How to Get Rid of Dark Spots - tips 9 of 10

9th way to help fade dark spots - Kojic Acid

• Kojic acid cures hyperpigmentation by inhibiting melonasis. So, it is an antioxidant with skin lightening properties. It is used in some skin whitening and anti-aging creams in concentrations of 1%. You can use any of these creams to heal your dark spots and get an even skin tone. Hydroquinone creams, too, are effective for skin lightening but they can make your skin sensitive to the sun. Moreover, it should not be used for a long time. Thus, these creams should not be used for more than one to three months.

Dark Circles Diet

Eat a Healthy Diet and have Breakfast

A healthy diet for dark circles which is full of nutrients is the most essential thing in this case. If the body does not receive its daily intake of nutrients, it may create such problems and maybe worse in the future.
Some of the essential nutrients can be found in:
1) Fresh Fruits and vegetables
2) Green leafy vegetables
3) Cereal crops such as oats, barley, wheat and millets. 4) Fresh juices of fruits and vegetables.

A breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should be consumed before starting any kind of work.

Fad Diet Popularity

A common question among weight loss professionals...

If fad diets don't work,
why are they so popular?

People are often willing to try anything that promises to help them lose weight because they want to look or feel better. Regardless of what professionals would like to think, dieters want one thing...to fit in the clothes they wore two years ago. It rarely has anything to do with improving health. Fad diets exploit this fact and drive a multi-million dollar industry.

Quick and easy weight loss appeals to all dieters. The quick fix of a fad diet draws the attention of dieters almost effortlessly, while professionals struggle to spread the word about weight loss through long-term changes in eating habits and regular exercise. What can we do?

We continue to educate the public on the real science of weight loss and dieting. The diet basics of healthy weight loss must continue to be supported and taught by physicians, nurses, nutritionists, and other health care providers.

The Diet Basics of Healthy Weight Loss


Lose weight by losing fat (which excludes all quick weight loss plans)

Gain Muscle (keep the resting metabolic rate from dropping)

Practice good eating habits (that can keep you thin) Fad diets also become popular because many of them do work for a short time. In many cases, this is because when you stop eating certain types of food or eat ?special? combinations of foods, you are getting fewer calories than you normally would. You are also paying more attention to what you are eating.

However, it?s likely that much of the weight you lose is from water and lean muscle, not body fat. Also, most people are not able to keep up with the demands of a diet that strictly limits their food choices or requires them to eat the same foods over and over again. People who use fad diets usually end up gaining back any weight that they lost.

Here are some simple guidelines for recognizing a fad diet:

Diets that claim to help you lose weight very quickly (more than 1 or 2 pounds per week). Remember, it took time for you to gain unwanted weight and it will take time to lose it.


Promise that you can lose weight and keep it off without giving up fatty foods or exercising on a regular basis. If a diet plan or product sounds too good to be true, it probably is.


Base claims on before and after photos, instead of solid evidence from clinical trials.


Offer testimonials from clients or experts in weight loss, science or nutrition. Remember that these people are probably being paid to advertise the diet plan or product.

If you want real testimonials, ask to read the reference page used when writing the diet.


Draw simple conclusions from complex medical research.


Limit your food choices and don't encourage you to get balanced nutrition by eating a variety of foods.


Require you to spend a lot of money on things like seminars, pills or prepackaged meals in order for the plan to work.

Acne Diets

Do you have acne? This affliction can be a rather traumatic one if left untreated. Our appearance, as we all know, can have such a pertinent effect on our confidence, or lack there of.

Do you dare go out with your skin having “mini-volcanos” all over? It’s not rare that many of us are tormented by acne. But did you know that your diet can play a part to what caused those zits to form all over?

That brings me to my topic of acne diets. You may or may not have come across the subject of acne diets. It’s a research done to proof that there is a link between what you eat and the acne on one’s face.

While many of us crave to have better looking skin, all those nice food that we see around us ain’t going to make it easy for us. There are many things that we apply on our skin to take care of its ph balance and contour, not going out too much into the sun and even facial massage… it’s not enough! It’s time we take a look at what goes on inside our body and how it affects us.

