EATING HABITS

* Drink water, little and often throughout the day.

* Eat something in the morning – it doesnot have to be first thing as you jumpout of bed, but eating something whenyou get up will replenish your bloodglucose levels and fuel your brain andyour body.

* Eat at least 5 portions of fruit andvegetables a day – they’re great assnacks and if you have at least 1serving per meal, you’ll easily makethis target.

* Go for colour. Check you are eating avariety of colourful fruit andvegetables – think yellow, red, greenand orange.

* Eat as wide a variety of foods aspossible. If you can count up the numberof different foods you eat on your 10fingers, you need to add more kinds toyour diet. This will help you get agreater choice of nutrients and fibresources.

* Avoid long periods without eating.This will help stabilise your bloodglucose levels and make you less likelyto over-eat, or grab an unhealthy snack,later.

* Rate your food hunger. On a scale of1-5 (1= starving, 5= stuffed). Aim toeat before you reach “1” and stop eatingbefore you reach “5”.

* Take time to eat. It sounds obvious,but it will help you eat more balanceddiet and avoid excess calorie intake.Studies show that individuals eat up to15% more calories when they are in rushat meal times.

* Chew your food. Proper chewing can aidyour digestion, and has been shown toreduce symptoms off irritable bowelsyndrome

.* Avoid fad diets. There are no miraclefoods – good health requires you to eata variety of quality food in moderation.