Every day there is a new study that tells us what we should and shouldn’t be eating, how much exercise we should be doing, and what new fad diet is going to help us lose kilos fast. But how do we know what to believe and what should be taken with grain of salt? Here are some basic tips to help you with your food dilemmas…

Healthy eating is about more than the food on your plate—it is also about how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down in between meetings or on the way to pick up the kids.

Think lifestyle change, not short-term diet! Permanent weight loss is not something that a “quick-fix” diet can achieve. Instead, think about weight loss as a permanent lifestyle change—a commitment to your health for life. Various popular diets can help jumpstart your weight loss, but permanent changes in your lifestyle and food choices are what will work in the long run.

Plan your meals ahead of time.
The more organised you are with your meals, the more likely you are to stick with your healthy habits! Write up a meal plan for the week/fortnight/month and use this as the basis for your shopping list.

Don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
Eat a meal before you go and you will not only save your waistline from excess calories, your wallet will save too! Shopping on an empty stomach leads many of us to purchase high calorie, nutrient deficient food to satisfy our cravings.

Write a shopping list and stick to it.
Use your meal plan to help you write up your shopping list and do not deviate it from it! You will save money and time, both of which are hard to come by these days!

Eat breakfast and smaller meals throughout the day.
A healthy breakfast can jump-start your metabolism, and eating small healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going.

Pay attention to what you are eating.
We live in a fast-paced world where eating has become mindless. The result is that we consume much more than we need, often without realizing it or truly enjoying what we’re eating. So, turn off the tv, put your mobile phone away and reconnect with your food!

Think smaller portions.
Serving sizes have significantly increased recently, particularly in restaurants. When dining out, choose an entrée instead of a main, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything. At home, use smaller plates, think about serving sizes in realistic terms, and start small. If you are still hungry at the end of a meal, try adding more leafy green vegetables or rounding off the meal with fresh fruit.

Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day
The brighter the better! Colourful fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants—and different colours provide different benefits, so eat a variety. Aim for a minimum of five portions each day.

Get plenty of exercise.
Exercise is your best friend. It not only burns calories, but also can actually improve your resting metabolism. Not sure what type of exercise you should be doing? Enlist the help of a personal trainer!

Drink more water.
You can easily reduce your daily calorie intake by replacing soft drink, alcohol, or coffee with water. Thirst can also be confused with hunger, so by drinking water, you may avoid consuming extra calories, plus it will help you break down food more easily.

Get plenty of sleep.
Lack of sleep has been shown to have a direct link to hunger, overeating, and weight gain. Exhaustion also impairs your judgment, which can lead to poor food choices. Aim for around eight hours of quality sleep a night.