I was at a doctor once because of some chapped lips and she smirkingly said, “You know, the condition of your lips actually relates to your diet.” Huh? She informed me that consuming the proper nutrients and fluids on a regular basis would prevent my lips from being chapped.

This baffled me.

However, these days I have adopted slowly to more nutritious diet. It was painful at first because of all the good food I’m missing out on, but within just a few weeks, I ditched my lip balm and I’m feeling a lot healthier!

Here’s my list of foods for your Acne Diets!

Struggling with health? No where to turn for nutritional knowledge? Newlife Today provides assorted articles and advice for a healthier living lifestyle.

What You Eat Affects How You Breathe

Is there a connection between Asthma and Diet? Yes. What you consume very much so affects the functioning of your respiratory organs-it affects everything. Consequently, if one is seeking to control asthma symptoms and attacks, this is the one factor one has to strongly consider.

According to medical research, Asthma is an allergic inflammation of the lungs. Moreover, an asthma attack can be triggered by chemicals, air pollutants, pollens, molds, dust, animal dander, foods, exercise, and even temperature changes.

However, friends, speaking from my experiences with asthma from the age of 7 till I was about 20, the one factor I think is the most influential negatively on one?s respiratory and overall health, will be what one consumes.

This is a fact that has been in effect in several programs aimed at correcting respiratory health such as the Breath Retaining Program for Asthmatics developed by the Russian, Dr. Buteyko. Within weeks of adhering to his advice, many a chronic asthmatic has been able to give up the use of ventolin inhalers.

Now, I never had to use his program; however, in my quest to get rid of acne, I stumbled on the dietetic change that miraculously cured my asthma, halitosis and overall lethargy. Being amazed at how this change in eating habits worked for not one, but all of my health challenges, was what made me research and discover that such a program as his even exists.

?Well, what is the dietetic suggestion?? one might ask. Quite simply, it is to give up all processed foods and animal products such as meat, milk, eggs and the like from your diet-plain and simple.

Two quotes come to mind in advocating this: ?You are what you consume? and ?Let your foods be you medicine and your medicine your foods?

Now, I ask you a question: ?What is the main physical emission that occurs during an asthma attack with all the wheezing and coughs?? It is mucus.

All the foods listed above are highly mucus forming and upon digestion (if they ever do get digested that is), they leave one with an excessive lining of mucus and slime. Keep in mind that the lungs are the most important excretory organs, when you add its functioning to this fact, it becomes apparent that the consumption of these substances are really only wreaking havoc on the body.

In addition, from my own experience, DO NOT CONSUME LIQUIDS WITH YOUR MEALS AT ANY TIME. This inhibits digestion by diluting the necessary juices in your stomach designated for that purpose. As a result, it hinders the much needed expansion of the diaphragm and consequently a constriction of the lungs- the bellows of life giving air- which results in the wheezing sounds any asthma patient is familiar with.

So what should one eat as an asthma patient?

Well, the foods that are the exact opposite, mucus binding or non-mucus forming foods. These are quite simply fruits and vegetables. Make sure they are organic if possible or at least not in the list of the ?dirty dozen? i.e. the ones most contaminated with pesticides such as Apples, Mexican Melons, Grapes etc?

Trust me on this; I?m speaking from experience, you will do very well to avoid the fruits in that list when it comes to asthma. Nonetheless you?d still be much better off steering clear of those food substances labeled as mucus-forming earlier on.

Other minor factors will still come into play in regards to a natural asthma treatment, however, diet is arguably THE factor to monitor the most.

Remember what you eat affects how you breathe?and how you breathe affects how you live.

Here?s to breathing freer.

Eat Your Way To Healthy Skin

Refined sugar causes your skin to age more quickly, leading to thinner drier skin that is more prone to wrinkles. The vitamins and minerals that promote healthy skin can be found in a variety of foods.

Refined sugars spike your insulin levels triggering an inflammatory reaction within the skin cells. Since refined sugar has been stripped of all the nutrients your body has to use its own stored minerals to digest it.

Skin creams can be very expensive and there is very little proof that they actually can back up what they promise. So the best cost effective defense to fight against free radical damage is a diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals that will protect your skin over the long haul.

Natural fruits, vegetables that are a darker pigmentation contains a high level of antioxidants that help protect the body from toxic buildup. Protein is also essential to keep your skin looking young and youthful.

