The Real Meal Revolution

The book compiled by sports scientist Professor Tim Noakes, nutritionist Sally Ann-Creed and chef and open ocean swimmer Jonno Proudfoot, has taken South Africa by storm and has just landed in the UK.

This low-carbohydrate, high-fat plan promises to help people lose weight without giving up meat, butter and cream, but carbs are strictly off the menu.

Prof Noakes is convinced that this eating regime has benefited his own health.

He told Taste: "We've been raised to believe that cholesterol, caused by eating too much fat, causes diseases, and that every disease in the book is linked to a high-fat diet. It turns out that's completely wrong," claims Noakes, who has Type 2 diabetes but, at 66, says he's running like a 40-year-old.

"What's killing us is having elevated blood insulin concentrations all the time, and that is caused by high-carbohydrate diets and it's exacerbated in people like myself, who have insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the most prevalent medical condition in the world, it dwarves everything else."

Jonno Proudfoot had the idea for a cookbook when he was training to swim from Mozambique to Madagascar and wanted to chart his diet. He approached Prof Noakes and Creed, and together the three have come up with a radical attack on carbohydrates.

As well as ditching refined carbs like white bread and pasta - this trio takes it a step further, suggesting wholegrains are cut too. Not that Prof Noakes is convinced they even really exist.

"There's no such thing as wholegrains, because you can't digest them, that's a marketing angle," he says. "Our health deteriorated the minute we started eating grains. Our teeth went rotten, the bacteria in the mouth changed when we started eating carbs and then we lost height and we've only got back to the height we were 15,000 years ago in the last 20 or 30 years, which is quite astonishing."

Instead of getting energy from carbs, The Real Meal Revolution aims to 'retrain' the body to run on fat, which keeps you fuller for longer.

Prof Noakes acknowledges it's not a 'one-size fits all' diet, but recommends insulin resistant people, with a family history of diabetes, should try it.

Whether or not you want to go full-on Revolution, here are three recipes from the book to try at home.

:: Please consult your doctor before embarking on any extreme diet change, especially if you have a health condition.

:: WARM HADDOCK AND CAULIFLOWER SALAD WITH TAHINI DRESSING

(Serves 2)

For the dressing:

4tbsp tahini

Juice of 2 lemons

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Approx 100ml water

For the salad:

100g butter

300g cauliflower, cut into small pieces

300g smoked haddock

60g toasted pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 180C (Gas 4).

Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan. Place the cauliflower in a small oven tray and drizzle with butter. Roast the cauliflower until it is golden on the edges, around 30 minutes.

Add the haddock to the tray and return to the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, break the haddock up and give everything a good mix, either in a bowl or in the tray.

Portion the salad onto plates and scatter with pine nuts.

Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and while mixing continuously, pour in the water until you reach a good pouring consistency. Drizzle over the salad before serving.

Note: if you've been good with your carbs for the day, this is epic with some pomegranate seeds scattered over it.

:: COURGETTE AND GARLIC GRATIN

(Serves 4)

800g courgettes

1 onion, roughly sliced

1 handful thyme sprigs

1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled

100g butter, broken into pieces

250ml double cream

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C (Gas 6).

Cut the courgettes into large chunks. Lay the onions, courgettes, thyme and garlic in an ovenproof lasagne dish (or casserole dish), mix well and then press down.

Dot pieces of butter evenly over the top of the dish, then cover everything with the double cream. Season with salt and pepper. Place the tray in the oven, uncovered, and bake for approximately 45 minutes.

If you want to thicken the sauce in the bottom of the tray simply strain through a sieve and reduce it on the stove before pouring it back over.

Note: If you want some extra goodness, sprinkle a layer of grated cheese on top of the gratin before serving and pop it back under the grill for a cheesy crust.

:: LAMB BLANQUETTE

(Serves 4)

600g lamb shoulder, cut into 20g cubes

8 peeled shallots

4 sticks celery, cut into large chunks

5 sprigs thyme

5 sprigs rosemary

2 whole heads garlic, cut in half across the meridian

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup white wine

125ml cream

2 bunches of leeks, trimmed and cut into big chunks

250g white or button mushrooms, whole

Salt and pepper

Handful of parsley, freshly chopped

125ml creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 160C (Gas 3).

Place the lamb, shallots, celery, thyme, rosemary, garlic, stock and wine in an ovenproof casserole dish. Cover the dish with foil and place it in the oven for two and half hours.

Check the meat to see whether it is soft and tender. If it is still tough, pop it back in for another 30 minutes. If it is melt-in-the-mouth tender, drain all of the juices from the tray, including the fat, through a sieve into a pot and simmer to reduce.

Once all of the liquid has reduced to about 400ml, add the cream, along with the leek chunks and mushrooms, and reduce the sauce until it goes thick and creamy.

Once the sauce is thick and the mushrooms and leeks are tender, add the meat, season with salt and pepper and stir through the freshly chopped parsley. Finally, garnish with dollops of creme fraiche and serve.

:: The Real Meal Revolution: The Radical, Sustainable Approach To Healthy Eating by Professor Tim Noakes, Jonno Proudfoot and Sally Ann-Creed is published in paperback by Robinson, priced £20. Available now