| Habit 1. Start the day with a whole grain breakfast cereal. Until the 19th century, humans ate grains either whole or roughly ground. Today we eat a lot of refined grains (white bread, white rice and processed breakfast cereals). These are lower in fibre and contain less vitamins and minerals. |
| Habit 2. Eat more slowly. It’s amazing how many of us gobble and guzzle our food and drink. We don’t taste it or chew food properly. It can take 15 minutes for the message to reach the brain that your stomach is full. Don't try to beat that clock. |
| Habit 3. Never skip lunch. Refuse to work through lunch. If you skip it in an effort to squeeze more into your day and relieve work pressures – your blood sugar levels and your hunger will ultimately get the better of you. Consequence – less nutritious foods eaten in a hurry and an expanding waistline! |
| Habit 4. Eat a bean salad or casserole dish twice a week. Soya, kidney, cannelloni, black-eyed, any kind. They're an excellent source of protein. They’re also rich in fibre, vitamins and other micronutrients, and have a small effect on blood sugar and insulin. |
| Habit 5. Drink 1.5 - 2 litres of water each day (this does not include coffees or teas unless they are herbal teas). You and your skin will feel the better for it. |
| Habit 6. Eat one portion of white and one portion of oily fish a week. White fish is very low in calories and an excellent source of protein. Oily fish contains heart protective omega 3 fats. |
| Habit 7. Be adventurous and stretch yourself. If you haven’t tried courgette since you were a child, give it another go! It sometimes takes a number of exposures to an unfamiliar food, before you develop a taste for it. |
| Habit 8. Learn a new healthy recipe every fortnight. Have fun with food once a week or fortnight. Enjoy choosing new ingredients and meals, and make it a social occasion with friends and family. |
| Habit 9. Always have a good olive oil on hand when stir frying or making a salad dressing. Cutting out ‘fat’ altogether from your diet is unhealthy. Focus on eating moderate amounts of good fats such as monounsaturated fats and some polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils, [olive, rapeseed, peanut, soybean], oily fish, nuts and avocados). |
| Habit 10. At the end of every day count to see if you have eaten five portions of whole fruits and vegetables. Eaten whole, most fruits and vegetables have a modest effect on blood sugar and insulin. They also deliver fibre and other protective phytonutrients, flavonoids and carotenoids. Most fruit juices contain hardly any fibre, too little fruit, too much sugar and too many empty calories. |