Protein helps build healthy cells that will make your skin more resilient

Great source of protein are:
Turkey
White meat chicken
Egg whites or Omega 3 enriched eggs

Omega 3 enriched eggs are produced by hens that are fed a special diet that contains ground flax seed. The eggs produced from these hens are higher in omega 3 fatty acids.

Dark Vegetables are:

Spinach

Broccoli

Dark green leafy lettuce

Kale

Dark fruits are:

Blackberries

Blueberries

Strawberries

Omega 3 sources are:

Flax seeds

Walnuts

Sardines

Fish oil pills are also a good source.

Tanning Bed Lotion

pply a tanning bed lotion an hour before and immediately after every tanning session. Tanning bed lotions protect your skin and help to accelerate the tanning process.

Tanning bed lotions contain tyrosine, an amino acid that stimulates production of the skin pigment melanin. Tyrosine assists the UVB rays in stimulating melanin production. UVA rays oxidize the melanin, producing color.

Many tanning bed lotions contain Vitamin E. The anti-oxidant effects of Vitamin E, as well as those of tyrosine, work to prevent wrinkles and fine lines, especially on your face.

Copper, another common tanning bed lotion ingredient, works to reduce the visibility of scars and other minor blemishes. (Incidentally, copper also assists tyrosine in the production of important brain chemicals. This could help explain the mild euphoria experienced by regular tanners. Research into the possible anti-depressive applications of the tanning industry continues to this day.)

All tanning bed lotions have a moisturizing element, which magnifies the tanning effects of UVA rays, while counteracting the drying and peeling effects of UVB rays.

As if all this weren’t enough, many tanning bed lotions contain hempseed oil, aloe vera, or any of a number of other nutrients to guard your skin from the relentless ravages of the natural environment.

Different types of tanning bed lotions exist for different purposes. Some are formulated as “tan accelerators” that contain ingredients amplifying the effects of the tyrosine. Others are used mainly as an after-tan to replenish lost moisture.

Be sure to choose one that is suited to your skin tone. If you are light skinned or do not yet have a base tan, choose a Type I or II. For moderate skin tones, choose a Type II, III or IV. For darker skin tones, a Type IV or V should be OK.

Tanning bed lotions come in thousands of scents for your olfactory pleasure. Do you have a thing for cappuccino? Key lime pie? Chocolate? There’s a tanning bed lotion just for you. Your salon should have a full array of products for you to choose from. If you own your own tanning bed, ask your distributor whether they sell tanning bed lotion. Oftentimes they will pass their wholesale discounts on to you, as an incentive to purchase their equipment. For the best deals, however, scour the Internet.
About the Author
Tanning Beds provides detailed information about home, commercial, and wholesale tanning beds for sale, as well as tanning bed lotion and other products and accessories. For more information go to http://www.i-tanningbeds.com and/or visit its sister site at http://www.e-sunlesstanning.com for related information.

Vitamin C in Skin Care

The integumentary system is the body's largest organ. It can also be a woman's biggest nightmare. The epidermis and its care is one of the most ubiquitous concerns of women as they age. Vitamin C is used in skin care to help prevent premature aging and damage from the suns rays. The antioxidant properties of Vitamin C allows it to bond with and remove damaging radicals in the skin from pollution, cigarette smoke and other sources. Vitamin C is also a necessary part of the body's production of collagen which is the fiber that makes tissues strong and elastic. Thus the use of Vitamin C in a daily skin care program is thought to help make your skin look full and firm.

Taking care of your skin should also be one of the biggest concerns of men since their incidence of melanoma is far greater than that of women and they are starting to spend more and more time in the tanning salons. Although men have the greatest statistical incidence of melanoma some dermatologists fear that the popularity of sun tanning beds in the female population may be bringing with it an increased development of melanoma in women. With the passage of time there may be an alarming tendency of young women to develop the sometimes fatal disease. One thing is certain though, UV rays whether from tanning beds or sun exposure is damaging in excessive amounts. Furthermore, when the sun is involved sun screen really is mandatory for prevention of its damaging effects both medical and cosmetic.

