The Joe Bonington 28 Day Natural Eating Plan Blog and resources

This is a place for you to make your comments, whether you are taking part in Feb Fast or have embarked on the Joe Bonington Natural Eating Plan.
Here you can find tips, recipes and ideas from other people who are on “the plan”
Please add your comments, the more support we have out there the more we will all benefit.
If you have a great recipe, let us know.
If you want to hear from others let us know.
If you have any questions let us know.

18 Comments
  • joebonington
    Posted at 13:01h, 28 January Reply

    Whilst participating in Feb Fast you can also do good by raising money. There is an alcohol based fast also called Feb Fast that I am encouraging participants to subscribe to (this is NOT a requirement)
    You can find out more here https://www.everydayhero.com.au/joe_bonington_feb_fast
    If you are participating you can join the team by going to the join the team page entering the password ” natural ”
    or you can make a donation to a very worthy cause helping reduce alcohol and other drug related harms in young people.

  • suze gammidge
    Posted at 17:43h, 28 January Reply

    I sooo need this feb fast thingy! Well done Joe for your amazing info. You are definately a fountain of knowledge. Suze

  • Amanda Lawson
    Posted at 05:08h, 29 January Reply

    Hi Joe & Jude
    Happy New Year to you & the girls.
    I am off the grog for a month, have started 3 days ago.
    Might be a good idea to combine your de tox as well!
    I am going to Victoria tomorrow for week so hope I can adapt it to “food out” also including sales conference.
    How I will manage to go to Victoria Market & not have a donut let alone Moonee Ponds Pizza with the best Veal Scollapini & Garlic Faccia in the world? Where can I see what I have to do & eat? Cheers Amanda.

  • Ian Rowe
    Posted at 06:06h, 29 January Reply

    G’day Joe,
    Following are some ideas and solutions that I came up with to help the food planning:
    Getting started:
    Make a big batch of stock. Awesome for either soups or mixing with meat juices for sauces (no flour though). Freeze in both ice trays and bigger containers.
    Freeze a few different soups (i.e potato and leek, French onion and toamato) These will come in very handy when nothing else is prepared, and you’re starving.
    Dips:
    Pesto (minus parmesan)
    Roasted capsicum and tomato salsa
    Mango salsa
    Roasted eggplant dip
    All these are really easy to make, and last for a few days in the fridge and perfect for snacks. Eat with both carrots and celery, or put on top of cooked meats i.e steak
    Eggs Benedict – My wife was ecstatic when she heard she could have this. Swap the muffin for a brown rice cake, lightly fried in butter. Eggs, prosciutto, rocket and of course hollandaise sauce are all allowed (make sure you have some naturally fermented White wine vinegar. This will go with a number of dishes also). You could also swap the prosciutto for a salmot steak and have as a substantial meal. Go east on the hollandaise though!
    Coconut brown rice with meats. Use fresh herbs and spices to marinate meat overnight.
    Curries
    Omelette (whole egg, no cream/milk) with prosciutto, chives and mushrooms with truffle oil.
    Bring out the pestle and mortar and go crazy with herbs and spices. Add to soups, put in omelette, marinate meat with. Some will keep for a while also like Szechuan and Rosemary salts.
    If you’ve got any other suggestions for meals, they would e appreciated.
    Cheers, Ian

  • joebonington
    Posted at 06:39h, 29 January Reply

    Fantastic Ian.
    Experiment with thickening sources with Buckwheat flour. Buckwheat in actual fact is not a grain, so it does not have the side effects of wheat and gluten. You could also try Wholemeal spelt flour

  • Ian Rowe
    Posted at 06:53h, 29 January Reply

    cool……..you maybe able to make pasta with buckwheat or spelt flour. Definitely able to make Gnocchi, which is also the easiest to make (potato and flour).

  • suze gammidge
    Posted at 09:35h, 29 January Reply

    Hi guys,
    A good recipe suggestion that is healthy and satisfying is a
    nice baked vegetable frittata. Basically it’s like a yummy vege quiche really. You can use any desired vegetables from Joe’s list.
    I like to use: broccoli, carrot, onion, asparagus, chopped spinach and zuccini. First up, slightly soften the veges by steaming, then place in a baking dish. Beat enough organic eggs to cover the veges ( you can add any organic salt or herbs into the egg mixture). Bake in the oven with moderate heat until egg is firm and set.
    This meal is served delicious hot or even cold with a salad.

