Dieting made easy

When deciding on a weight loss program, it is essential to try to restrict your intake of salt, fat and refined carbohydrate.

Some low carbohydrate diet pointers:
* Understand the food labels Don't believe sales blurb that claims to be 'low carb' - check the real nutritional information on the rear of the tin or package. A good number of are only slightly lowered and in some instances still greater than a competitors standard brand. In addition, beware of 'low sugar' and 'low fat' labels - 'low sugar' does not always mean 'low carb' - often the carbs are identical.

* Replace sugar with a low carb substitute such as splenda. Many recipes that require sugar can be adapted to use splenda instead. It is much lighter so you will need to do a bit of trial and error and it may not work in every case, but it does bake up nice once you have it cracked.

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.