But even with the best preventative measures time does take its toll. Solar radiation, pollution and exposure to various toxins damage the cells prematurely aging the skin and the natural aging process leads to a reduced production of collagen. For some corrective measures may be required. Many approaches and strategies are used in the time reversal strategy known as skin care. Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) are a popular ingredient in many over the counter skin care products. The theory being that the acids peel away the outermost layer of skin exposing the new softer tissues underneath and the skin appears to renew and rejuvenate.

Vitamins can be absorbed through the skin in creams and lotions, particularly Vitamins A and D. Vitamin C can be absorbed by the skin but the best form is one called L-ascorbic acid. This is a product that breaks down very easily especially in sunlight giving it a short shelf life. It is important to buy small amounts in dark colored or brown bottles and keep it in a dark storage place. This works by being absorbed into the epidermis and promoting the production of collagen. It also works as an antioxidant by neutralizing free radicals in the body. Because of its absorption this form of Vitamin C will not wash away but remain in the skin.

Is Smoking Adversely Affecting Your Skin?

While it is well known that smoking is generally harmful to your overall health, some people still consider the habit cool or sexy. This is certainly the image cigarette companies project to their target customers. But could smokers actually be making themselves look less attractive and desirable? Today let's look at how smoking affects the attractiveness of your largest organ--the skin.

You build the cable of a habit one thread at a time. Every day you make choices that lead to habits. It can be hard to break the cycle of those choices. What starts as a pastime stays on to take its toll on your health.

Can you justify smoking?

Smokers justify their habit with the following reasons:

* Smoking gives them pleasure * Smoking relieves their depression and makes them feel lighter * People in their social circle smoke

Most people began as occasional, light smokers. They may have failed to realize that one day, they would become dependant on this "occasional" habit.

The situation is beginning to change. People have begun to think twice before lighting up. This awareness certainly comes from the proven health hazards of smoking.

How smoking affects your skin

You need to be aware of the affects of smoking on your skin and overall looks. This is what smoking does to your skin.

The beauty and youthful look of your skin is largely determined by adequate moisture and oxygen content. Smoking denies an adequate supply of oxygen to your skin and dehydrates it.

* While you are enjoying puffs from your cigarette, you are inviting trouble into your system. Your lungs are the first victims. In just one puff, more than a trillion free radicals are created in your lungs. These free radicals, in turn, induce an inflammatory reaction that gets circulated throughout the whole body.

* Smoking causes the same appearance in your skin as sun damage. The nicotine present in cigarettes is the cause of this effect. It makes you look much older than you are.

* Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 toxins that enter your bloodstream directly and effect your skin's appearance. The top layers of the skin constrict; this reduces your blood's oxygen content and substitutes it with carbon monoxide. With less oxygen in the blood, toxins and other wastes remain in your system, aging it prematurely. Generally, smoking causes your skin to look pale and grey. In addition, the collagen level of your skin is greatly reduced when you smoke, making your skin more wrinkled and less youthful looking.

* Smoking causes heavy damages to a woman's system by creating an imbalance in her hormone levels and dramatically altering her body shape. This is caused by a disturbance in the endocrinal glands. A research report says that if a woman smokes a pack per day for 40 years, it can accelerate her aging by 7.4 years.

To emphasize the ill effects of smoking on your skin, the term "smoker's face" was added to the medical dictionary. This condition is caused when the skin in your face shows the lines and wrinkles--which make you look older--all due to smoking! The smoker's features are thin and gaunt. There are clear signs of premature aging, induced by poor blood circulation. Evidences show that a smoker's skin is more than 40% thinner than a non-smoker.

When you smoke, you are introducing stimulants into your system that affect your blood vessels.

It has also been suggested that smoking causes certain types of skin cancer. Further research is being undertaken to study the cosmetic effects that smoking has on your skin. For example, smoking dries your skin, especially in the areas affected by the nicotine smoke. Nicotine is also a diuretic and can reduce vitamin A in your body.

If you smoke, I hope I have given you food for thought. By all means, try to stop. Smoking not only ages you through general health deterioration but probably makes you look less attractive. Your family and loved ones need you. So, I caution you to stop right now.

Once you begin to seek treatment to stop, there are also skin solutions that can help you get back to a more vibrant and beautiful you. There is a product we hear that can help you restore your skin to a more youthful glow.

