. This can make a regular sleep pattern an impossibility. In this case, getting the maximum sleep possible and the best-quality sleep you can (even including naps) will help you manage your rest time.

After a good night’s sleep you’ll reap many benefits, including more energy, higher concentration and stronger learning ability. You’ll be more likely to make good food choices and your body will be better at building muscle or burning fat. Your immune system and bodily repair systems will also improve. In his trailblazing book, Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker shows that you’ll have better memory, increased life expectancy, lower stress levels and more empathy. In addition to the food you eat, sleep is one of the biggest things we want to help you with.

How to sleep well.

Create a bedtime ritual. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day – even at the weekends – if you can.

Keep your mobile phone and TVs out of the bedroom, using something else as your alarm clock. Ian likes to use a light alarm clock, and Henry likes to wake up to a motivational podcast to get him up and raring to go! We set up a charging point in the hallway for phones.

Reduce your caffeine Intake. We used to drink up to five cups a day – that’s too many! Have your coffee in the morning, or at lunchtime, then it’s out of your system by bedtime.

Reduce exposure to bad light at bedtime. Looking at your phone or a computer screen late at night can make your body think it’s morning, due to the bright blue light your devices emit. Try to turn off technology an hour or so before bed, or if you really can’t do that, use an app that will dim the light of the screens. These are available on most mobile phones, and you can download laptop applications to do the same thing.

Put yourself on a strict sleep routine. Aim to get 8 hours of sleep a night, for a week, at the expense of all else (even exercise). See how amazing you feel. Then take it from there!

Aim to get your room as dark and quiet as possible at bedtime. If your room isn’t completely dark, try fitting blackout blinds or using a really comfortable eye mask. And ear plugs are great for helping keep sounds out – get the best ones you can.

Keep your room cool. Around 18˚C is a good temperature. If you find you are sweating, or tossing and turning, consider investing in a duvet with a lower tog rating.

Make your bed each day. Your bed should be as inviting and as comfortable as possible. Invest in some quality fitted sheets and bedding that you love.

Embrace napping. Napping is great, and it is a skill that can be learned. A 20-minute daytime nap can do wonders to revive you; even a 5-minute nap can leave you feeling refreshed. Sofas, car seats, or even at your desk at work can be great nap spots, where you can bring yourself back to alertness if you’re a little low on sleep.

Get outside first thing in the morning and get 20 minutes of daylight on your skin (not through glass, and not wearing sunglasses!). We find exercising in the morning (usually running or cycling) is a great way to do this, but see what works for you.

MOVE.

There’s a test called the sit-to-stand test, or sit-rising test, which is usually conducted on the over 50s. It analyses your overall mobility and balance, and is used to make predictions about how long you are likely to live based on your performance in the test. It involves going from standing to sitting on the floor, and then back up to standing without using your hands, arms, knees or the side of your leg to support you. When Henry was 30, he realised he couldn’t perform the simple movement in that test. It was at this point that he started regular exercise, including strength and mobility work.

Regular exercise is one of the top factors in ensuring a healthy body. Movement doesn’t have to be overly taxing, even just walking briskly for 30 minutes throughout the day counts towards an active lifestyle. The NHS recommends adults aged 19-64 aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, as well as strength exercises on two or more days a week. So, whether you’re walking, running, stretching or lifting, regular movement is crucial.

As the saying goes, ‘use it or lose it’.

Most able-bodied toddlers can perform an excellent squat; humans are born with great mobility. Over time, in the West, we lose that ability – squatting just isn’t something we do on a regular basis, compared to places like India and south-east Asia where squatting to sit is common, and you’ll find most people can still perform a perfect squat. If you’re not making full use of a range of motion, it will gradually stop being available to you.

The same applies to our muscles. Your body is an efficient machine, and if you’re not using muscles, they will start to deteriorate. These changes are not immediately noticeable, but before you know it you can get a sprain from performing a simple task. Your muscles need to be adequately maintained across their whole range of movement, otherwise even a small movement outside of their norm can end up causing damage.

In addition to loss of mobility and strength, overly tight and inflexible muscles can cause damage elsewhere in your body, as you may be holding yourself awkwardly to compensate. Back pain is often actually caused by tightness in the legs and glutes, and the longer tightness is left, the harder it is to solve with stretching or conditioning.

