Best known for building homes on DIY SOS, or testing general knowledge on Who Dares Wins, Nick Knowles has now turned his hand to nutrition and wellbeing following his life-changing BBC2 series The Retreat.
In 2015, Nick was feeling unhealthy, out of shape and on the verge of burning out. Determined to change his lifestyle, he travelled to Thailand with a camera crew and fellow DIY SOS stars Billy Byrne and Julian Perryman for a detox, involving a week-long fast followed by a purely vegan diet. The results? He lost 9 kilos in 3 weeks, his cholesterol fell by a third and his blood pressure dropped to a healthy level.
A year on, Nick eats a vegan or vegetarian diet, with the odd day off, and is slimmer, healthier and fitter than ever. He says: “I’m 6’2” and 16 stone: I’m a big unit. I need hearty meals, not thin weedy plates and I often work outside in cold and wet conditions – a salad won’t cut it – so here’s a vegan and vegetarian cookbook for meat eaters full of hearty, filling, healthy recipes. Why feel bad about the cake you have with your coffee at elevenses when you can have a healthy raw chocolate cake? Why skimp in winter when you can have a thick hearty chestnut and vegetable stew and dumplings? And if I can do it – then you can do it.”
Get a taster of the cookbook by trying out recipes for Spicy Ramen with Tofu and Sesame, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Nachos with Green Chilli Salsa and Braised Vegetarian Sausage All-in-One with Cherry Tomatoes, Cannellini Beans and Cider, shared on the Meat Free Monday website courtesy of Nick Knowles and BBC Books.
For your chance to win a copy of Proper Healthy Food, simply complete the form below. The prize draw closes at midnight (GMT) on Friday 10 February, 2017.
THIS PRIZE DRAW IS NOW CLOSED.
Congratulations to the winners R. Kahn, A. Jarvis, N. Gray, E. Burgess and D. Clarke.
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*Terms and conditions
– You are entering a competition to win one of five copies of Proper Healthy Food by Nick Knowles published by BBC Books.
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– The prize draw closes at midnight (GMT) on Friday 10 February, 2017.
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