Recipe: Prickly pear trifle!

A number of callers on my radio show have asked me, Dr Miller, can we eat desserts on The Tortoise Diet?! Well, yes you can!

Now it's true that tortoises have diets that are naturally low in sugars and high sugar diets provide fuel for parasites (as well as showing up on your hips!) but there are some delicious desserts you can have, with fruits that are naturally low in sugars or balanced with high acidity or other natural preservatives (strawberries are a great option). And this is one of those desserts!

• Four young prickly pears (or prickly pear puree)



• Four large strawberries



• 200g tub of natural yogurt



• Rum to taste

Remove the flesh from the pears and put in bottom of four martini glasses, pour on rum, cover with yoghurt, garnish with prickly pear and strawberry pieces.

So sweet! So delicious! So healthy!

Exercise Like a Tortoise!

I talk a lot about exercise in my book chapter ‘The Hare in the Tortoise’. One of the things about The Tortoise Diet that makes it relatively easy to follow is – as you probably guessed - you don’t need a lot of exercise. Exercise is not always the great thing everyone seems to think it is. Ever seen retired sportspeople? They’re often plagued with joint problems, pain and other health problems. You need to look after your body with mild regular exercise – not stress it with running, lifting weights and participating in barbaric ‘organised sporting contests’.

That said, tortoises get more exercise than many people realize. But, like the fable, it really is a matter of slow and steady wins the race. It’s not well-known that in captivity, tortoises often become quite obese – because they do get plenty of low-intensity exercise in the wild. They roam wide distances, dig burrows and enjoy the occasional splash in a pool or stream – although they are not good swimmers.

You should attempt to do the same. I recommend you spend at least an hour a day walking and have some gentle weight-bearing exercise a few times a week – a bit of gardening perhaps. And forget the gym and sporting field – it’s for suckers who want to burn themselves out (or people trying to burn off all the junk they put in their bodies) - not for healthy, centred folk.

Recipe: Tortoise fall salad

Well it’s coming up to fall but the weather is still perfect for a fresh salad and there’s still plenty of plants in your garden that can go into it. This one is a real treat on a warm fall afternoon.

Salad ingredients

Most or all of the following (depending what you can find in your garden or local market). Health food stores often stock dried versions of these ingredients which is fine as a substitute for one or two of them, but they aren’t as nutritious or nearly as tasty. Remember: fresh is best!

• Desert willow flowers
• ivy geranium
• gazania
• Hall's honeysuckle
• hollyhock
• Mexican evening primrose
• rose petals
• young grape leaves
• petunia
• verbena
• the young pads of spineless cactus

Dressing

• Two tablespoons rosewater vinegar (or other flower-derived vinegar)
• One tablespoon coconut oil
• One teaspoon seeded mustard
• Salt to taste (but not too much!)

Combine salad leaves. Mix dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.

Enjoy!

Dr Frankie Miller

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s a list of questions that listeners of my radio show have asked me over the last few months:

What is The Tortoise Diet?

Why do tortoises live so much longer than other animals? Why do people in Japan and the Mediterranean have much lower risks of heart disease and cancer? Why are life expectancies of some Pacific islands so much higher than their neighbours? It’s all about their diet. The Tortoise Diet takes the elements of tortoise diets and lifestyles that make them so healthy and long-lived and makes them human-friendly and easy to follow and enjoy!

Is this just another one of those fad diets?

I’ll leave that up to you to decide but I certainly don’t think so. The Tortoise Diet is a set of principles and guidelines for healthy eating and living. It’s not a magic bullet, it’s not a quick fix, it doesn’t promise some kind of miracle with no effort on your part. It involves eating lots of wild leafy vegetables and other foods which are nutrient-rich and generally low in calories. It’s a holistic plan. If you follow it, you will get results.

Is The Tortoise Diet for me?

The Tortoise Diet isn’t for everyone. It’s high in fibrous plants and vegetables and low in meat, sugar and fat. Homer Simpson wouldn’t like it. I think Lisa Simpson would like it just fine.
But The Tortoise Diet is not a hardship diet. It’s fun, it’s fresh and it’s delicious! It will change the way you think about eating – in a good way!

What do I have to give up?

You can’t have a lot of processed sugary, salty and fatty foods (no doughnuts!), but you can have delicious natural foods that are sweet, salty or even high in fat. It’s all about choosing the ‘right’ fats, proteins and acids from natural foods.

Can I drink alcohol?

Do tortoises drink alcohol? Yes, they do! Tortoises eat fermenting fruits and flowers! The right alcoholic drinks have antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. We’ll explore what those 'right' alcohols are.

Are you some kind of quack?

