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 lower carbohydrate diet tips:
* You can make really good smoothies by using reduced carbohydrate yogurt. Ok, well, it’s not technically cooking, but if you must have smoothies you can make them with low carbohydrate yogurt and your favorite fruit. Clearly, you will need to make sure you use only fruit that is low in carbohydrates and make use of the whole fruit as the fiber is beneficial.

* Make reduced carbohydrate breadcrumbs for breaded foods. Although you can possibly buy reduced carbohydrate bread crumbs, you can also make them by using low carbohydrate bread. All you have to do is toast the low carbohydrate bread in a gas or electric oven on a sheet of cookie paper. When it is well toasted, whizz it in the food processor using a coarse blade. Keep in an airtight jar.

Lycopene superfoods
(includes watermelon, red bell peppers and rosehip)

The chemical lypcopene is a non-synthetic coloring agent and part of the same family of phytochemicals as carotene. This chemical is the reason for the deep red color of many fruit, vegetables and pulses.

Intrestingly, unlike many other healthy agents, lycopene is not damaged during the cooking process, but is actually strengthened by going through the cooking process.

. Lycoprene's key value is that it is an antioxidant and is believed to help to lower the probabilty of cancer.

This useful phytochemical is the most effective quencher of singlet oxygen, which is correlated with aging of the skin. It is also thought by nutritionalists to slow down the development of atherosclerosis.