METHOD: Preheat the oven to no higherthan 42C or its lowest temperature.

Grind the flax seed in a high-poweredfood processor until it is a fine consistencysimilar to flour, then transfer it to a bowl andstir in 3 tbsp of water.

Leave for 10-15 minutes to swell and turninto an egg substitute.

Grind the pecans in the clean foodprocessor until they are fine like flour andadd in the rest of the ingredients except forthe yoghurt and berries.

Blend until the mixture becomes slightlyrunny, a little less wet than your usualpancake batter.

Place large spoonfuls of the batter on toa plate or a baking tray lined with baking

paper and smooth them out into roundpancake shapes.

Place in the oven for approximately anhour or until the tops of the pancakes lookdried out.

Cover the pancakes with another sheetof baking paper and flip the paper over sothe dried tops are now facing down.

Leave in the oven to dehydrate for afurther 30-60 minutes or until the pancakebases are dry enough for you to peel offthe baking paper.

If they are dry, take them out of the ovenand let them cool on the side beforestacking with coconut yoghurt and berries.lRaw Cake by The Hardihood, £16.99,Bluebird.

Makes 12 pancakesYOU NEED:2 tbsp flax seed50g (½ cup) pecans30g (¼ cup)buckwheat flour1 banana125ml (½ cup)almond milk¼ tsp groundcinnamonPinch of HimalayansaltCoconut yoghurtand fresh berries,to serve

SIMPLE FOODSRAWBANANAPANCAKES

Losing5stonewas awalkiesin thepark

DAILY

LOOKING at thecheesy pasta piledhigh on her plate,Danielle Campbellknew her diet hadgone to the dogs.

She would scoff meals thesame size as the ones eatenby her weightlifter boyfriendPete Winfield, 25, ballooningto 15st and size 18 as a result.

But a medical scare promptedher to sort out her diet, turningto puppy love to help shiftthe pounds. After learning to love

walkies, Danielle shed 5st and isnow a svelte size ten weighingjust 10st.

And Danielle, 23, believes shewould be barking mad to returnto her unhealthy ways.

She says: “My portion sizesstarted to match Pete’s, despitethe fact he’s taller than me and aweightlifter.

“I piled it on and in a year myweight had shot up.

“After having tests for abdomi-nal pain, I was told I had poly-cystic ovary syndrome — acondition that affects the ovariesand can make the body resistantto insulin. It meant I could easily

develop Type 2 diabetes. Thediagnosis was a wake-up call andI went on the Weight Watchersdiet. I threw myself into walkingmy pooch and within two years, Iwas 5st lighter.

“With my chihuahua Coco Istarted walking for miles in thesun, wind or rain.

“I’d trek for two hours everyday, covering about five miles.

“It shifted the weight and I’venever looked back.”

Danielle, a legal cashier fromBrixton, South London, alwaysstruggled with her weight.

She says: “My family are anoutdoorsy bunch but until

By JILL FOSTER EXERCISING HERDOG

‘WithmychihuahuaCoco, I

trek for fivemiles in thesun, windor rain’

DIETERREVEALSHEALTH

DAISYLOWEHow to look like...

£214.97

GLITZY gowns are Loweon the list of prioritiesfor Daisy.Taking a well-earnedbreak from the StrictlyCome Dancing tour, themodel opted for acasual look while inManchester.Her outfit might notbe gracing thedancefloor, but Daisy

did stay bang on

trend by wearing theseason’s hottest colour,which is pink.Teaming a simplesweater with a classicdenim romper, the 28-year-old added the keycelebrity accessory toher outfit – sunglasses.Here we show youhow to get Daisy’sdress-down look fromthe high street.

+Sunglasses, £20,

Topshop

Dungarees,£34.99, H&M

Bag, £55,Debenhams

Trainers, £64.99, Office

Jumper, £39.99,Superdry

36 ............... Tuesday, February 14, 2017 1GM

By KRIS HALLENGACoppaFeel! founder

THIS Sunday I will be celebrating myeighth cancerversary.Eight years ago to the day, when I was23, I was told I had breast cancer.This means I have lived almost a third ofmy life with cancer and nomatter howhard I try, I cannot remember what it waslike to not have this stupid disease.But that’s OK, I quite like the life I havenow. My gosh, I would not have believed Iwould be saying that when I heard thatnews on February 19, 2009.Having cancer for eight years meansI’ve spent about 500 hours in hospital,had around 200 needles poked into me,three operations, 35 scans and35 nailbiting days hearing good or badnews related to my condition.But it has not been all bad. It alsomeans I have spent 2,920 days happy tobe alive.I’ve had around 30 awesome holidaysand lost count of the amazing people Ihave met as a result of having cancer.I have shed a few litres of both happyand sad tears and have been tested to myabsolute limits.But what matters is that I am still here. Itis still my plan to stay here for as long aspossible, despite the fact the averagesurvival time after a stage-four breast-cancer diagnosis is two years.