Who are you calling a quack, Fatty? I’m an experienced marine biologist, herpetologist and dietician. I’ve devoted my life to working out why it is that some animal and human populations live so much longer and more healthily than others. What have you done lately?

I’ve heard that you can live longer by limiting your calorie intake. Is this true? Is this how The Tortoise Diet works?

Yes, there is evidence that restricting your caloric intake is associated with a longer life expectancy. You will almost certainly be consuming less calories on The Tortoise Diet. But it’s not just about eating fewer calories: it’s about eating nutrient-dense food, the right proteins, acids and natural preservatives and avoiding harmful chemicals found in a variety of everyday foods.

Where can I get your book?

Now that' s a question I like to hear! ; ) The Tortoise Diet will be available in good bookstores in the USA in October. Stay tuned for overseas distributors!

Does The Tortoise Diet involve eating tortoises?

No! Have you been listening to anything I've been saying?

Is it true that Tom Cruise has a third nipple?

I’ve never met the man.

What is The Tortoise Diet?

The Tortoise Diet takes the elements of tortoise diets and lifestyles that make them so healthy and long-lived and makes them human-friendly and easy to follow and enjoy!

The key elements to The Tortoise Diet are:

• A large variety of leafy greens – especially wildflowers!
• Foods rich in minerals, the right proteins and the right acids and natural preservatives.
• Avoid foods heavy in "anti-nutrients" such as oxalic and phytic acid and purines.
• Restrict the amount of time spent eating to 20 minutes, twice a day.

You’ll be enjoying fantastic salads, unusual and exotic flavours and you’ll feel better than ever!

Can I eat doughnuts?

Do tortoises eat doughnuts?

Can I drink alcohol?

Do tortoises drink alcohol? Yes, they do! Tortoises eat fermenting fruits and flowers! The right alcoholic drinks have antioxidants that reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. We’ll explore what those 'right' alcohols are.

The Tortoise Diet is not a hardship diet. It’s fun, it’s fresh and it’s delicious! It will change the way you think about eating – in a good way!

Why The Tortoise Diet?

The inspiration for The Tortoise Diet came from my studies over many years of the lives, diets and biology of turtles, terrapins and tortoises. As a marine biologist and herpetologist, I was always fascinated by these remarkable creatures.

As I studied them more and more, I began to discover some strange and puzzling facts. Everyone knows that tortoises have remarkably long life spans: the longest in the animals world. Some tortoises live to be over 150 years of age! What is not so well known is that turtles have much shorter life spans: typically in the range of 30 – 50 years. This puzzled me. Turtles and tortoises have very similar physiology: their bodies are almost identical and work in much the same way. The only big difference is that turtles have flippers rather than legs. So why the huge difference in life expectancy?

I began to delve deeper, trying to discover the answer to this question that vexed me so.

One thing I noticed over years of observation is that different species of turtles and tortoises have very different life expectancies. Marine turtles don’t live as long as freshwater turtles. And inland tortoise species live longer than those living by the sea. Why should this be the case?

Then I stumbled on the most amazing discovery. On the Galapagos Islands, I found a species of tortoise that had been separated into three distinct populations: one living by the sea, one living in a river valley, and one an a mountain plateau, hundreds of miles inland. These three populations of tortoises were of the same species and were completely identical. And yet one was far healthier than the other two! The species in the river valley had much lower death rates, much higher life expectancy, was more active, had lower rates of common parasites and, as I eventually discovered through several years of studies with the aid of herpetologists and medical scientists from around the world, much lower rates of heart disease and cancer.

How could this be?!

There was only one possible answer: diet. These animals were all identical. But they had very different diets.

I spent the next four years of my life studying in detail the diets of tortoises around the world: finding the common features of those that are healthiest and live longest.

That’s all very nice, I hear you say, but they’re tortoises, not people!

That’s why I spent the next five years, first training as a dietician, and then studying the diets of people around the world.

My findings will astound you. The healthiest human populations around the world – those with the lowest rates of cancer and heart disease and the highest life expectancies – have much the same diets as the healthiest tortoise populations.

Why are these people so healthy? They have The Tortoise Diet.

Welcome to The Tortoise Diet

Hi and welcome to The Tortoise Diet Blog! I'm Dr Frankie Miller, author of The Tortoise Diet.

As you probably know, my new book, The Tortoise Diet, is hitting bookstores in October. I can't wait!

This is truly an exciting time for health-conscious folk around the world! This revolutionary new book will change the way you eat, think and relate to the natural world. It's certainly changed my life! I was a stressed-out, overweight marine biologist before I discovered this secret. I had trouble finding a wetsuit that would fit me! Now I'm fit, slim, relaxed, full of energy and feeling just great!

I'm so looking forward to taking you on a journey of health discovery. Join me on the road to health and happiness!

Dr Frankie Miller.