  • joebonington
    Posted at 09:40h, 29 January Reply

    Great recipe Suze!! Love it. I think the kids will love it to! Thanks for the post. Keep it up.

  • Joe Bonington
    Posted at 02:29h, 03 February Reply

    A client of mine who I will only identify as AL sent me the following questions(I have included the answers):
    Hi Joe (aka food nazi, matron, prison warden, and various other expletives)
    Hope all is well. Some questions for you…..
    Thai green curry – this has coconut milk in right? Are we really allowed it? Why not red curry
    JOE says-“Coconut milk is fine and so is red curry”
    Sultanas and grapes? Can we have these – can we really eat as much fruit each day as we like (as long as with protein, e.g. nuts)?
    JOE says-” Don’t go mad on fruit, especially grapes and dried fruit, they contaqin heaps of sugar. Wouldn’t you rather reach for a nice refreshing stick of asparagus :-)”
    Balsamic vinegar? Can we have it? We did buy some apple cider vinegar as well.
    JOE says -“Sorry only vinegars allowed are naturally fermented wine (red or white) or ACV (apple cider) all are alot better if they still contain “thge mother” – cloudy stuff”
    Can we have hummus – if all it has is garlic, check peas, lemon and tahini (ground up sesame seeds)?
    JOE says-“Yes. It is on the limited list though, ie no more than 3X per week. this is because Chick peas are legumes”
    What teas can we really drink – can we drink caffeine free tea? JOE says-“NO, you can drink, herbal and fruit infusions”
    If we go out for dinner can we have a baked potato with our steak?
    JOE says-“Yes”
    Do you have any restaurants that you would recommend for dinner in the City given 90% of them will serve us things that you won’t allow us to eat!
    JOE says -“Any South American, Russian or Eastern european”
    What sweet / dessert like things can we have (excl fruit and nut and yoghurt)
    JOE says-“You just named them 🙂 ”
    How much yoghurt am I allowed each day – I like to have it for breakfast (with fruit and nuts) and desert at dinner (again with fruit and nuts)
    JOE says -“Go for your life, must be natural and live”
    Real sausages (fresh from a good butcher)
    JOE says -“CHeck they do not contain breadcrumbs”
    How often can I have a banana?
    JOE says -“No more than 3X per week … if you want weight loss not at all”
    Anyhow, apart from the above can we confirm that:
    nando’s chicken is ok (and they have fresh cooked fries so they must be ok as well)
    JOE says-“Nando’s chicken is okay!! The fries are not”
    good quality prime steak hamburgers (e.g. McDs) are ok
    JOE says-“Home made hamburgers are Okay made withg NO breadcrumbs”
    red wine (not really alcohol as it is nothing like beer)
    JOE says- “RED WINE IS GONE, Cheeky bugger”
    Fresh ice cream – any thought?
    JOE says -“As long as it is really natural unsweetened yoghurt”
    Anyhow, end of day 2 and I am starving! This better work as well as it did last year!
    JOE says -“You shouldn’t be starving eat until you are two thirds full, not stuffed. And always make sure when you go to bed you always feel as if you could have eaten a little more
    Go the 3 day protein blast to give you a kickstart”

  • suze gammidge
    Posted at 14:17h, 03 February Reply

    Thats fricken hilarious….!!!!! Ok so I trained with Paul today….. Goodness me, I feel absolutely wasted. I have next to no energy. Can we establish whether most people are feeling like this?