Exercise is also the number one way to look after your heart. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is one of the best measurements of health, and also serves as a good indicator of how well your heart is working. Increasing your heart rate on a regular basis will help preserve the heart’s health.

The best gift you can give your future self is that of agility and strength. Look after your body, as it’s the only place you have to live.

Move daily.

Make an effort to move on a daily basis, by including it in your daily routine. This may involve active hobbies, like going to the gym or a class, or could be simply walking to the bus stop twice a day. Just make choices that involve your body moving as much as possible.

A cool way to track this is with a smartphone or smartwatch. 10,000 steps is commonly used as a target to aim for each day, and trackers for this can be found on almost all smartphones and smartwatches now. You could use a wall chart instead, and simply note down 30 minutes of active movement on a daily basis. Whatever you do, try to move every day.

Or try ‘exercise snacking’: moving regularly for short periods throughout the day. Look for ways to introduce extra activity: do you have a long work phone call scheduled? Could you do it while you go for a walk? Or if you have to travel to a meeting, can you incorporate some walking or cycling into the journey? If we have a meeting a few miles away and the weather’s nice, we like to cycle, to help us keep active.

Exercise your heart weekly.

Two or three times a week, do something that gets you breathing hard and your blood pumping. This could involve a run, a cycle or simply a fast walk, but find a way to make it a bit strenuous. You need to be breathing hard enough that it’s difficult to have a conversation. If you’re able to talk to someone easily, you’re not working hard enough.

Alternatively, if you’re a gym goer, do some cardio, a high-intensity-interval-training (HIIT) workout, or simply lift weights faster! If you wear a smartwatch, then you’re looking for an elevated heart rate as a sign that you are pushing your heart to work harder. Get that blood pumping to keep your heart fit. The heart is literally a muscle, and we want to make sure we keep it nice and strong.

Strengthen your muscles weekly.

As we get older our muscles start to deteriorate. One of the best ways to fight this is to continually build muscle mass through strength training. The more muscle you have, the longer it will last.

We’re not talking about building an Olympic body here – although it’s up to you if you want to do that! We’re talking about pushing your body to get strong and to build and retain muscle.

There are many ways to do this, but you might try cycling, rock climbing, yoga, Pilates, lifting light weights or following fitness DVDs or YouTube videos – whatever works for you. Of course, you could use a personal trainer too, although that can be quite an expensive option. There are plenty of strength-based classes at the gym or in local parks, or you can just do it at home.

And stretch ….

Flexibility and mobility are two sides of the same coin. You want to be flexible enough that your joints and muscles can move through a large range of motion. We’re not suggesting you should be able to do the splits, but being able to touch your toes is a good indicator of hamstring flexibility.

Ian has tight shoulders, and an area of focus for him has been working on raising his arms straight above his head. This might sound simple but many of us have shoulders too tight to do this. And these limitations in flexibility can cause issues further down the line.

Mobility means that you have strength throughout your range of flexibility. So, in Ian’s case, he doesn’t just want to be able to reach his arms straight above his head, but also to be able to carry a weight safely through the whole range of motion. Your goal should be to improve your flexibility and mobility at the same time.

Regular stretching is great for building flexibility. If you’re sitting in front of the TV on a rainy Sunday, then why not run through some gentle stretches at the same time? You can find loads of follow-along stretch videos on YouTube, and once you’ve learned them you won’t need the videos any more.

Yoga is perhaps one of the best and most popular ways to build both flexibility and mobility. Pilates and barre work wonders too, as does Tai Chi. Martial arts are also good choices, as are rock climbing, gymnastics and calisthenics.

Another crucial part of improving mobility is breaking up tight muscle fibres. We all know what it feels like to have knots in our muscles, whether they’re in our shoulders, back or glutes. These are muscle fibres that have stuck together, and it’s important to break them up to get good flexibility and range of motion. This can be done through massage, but not all of us can afford weekly massage sessions! The best way to do this for yourself is with an inexpensive foam roller – ideally one with little knobs on. Find a follow-along video class where they’ll show you how to use the roller to ease up tension in your muscles.

