Weight loss hints and tips

In planning a meal plan, the most important step is to make efforts to lower your intake of fat, salt and refined carbohydrates.

Some reduced carb diet pointers:
* Replace sugar with a low carb substitute such as splenda. Most recipes that require sugar can be modified to make use of a sugar replacement like splenda. It doesn't weigh the same so you will have to do a bit of trial and error and it may not work for everything, but it gives very good results for the most part.

* Make low carb breadcrumbs for breaded foods. Whilst you may be able to buy reduced carbohydrate breadcrumbs, you can make them at home by simply using low carb bread. All you have to do is simply toast the reduced carb bread in your oven on a baking tray. Once it is well toasted, whizz it in your food processor or blender. Keep in a tupperware container.

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.