A well balanced diet is what we know we must have. But a well balanced diet is not necessarily a boring one. Look, it's really about planning. Buy some good low fat recipe books (there are plenty of these) or just surf the net for suitable healthy options and organise your menu for the week prior to grocery shopping. Then, armed with your shopping list, at a time you're not even a bit hungry, do your shopping and revel in the feeling of arriving at the checkout with a trolley full of mostly fruit and vegetables. Go on, try it, it feels great! Watch others admire you as they see the contents of your trolley!



Rather than following the current trend of using huge plates, convert to small dinner plates. It will look like you're eating more than you actually are, and this can kind of fool your mind. Don't fall into the trap of eating dinner late: again, organisation is the key. If you eat dinner early in the evening, you can brush your teeth and tell yourself eating is over for the day. You won't be as tempted to munch on late night snacks. If you do want something in your stomach while you're watching telelvision, grab a water bottle from the front of the fridge and sip on that.

It's easy to remember this formula of your daily food requirements: 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit. I find that starting the day with some fruit on my cereal takes care of one of the fruit serves and then I only have to munch on an apple some time during the day to fulfil that requirement. Eating a carrot for morning tea works for me because it takes a long time to chew (and therefore feels like I'm eating more!) plus it takes care of my first vegetable serve.

Eat slowly and savour every mouthful. Think about the texture and flavour of the food as you chew. Enjoy the eating experience more. Drink water with your meals as a habit as it will help fill you up. Chop up your favourite fruit and leave it in a container in the fridge. It's amazing how we're all more inclined to eat fruit when it's already bite sized. It's amazing at a kid's party when you bring out plates of chopped up fruit how the kids won't generally complain and will polish off every last morsel!

Have you noticed how most of our social events with family and friends are built around eating? Why not be the one to change all this by suggesting a walk together instead of a dinner party, a ball game in the park instead of an All-You-Can-Eat restaurant, a card game instead of a coffee shop? The company will still be great, and you won't feel tempted to mindlessly eat lots of food.

Going out spells trouble for most people's diets. Bought food is usually fried and made for convenience, not nutritional value. Pack healthy food and take it with you. What a wonderful example you'll be setting for your children! Also, you'll be saving heaps of money. Your kids will stop asking whether they can buy hot fries and chips after your establish the habit. Occasionally, reward them by buying them a treat for a snack, but only after they've eaten the food you've brought.

As a safeguard, I make sure my family takes a health supplement every day. It gives me peace of mind to know that we are all getting the required vitamins and minerals even on days when our high dietary standards have been compromised. And realistically, we all have days which are less than ideal when it comes to food intake. After walking or doing weights I always have a whey protein shake, which helps repair and tone muscles. It also serves as a powerful appetite suppressant during the day. If you're exercising, as you should be, you will benefit from a protein based drink straight afterwards. Try it and see the difference.

It's not as hard as you think to lose weight by eating well. It's not about fad diets, because these never result in sustained weight loss, and it's not about starving yourself, because you'll feel like you're missing out on pleasure. It's about organisation and retraining yourself by employing a few tricks which are tried and true.