Find a form of exercise that you love.

Whatever you choose to do, find an exercise that you love and make it part of your regular routine, aiming to exercise three to five times per week.

In the last few years, we have adopted a regular calisthenics and gymnastics schedule. We absolutely love it. We’re not just lifting more weights, but at every session we achieve goals or levels that we would have never thought possible. When we started, we could barely do push-ups or pull-ups. Now we can perform them with ease, and we’re working on handstands and doing cool flips on gymnastics rings. It makes every gym session fun!

Maybe you have a room at home where you can follow fitness video classes. Or maybe you prefer a gym class before or after work. We like to get our workouts done in the morning, so we can begin the day having worked out.

Commit to getting started by trying one type of exercise for a week. Make it a priority in your day – just like you’ve done with sleep. And see how much better you feel at the end of the week.

Find the right kind of exercise for you, as that’s the only way you’ll keep it up. Try different classes or home workouts until you find one that resonates with the way you want your body to move. You might fall in love with Zumba, or weight training. Or you might prefer to become a supple gymnast or Pilates master. Or perhaps 5am karate sessions in the park are more your thing.

Find a form of exercise you love and make it part of your regular routine, for a longer, happier life.

RELAX.

Most of us are generally not that great at relaxing. We live busy, frantic lives running from task to task, constantly spinning plates. With no downtime, your brain is constantly in a state of stress. When you are overwhelmed with stress, your body is constantly in fight-or-flight mode, with high cortisol levels (cortisol is our body’s stress hormone) which can lead to longer-term health consequences. Finding an opportunity each day to relax really helps to reduce stress and promotes a more positive attitude to life.

Relaxing on a daily basis can give you a new default mode. Instead of being like a stretched elastic band, constantly under pressure, you’ll find yourself existing in a more relaxed state of mind most of the time. If something stressful does happen it’s easier to deal with from a state of calm. It will also give you a more balanced view on life. You’re less likely to lash out at those you love, and in difficult negotiations you will be more flexible. You’ll find you sleep better too, and might even find it benefits your exercise and general fitness. See? It all fits together beautifully!

Learn to meditate. Meditation is perhaps the most commonly talked about form of relaxation. Many people practise meditation or mindfulness on a daily basis to help quiet their minds. Apps like Headspace or Calm are great for this (we use both): you can practise meditating daily for 5, 10, 15 or even 30 minutes, and you’ll experience benefits from the first session. If you prefer, attend meditation classes and learn the principles from a teacher, which you can then apply to your own practice. Forms of prayer work to quieten the mind, too, and both prayer and meditation have been linked to populations who live longer.

Focus on what you’re grateful for, and let your internal voice thank the universe for that thing. Did you feel stressed? Probably not. It’s hard, if not impossible, to be stressed while feeling grateful. Gratitude is a practice, almost like a muscle, that can be strengthened through daily exercise. Spend some time each day, either just in your mind or writing in a journal or on your phone, focusing on three things you are grateful for. This will help calm your mind, give you a more positive outlook and reduce stress.

Factor in some ‘me-time’. We consider our morning workouts as ‘me-time’. They help clear our minds and give us a really positive boost for the day ahead. Me-time is different for everyone – just think about what it is you like to do (which doesn’t involve a screen) and find a way to do some of it every day. We love to cook, and even though it’s what we do for our daily work, we still find cooking for ourselves in the evening to be relaxing. Other examples include reading, crossword-puzzles, gardening, walking the dog, taking a long bath, yoga or deep-breathing exercises. Even tidying the house can be a relaxing activity if you do it right. Whatever you do, find a way to get a bit of relaxing me-time into your day. Your body, mind and soul will benefit.

LOVE YOURSELF.

How can you love others if you don’t first love yourself? Today’s society often doesn’t teach us to love ourselves, but rather to judge and compare ourselves with others. The psychological damage this does can be greater than anything the outside world presents us with.

Social media makes many of us feel like we aren’t good enough. Fat-shaming or body-shaming is rife in today’s world, and is a real form of emotional damage. We need to love ourselves and accept ourselves as we are right now.

