1. Eat three meals a day.
Your body needs a regular supply of food and missing meals can lead to cravings later in the day. Never miss a meal, especially breakfast! Your body needs energy after fasting all night, as your blood sugar is at its lowest, and without breakfast you will only tend to eat more later in the day.
2. Replace refined, white carbohydrates with complex carbs.
White carbohydrates are low in nutrients and may disrupt blood sugar levels, making you hungrier. Replace white carbohydrates with brown varieties e.g. wholemeal bread and pasta, brown rice and wholegrain cereals. These contain more vitamins and minerals and filling fibre.
3. Add protein to each meal and snack (e.g. fish; nuts; seeds; pulses & grains).
As protein takes longer to digest, you will feel full for longer. So, add some tuna or cottage cheese to a jacket potato and salad. And 2-3 almonds eaten with an apple as a snack is much more filling than an apple alone.
4. Don’t be fat phobic and eat essential fats.
Not all fats are bad – there are good fats found in foods like nuts, seeds and oily fish. The body needs these essential fats (Omega 3 & 6) to function efficiently and recent research has shown that these may even help with weight loss. However, avoid saturated fat in meat and cheese and trans-fats in processed foods.
5. Avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Sugar and sweet foods can cause blood sugar to peak and then plummet, making you soon crave more. Excess sugar is stored in fat cells, particularly around the abdomen in women. Low fat products are often full of sugar in place of fat, so check all labels carefully. Artificial sweeteners are chemical products, not natural to our bodies, and can maintain a sweet tooth.
6. Avoid salty and processed foods.
These are often the same thing! Salt causes loss of valuable minerals from your body and can cause water retention and bloating. Use herbs, garlic and lemon to flavour food instead.
