Diet tips

In planning a meal plan, the important thing is to try to cut down your ingestion of fat, salt and refined carbohydrates.

Some low carb diet guidlines:
* You can make delicious smoothies using reduced carb yogurt. Admittedly, you can't really describe it as cooking, but if you must have smoothies you can make them with reduced carbohydrate yogurt and fruit. Of course, you will need to make sure you use fruit that is low in carbs and use the whole fruit as the fiber is important too.

* Understand the food labels Watch out for the food label that proclaims 'low carb' - check the actual nutritional information on the reverse of the tin or package. A good number of are only marginally decreased and in some instances still higher than a competitors standard brand. Also, beware of 'low sugar' and 'low fat' labels - 'low sugar' does not always mean 'low carb' - usually the carbs are identically the same.

Foods containing allyl sulfides
( includes garlic, onions and spring onions)

The alliaceae family of foods is rich in allyl sulfides, a chemical which experts believe could be linked to a reduced risk of stomach and colon cancer.
Although there is very little real proof published, allyl sulphides are also thought to aid in blood circulation, arteriosclerosis and fatigue.

Foods containing allyl sulfides are also good for weight loss, so should be included in your weight loss regime.