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 low carbohydrate diet pointers:
* It is possible to make wonderful smoothies using low carb yogurt. Ok, well, it is not really cooking, but if you must have smoothies you can make perfectly acceptable alternatives by using low carbohydrate yogurt and your favorite fruit. Clearly, you should make sure you only make use of fruit that is low in carbs and the whole fruit as the fiber is beneficial.

* Know what is in your food Be sceptical of the food label that claims 'low carb' - check the nutritional information on the reverse of the product. Many are only a little lower 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 exactly the same.

Super foods containing lycopene
(includes apricots, red peppers & tomato)

Lycopene is a non-synthetic chemical compound and part of the carotenid family of phytochemicals. Lycopene is behind the deep red hue of quite a few foods.

Intrestingly, unlike many nutritional compounds, lycopene does not degrade if cooked, but is in fact increased in efficacy by being heated.

. Lycoprene's key value is that it works as an antioxidant and seems to be an asset in the fight to reduce the chances of cancer.

It is the most potent eliminator of singlet oxygen, which is linked with skin aging. It's also thought to curtail the progression of atherosclerosis.