Diet culture in general has us all comparing ourselves to those around us and wondering if they are better than us. Are we thin enough? Do we fit into those jeans? How do those squidgy bits look in the mirror?

It’s true that there are correlational links between obesity and life expectancy, but it is thought that some of these links could be due to the pressure society places on those who are overweight and the psychological harm that brings, rather than simply the amount of fat cells in a person’s body.

Body neutrality literally means a feeling of neutrality towards your body. A blasé perspective about how your body looks. If you’ve been worrying about those love handles, or other bits of your body which you’re not too keen on, then it’s time to let that go. Equally, if you’re very proud of your strong, round bum, or your big guns, then it’s time to let that go, too. For more on this topic, check out Laura Thomas’ awesome book Just Eat It.

In terms of your physical health, there are so many better things to focus on than your appearance, like overall strength and mobility (for more on this). So, if you do want to focus on exercise, then focus on specific goals, rather than how you look. Aim to be able to touch your toes or run briskly up the stairs, rather than stressing about how you look in a bikini.

Overly focusing on the way our bodies look can lead to all kinds of disordered eating, such as extreme fasting, anorexia, binge comfort eating, yo-yo dieting or bulimia.

Your body is great at telling you when it’s hungry and what nutrition it needs, so rather than focusing on what we ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ be eating, try to learn to focus on what your body is telling you it wants to eat.

Now this takes practice, and we don’t mean ‘just eat all the sweets because you want to’. It’s unlikely that this is actually what your body is telling you it wants. Really think about your hunger levels and what your body is craving, while trying to overlook any addictive eating behaviours you may have learned.

Developing a more neutral attitude to the way your body looks will allow you to focus more on eating well and improving your overall health.

LOVE OTHERS.

Feeling like you ‘belong’ is crucial to a happy, healthy life. It could be a circle of friends or family members, a sports or book club, but being part of a tribe that you socialise with on a regular basis is really important to your health. Being around friends and family has been shown to have positive effects on stress levels and being part of a social or family unit has been associated with longer lifespans.

This doesn’t mean you need to suddenly become an extrovert out gallivanting every night. But it does mean spending time with others can have a positive effect on your life.

Make time for family and friends, even if you think you’re too busy. Plan some fun activities that don’t necessarily revolve around alcohol. Today, it’s all too easy for fun to end up involving booze. That can be detrimental to other parts of your life and health. Set a date for enjoying some outdoor activities together, like hiking or playing mini-golf! Or catch up over movies and food, or a barbecue or dinner (why not cook some recipes from this book?). We’re not saying you should go teetotal, but just don’t let all your social activities involve drinking. Be social, spend time with family and friends, and make sure that social time has a positive impact on your day-to-day life.

LIVE WITH PURPOSE.

People with a core sense of purpose have been shown to live longer, healthier lives. The Japanese call this ‘ikigai’, which translates directly as ‘reason for being’. Your driving purpose may be your career, or your religion; it may be community work, or caring for your family. Having a strong sense of purpose in life can help you remain happy and healthy.

This is core to our BOSH! beliefs as well. Both of us have a clear purpose – we are here to provide plant-based inspiration, knowledge and recipes for people all around the world, and in this way do our bit to help tackle global climate change.

If there’s a disconnect between what you do in your daily work or home life, and what you believe, then that can have a real impact on your wellbeing. If you’re unhappy at work, this can spill over into other parts of life. It may cause you to comfort eat, it may stop you from exercising, it may cause you to fall out with your family and friends. By contrast, if you’re fulfilled by your work, then your relationships, your personal routines and habits are much easier to feel in control of.

This doesn’t mean you have to leave your job to become the next Mother Teresa. Life’s not like that! If your job enables you to look after and provide for your family, then that is a great life purpose in itself. Just make sure you are clear why you are doing what you are doing, and take satisfaction from that.

But now that you’ve taken this opportunity to think about your health and wellbeing, think about ways you could feel more fulfilled. If you resent Mondays and live for the weekend then it might be time for a change. Could you retrain for a job that is more in line with what you love? Could you change aspects of your existing work and take on some new, more satisfying challenges? Could you volunteer in the community?

Let yourself choose things that matter to you, and those around you, and you’ll find yourself living with purpose.

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