Diet hints and tips

In deciding on a diet, it is essential to attempt to lower your consumption of fat, salt and refined carbohydrates.

Some low carb diet pointers:
* Know what is in your food Don't believe the food label that boasts to be 'low carb' - check the nutritional information figures on the back of the product. Some are only a little lowered and in some instances still higher than a competitors standard brand. In addition, beware of 'low sugar' and 'low fat' labels - 'low sugar' does not always mean 'low carb' - usually the carbs are just the same.

* Use reduced carb chocolate bars for cookies and muffins. If you have converted your favorite chocolate chip cookie or chocolate muffins recipe using soy flour, you really don't want to put in those high carbohydrate chocolate chips. Break up a reduced carb choccie bar into tiny chunks and use that as an alternative.

Lycopene super foods
(includes apricot, papaya & baby jackfruit)

The phytochemical lycopene is a non-synthetic compound used to color foods and member of the same group of phytochemicals as carotene. This chemical is accountable for the deep red colour of quite a few natural foods.

Fortunately, unlike numerous nutrients, it does not become less effective if cooked but is genuinely improved by the cooking process.

. Its most valuable health contribution is that it works as an antioxidant and appears to help lower the risks of cancer.

Lycopene is the most powerful carotenoid quencher of singlet oxygen, which is correlated with aging of the skin. It's also believed to curtail the development of diseases affecting arterial blood vessels.