How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier.

A diet of worms?? — doesn’t that sound delicious!! Surely if there were such an eating plan, it would guarantee rapid weight loss — no one would want to eat at all! But in this case, a ‘diet’ is not a WOE/way-of-eating, but a political gathering called for the purpose of deliberating a matter of interest. In January 1521, Emperor Charles V assembled the leaders of the German States, both nobles and clergymen, to a meeting at the city of Worms. Worms was a ‘free city’ meaning that it ruled itself, free from the dictates of a prince or the church, so it was beholden to nobody. One of the matters to discuss came up in mid-April. The Church was offended by the proposals of the Augustinian monk Martin Luther for reforms of the Church. Luther had posted his 95 proposals in October, 1517 and they had caused much debate. He was especially against the selling of indulgences to raise money for the Pope. In 1520, Pope Leo X issued a condemnation of 41 of the 95 theses, and so the stage was set. On April 16, Luther appeared before the Diet and acknowledged that the 95 theses were his own ideas. The Pope’s representative asked Luther to repudiate his ideas. Luther asked for a day to think about his answer. On April 17, when asked again, Luther said that if anyone could show him that his writings were in opposition to what was in the Bible, then he would recant. Otherwise, he declared, “Here I stand. [“Hier stehe ich”] I can do no other. [“Ich kann nicht anders”] Amen.” Such a commotion ensued, that the meeting was suspended. When a vote was taken about Luther’s fate as a heretic, the group could reach no conclusion. Upon leaving Worms, Luther was “kidnapped” by men sent by his benefactor Elector Frederick III the Wise of Saxony, and spirited away to Wartburg Castle. Meanwhile, a subsequent Diet passed the Edict of Worms, seeking Luther’s arrest. It was never enforced. His courageous stand at the Diet of Worms rallied supporters to his cause and the German version of the Protestant Reformation movement grew into the Lutheran Church.

Our breakfast is from the Franconia region of Germany, and Franconia shows the divisions that the Reformation caused: parts of the region are staunchly Roman Catholic, and the other parts are resolutely Protestant. Our German dinner would be popular anywhere, no matter what your religious views are.

Franconian Breakfast: 163 calories 4.4 g fat 4 g. fiber 13 g protein 22.5 g carbs 117 mg Calcium  NB: These values are for the Fruit Hearts alone and do not include the optional beverages.  PB GF  Here some favorite flavors of the German State of Franconia come together for breakfast. My stars!! This is delicious!

1 slice 70-calorie whole-grain bread 1 oz smoked trout 2 Tbsp small-curd cottage cheese 1 Tbsp snipped chives 2 oz plum   Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] or lemon in hot water 

Lightly toast the bread. Stir together the cottage cheese and chives, and spread on the toast. Plate along with the trout and plum. Some might prefer to place the trout on the bread and eat it thus, which is a great way to do it. 

Herring Salad:  278 calories 6 g fat 7 g fiber 16 g protein 24 g carbs 103 mg Calcium  PB GF Luchöw’s Restaurant will live in memory as long as a certain generation yet breathes. And there was a lot to remember about it: the decor, the old-world service, the menu. Not a hokey tourist trap – it was a genuine German restaurant in Manhattan. This is one of their fine Old World recipes.  NB: if you take a MOIA anti-depressent, be aware that herring has high amounts of tyramine. 

1½ oz herring marinated in wine, drained ¼ cup beets, cooked, cooled and diced 1½ oz apple, peeled and diced ¼ cup white beans, drained and rinsed ½ hard-boiled egg, sliced 2 Tbsp onion, minced ½ oz dill pickle, chopped pinch sugar 2 tsp vinegar, or more 1 cup lettuce, shredded

Put the vinegar and sugar in a bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently until everything is well-incorporated. Taste to see if it needs more sugar or more vinegar. A herring-lover’s delight.