MilestoneBut statistics mean very little when youalready very much beat the odds ingetting the disease at the age of 23. Tohell with stats.So how am I marking this significantmilestone?With my family, doing one ofmy most favourite activities – eating.It may not sound all that exciting to youbut to me it’s the mundane things thatoften mean more.Doing things you love, no matter howbig or small, is what is important.It will undoubtedly involve a walk on thebeach, too. I live in Cornwall now, after all,and the novelty of living by the sea hasn’tworn off yet.Finding happiness after something ascrap as cancer is hard and, in a way, I amlucky to be as strong as I am to deal withthe many beyond-rubbish situations I’vehad to deal with.My friend Fearne Cotton has writtenabout happiness in her rather aptlynamed book Happy, which is out now.She writes about moments when shetoo has had to dig very deep and getthrough depression.On the surface you would think she’dhave her life together and be blissfullyhappy. But like all of us, she has toughdays. Her book is full of exercises andways to deal with, well, crap.And guess what? Yours truly hascontributed to the book. It was an honourto take part and write about how havingcancer taught me what happiness reallyis. I hope you too can spend this Sundaydoing something that makes you happy.

EIGHTYEARS?I’MSTILLHERE

DIETBEFORE DIETAFTERBREAKFAST:NothingLUNCH: BBQchicken melt withchipsDINNER:Homemade pastawith lots of cheeseSNACKS: Sausageroll, cheese orcrisps

BREAKFAST: Smokedsalmon, avocado andpoached eggLUNCH: Vegetariansalad with egg,houmous, feta andvegetablesDINNER: Maple-glazed salmonwith basmatirice andbroccoliSNACKS: Applewith no-added-sugar peanutbutter, carrotsand reduced-fat houmous

recently I was the odd one out. Ipreferred to be snuggled on thesofa watching a movie.

“The weight started to creep onwhen I hit high school and startedeating out with friends.

“I had access to things likeMcDonald’s and crisps, which Ihadn’t been allowed at home.

“By the time I turned 17, Iweighed around 13st. Then I wentto university and met Pete, who’snow a business manager.

“I felt comfortable with him andwe ate out a lot. But I was eatingas much as he was and I feltmiserable about my size.

“I lost all my confidence but

covered it up by acting bubbly.There were times when Petewould say, ‘I’m taking you out fordinner’ but when he’d arrive, I’dbe on the floor crying because Icouldn’t find anything to wear.”

‘More than 18,000Instagram followers’

Following her diabetes scare,Danielle decided she had toaddress her weight.

She says: “My health was suffer-ing, so I joined Weight Watchers.

“I started researching the foodsI should be avoiding, like myfavourites, fatty meals of pasta and

bread, and what I should eatinstead. I started cooking fromscratch — lots of stir-fries, freshfish and veg.

“I learnt how beneficial exercisewould be for my condition, so Istarted walking the dog moreregularly.

“Walking Coco has transformedme from the girl who alwaysavoided doing exercise into some-one who loves being active andmisses it whenever it’s not part oftheir day.

“To spur myself on, I alsostarted an Instagram account@girl_on_weightwatchers, where Ipost pictures of my cooking and a

few selfies. Instagram allowed meto connect with other people try-ing to lose weight and hopefullyinspire a few people too.

“I thought that I might get 50followers but I now have morethan 18,000.

“The weight came off and now Ifeel fantastic. As well as walkingthe dog, I’ve taken up horse-ridingon weekends.

“It hasn’t only been a physicalchange but a mental one too. I’mless self-critical.

“In the past I would never tryanything new because I had a fearof failure but these days I’msaying yes to so many things.

“Now I am grabbing everyopportunity I can.”lThis story is from Weight Watchersmagazine.

HELPEDDANIELLE TO SLIM DOWN

CONFIDENCE . . .Danielle with

boyfriend Pete

SCARE SPURRED HER INTO ACTIONBEFORE15 stoneSize 18

AFTER10 stoneSize 10

Pictures:W

EIGHTWATCHER

SMAG

AZINE

1GM Tuesday, February 14, 2017 ............... 37