While many of us acknowledge that our diets are less than 100% healthy, few are willing to swap the white wine for wheatgrass juice. However, there are easy adjustments that can be made to your daily routine that will have a positive and significant impact on your diet without causing too much pain.
You are what you drink
It's a cliché that you've probably heard a thousand times, but drinking more water really can make a difference to your overall health and wellbeing. Being less than fully hydrated leaves you feeling lethargic and can even stimulate the appetite, giving you the urge to snack more between meals. Try to drink at least 2 litres of water a day, or enough to maintain your urine at a pale yellow colour.
Swapping tea and coffee for herbal infusions is a good way to add healthy variety to your hot drinks, while green tea has high levels of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols that have been lost in the black tea we normally drink due to processing.
Adapt a diet
Following any fad diet to the letter is pretty much impossible to do for any length of time and is not always that good for your long-term health. But many such diets do contain a nugget or two of good advice that can easily be worked into your regular routine.
Wall-to-wall Atkins, for example, has been rightly relegated to the 'what were we thinking?' bin of diet history, but all the research into it has shown that some degree of its anti-carb message makes sense. Highly refined carbohydrates such as white pasta and mashed potatoes really aren't good for us in large or too-regular doses, as this year's latest model – the GI (Glycemic Index) diet – has shown (they release surges of insulin into the bloodstream, affecting our moods and appetite).
But all that counting and measuring is too much for most of us, so stick to the basics and swap wholemeal for white pasta and bread, cut down on the carbs after the late afternoon (they're harder for the body to process well at night) and, perhaps most importantly of all, eat more fruit and veg.
Portion control
This isn't to say you can't go without life's little pleasures. Dark chocolate contains particularly good types of polyphenols (yes, them again!) called flavonoids, which can help prevent heart disease. Swapping your regular bar of Dairy Milk for one that has minimum 70% cocoa solids is a good way to increase the nutrient content in your chocolate bar.
While you're at it, you might think about cutting down on portion sizes overall. Research has shown that many of those so-called 'naturally' slim people quite simply eat less than the rest of us.
When you eat can influence your health, too. A recent study at the University of Nottingham revealed that women who skip breakfast eat more calories throughout the day overall. By having a good breakfast (oat-based cereals such as porridge are particularly good), you're setting your intention to eat well for the rest of the day.
The reality is that the little changes are the ones that we're likely to stick to for the rest of our life and will, in turn, lead to big changes overall. Going from a size 16 to a 12 in two months might be great for your ego but, as any regular dieter will tell you, such dramatic changes tend not to last. By making small but significant lifestyle changes, not only is the weight more likely to stay off, but it will be great for your health long term.