  • Byron Pritchard
    Posted at 06:44h, 04 February Reply

    I have not started the diet as yet but i have started taking on a few of the ideas from it.
    Went shopping at Macro in Mona Vale last night to get me some veggies and other supplies.
    I made Joe’s Chilli hot Chocolate this morning, i cant believe how much cayenne pepper you put in that thing, i love chilli and my mouth was on fire with 1/4 of a teaspoon, also started the apple cider vinegar that actually wasnt too bad, chucked some stevia in though to sweeten it up. Interesting about the bananas, will have to replace them with Kiwi fruit as i have one a day in the afternoons currently.
    Spelt and buckweat noodles can be bought from shops like Macro if you are not keen on making them, i assume thats alright Joe?.
    I am looking forward to getting into the diet in full swing, but that wont be for a couple of weeks due to other commitments

  • AL
    Posted at 11:13h, 05 February Reply

    Joe and the rest of us willing victims – diet/detox continues a pace. I am on the hot lemon drink each day (awful), I am drinking a ‘green drink’ (actually ok), have tried the coconut oil (remarkably, not as bad as the lady in the shop seemed to think), and fish oil (remains awful).
    On Suze’s question on energy – for a few days I had very little, especially after working out BUT found that it has been easier the last 24 hours or so. I do find if I have red meat and one of these ‘green’ drinks that Joe pushes I feel a lot better with more energy, even after training.
    One of the ‘nicest’ things recommended so far, apart from Nandos chicken, is the LSA meal, on top of yoghurt with some goji berries and strawberries, great as a dessert.
    We used the apple cider vinegar as a salad dressing the other night (with salt, chillies, etc) and that was quite nice as well, served with some steak.
    Today I had a treat of hummus with carrot and cucumber as the dipping sticks, not bad as a snack and makes the consumption of carrot and cucumber a lot easier.
    All the best

  • Mark Groenen
    Posted at 12:30h, 05 February Reply

    Suze,
    My energy levels seem fine, however i get a headache every afternoon at around 3:30pm. Today is not as bad as previous days, perhaps the worst is behind me…

  • suze gammidge
    Posted at 17:37h, 09 February Reply

    Hey mark and AL,
    Thanks for your replies. Today is day 9 and it was a beautiful day! Feeling heaps good and have lost 2.1kg’s this week. I can’t get over how good organic veges actually taste! Broccoli has so much flavour and red capsicums are so intense, the juice stained my kitchen bench!
    Mark, I had headaches in the afternoon aswell, but they have gone away now.

  • suze gammidge
    Posted at 17:07h, 15 February Reply

    I got told yesterday by a client who see’s me often, that the whites of my eye’s are much whiter than usual. Could this be from feb fast Joe?

  • joebonington
    Posted at 17:18h, 15 February Reply

    Definately Suze. The eyes are a great indicator of health. You’ve seen dull and glazed eyes on those that are sick. As we regain our health our eyes begin to shine and our skin glows. Keep up the good work.

  • AL
    Posted at 05:41h, 18 February Reply

    Hi everyone
    Suze congrats on the weight loss (and the eyes) – As I sit here nibbling my mixed, unsalted nuts, drinking my Lemon myrtle ‘tea’ and sipping on my hot lemon drink, I must admit that my weight is coming down as well so I am very pleased about that.
    I have also found that I am needing to eat less than at the beginning of the month and generally do not feel hungry (not that I am starving myself but I really don’t seem to need to eat every 30mins).
    On Saturday evening I was out for dinner and did not have desert (even though they had passionfruit soufle), I even avoided one of my other loves truffle-mash potato and asked for a glass of hot water with a fresh lemon in place of a cup of coffee – the waiter did not even blink an eye (though I felt as stupid as anything!).
    Not long to go now, bring on 1 March! I can safely say that I think this has been a very worthwhile and successful ‘experiment’ (or punishment)…. the question is whether I will be able to stick to some, ok Joe, most, of this new healthy eating regime after 1 March….. Joe you may need to offer some counselling and support services from 1 March!

  • Ian Rowe
    Posted at 12:16h, 02 March Reply

    Awesome!!!
    Firstly for having successfully negotiated the month (a feat in itself)
    Secondly for the results both Kylie (wife) and I have achieved/ feel.
    I lost 4 kilos and 5% body fat, although this wasn’t my motivator for doing the Febfast. Kylie gets her results tonight, but has done better
    More importantly, we loved the new diet so much, that we’re going to stick with it (except for the occasional wine induced hiccup!). We’ve even been able to get the kids onto it on the sly:)
    On March 1st, I cracked open my favourite beer to celebrate, and within 5 minutes started to get headaches! I guess that means beer is bad for me eh Joe!
    Thanks for suggesting the Febfast plan Joe…..we won’t be doing it next year though ‘cos we’ll already be on it!!
    Cheers
    Ian

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