Diet tips

At the start of a diet, people most certainly look at food store and big brand food items labelled 'low in fat'. To do this is far too often a miscalculation, in that an item could be significantly reduced in fats, but nevertheless elavated in calories and carbs.

Some low carbohydrate diet pointers:
* Dietary fiber is essential Lowering the carbs in your meals usually leads to fiber reduction also. Look for low carb recipes that are high in fiber to redress this.

* Use soya flour or soya baking mix. When you require flour for baked goods, substitute it with soya flour or a bake mix such as Atkins soy baking mix. In most cases, you can adapt your best loved recipes that use standard wheat flour to use these low carb alternatives.

Lycopene foods
(includes grapefruit, red peppers and spiny bitter gourd)

The nutrient lypcopene is a simple chemical compound and member of the same group of phytochemicals as carotene. It is the reason for the red colour of some types of food.

Usefully, unlike numerous other healthy agents, lycopene does not become less effective if subjected to heat, but is genuinely strengthened by cooking.

. Its most interesting medical value is that it acts as an antioxidant and appears to be an asset in the fight to lower the risk of developing cancer.

Lycopene is the most powerful eliminator of singlet oxygen, which is linked with aging of the skin. It is also believed to prevent the growth of diseases affecting arterial blood vessels.