A few tips on healthy eating

In planning a diet, the important thing is to also endeavour to restrict your ingestion of refined carbohydrates, salt and fats.

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 melon, red peppers and tomato puree)

The chemical lypcopene is a natural coloring compound and one of the phytochemical group known as 'carotenids'. It is the agent responsible for the vivid red hue of a good number of fruits and vegetables.

Intrestingly, unlike many nutrients, lycopene not only survives being cooked, but is essentially strengthened by cooking.

. Its most important benefit is that it works as an antioxidant and is believed to be of use in the fight to lower the risks of cancer.

This useful phytochemical is the most powerful fighter of singlet oxygen, which is associated with skin aging. It is also believed to prevent the progression of atherosclerosis.