“I pushed meat down, pushed veggie up, got more sleep and more movement,” he explained.
The dietary advice is somewhat unsurprising given he's promoting his new cookbook, Veg, which is dedicated to making plant-based meals that even the most devout steak lovers will enjoy. However, the dad-of-five had some family-friendly advice for meeting your protein and fat requirements while cutting back on meat, encouraging listeners to snack on nuts instead.
“They make you half as likely to have a heart attack. Feed them to your kids as well,” he said.
And his suggestion is backed by science – a study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health found that swapping out just half a serving of less healthful food (like red meat, processed meat, French fries, desserts, or potato, chips) for nuts is linked to less long-term weight gain and a lower risk of obesity.
His second major change? Cutting back on alcohol.
“Your average Brit drinks booze. I’m not telling you what to do, but my rhythm now is only to drink at the weekend,” he said.
The long-time public health campaigner previously told Men's Health that his perception towards eating and exercise has changed as he's gotten older.
"I was getting three hours sleep a night, putting on weight and not really getting it," Jaimie previously told Men's Health. "I’d always gone to a trainer but I just fucking hated it. It was really boring. What I finally worked out was that it’s important for you to do it on your terms. Previously, if I organised training in my time, I hated it. But then I was like, why is it that I can get up for a 3.30am call and be on set and smash the shit out of it and yet getting to the gym is too hard? So I just shifted it so that the gym was on the way to work and it was part of the working day. The minute I did that I got really good at it. It’s totally mental."
In the end, it's all about moderation.
“It’s not about getting it right all the time,” he added. “In fact it’s absolutely vital that you don’t get it right all of the time. You’ve just got to get it right most of the time.”