To take extra good care of your skin suffering from the sun-like damage associated with smoking consider using a topical cream like Lumnaderm(tm). This product can offer significant help to those concerned about the appearance of skin which may have been damaged by the sun, free radicals, or other skin problems. Lumnaderm(tm) is available from fine online stores like Amazon and the BODeStore.com (http://www.bodestore.com).

Written by the V-Team, courtesy of Kamau Austin, publisher. The V-Team writes articles for the health and fitness enthusiast. Their timeless health and fitness tips are at the Fit After Forty Blog. See more useful news and tips about skin careat http://www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/blogs/fitnessblog.htm

Phendimetrazine, A Gateway To Weight Loss

Do you believe that you have a fair chance of making it to the list of top 100 big people of the world? And that is the sole reason for you to take pride in your increasing waistline. It's high time that you wake up dear friend. Obesity is the next big epidemic that is just waiting around the corner to take over the world. It is not just a cosmetic problem but also a health hazard. If your health is being immediately and severely compromised because of your weight, faster weight loss may be imperative - but always under the doctor's guidance. Additionally, complementary and alternative therapies that claim to offer benefits in weight control include massage, homoeopathy, and acupuncture.

There are certain causes that lead to obesity and weight gain. If you're a woman, you are at a higher risk of being obese. Studies have shown that if someone is depressed and in need of some loving, s/he resorts to gorging on food to become oblivious to the sadness around him/her. You are bound to gain weight if you're eating the wrong things, you're eating too much, or you're on a fad diet. Sedentary lifestyle and genes also play a part in your overweight stature. Other factors, such as the love of food in your family, your medical condition, and your adherence to advertising stuff, may all lead to weight gain.

Whether you are trying to lose five pounds or more than 50, the same simple laws of physics determine whether or not you will lose weight and how fast your weight loss will occur. Exercise provides an outlet for pent-up energy and boosts de-stressing hormones. You are never too busy for a one-hour walk or jog. Spontaneous exercise - doing something that you really enjoy - makes you feel good. Work consciously to stay fighting fit even if your exercise regime keeps changing. Never skip meals and keep sipping tea and water at regular intervals to stay hydrated. To lose weight effectively, you can also join a weight control program - but choose carefully.

In the US, the heavyweights are fighting back. The movement for acceptance of the big people received a major fillip when Camryn Manheim (Ellenor of the hit series 'The Practice') dedicated her 1998 Emmy for Best Actress to "all the fat girls." Another fat activist Marilynn Wann has a best-selling book out called 'Fat, So? 'Radiance' magazine, which celebrates the lives and achievements of big people, is doing very well, and May 6 each year is celebrated as International No Diet Day (INDD).

According to a recent survey, 5 percent of women and 2 percent of men trying to lose weight use diet pills. Therefore, FDA has approved several prescription drugs, such as Phendimetrazine for treating obesity. These drugs are appetite suppressants that help people on calorie-restricted diets adhere more closely to their diet. Phendimetrazine diet pills are readily available in the market and you can get cheap Phendimetrazine easily. You can also buy Phendimetrazine online at your own convenience.

8 tips for eating well

by mulanol.com

These practical tips can help you make healthier choices. The two keys to a healthy diet are eating the right amount of food for how active you are and eating a range of foods to make sure you’re getting a balanced diet.

A healthy balanced diet contains a variety of types of food, including lots of fruit, vegetables and starchy foods such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals; some protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; and some dairy foods.

1. Base your meals on starchy foods

Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are a really important part of a healthy diet. Try to choose wholegrain varieties of starchy foods whenever you can.

Starchy foods should make up about a third of the food we eat. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, these foods contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Most of us should eat more starchy foods - try to include at least one starchy food with each of your main meals. So you could start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal, have a sandwich for lunch, and potatoes, pasta or rice with your evening meal.

Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram they contain less than half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when cooking and serving these foods, because this is what increases the calorie content.

Why choose wholegrain foods?

Wholegrain foods contain more fibre and other nutrients than white or refined starchy foods.

We also digest wholegrain foods more slowly so they can help make us feel full for longer.

Wholegrain foods include:

• Wholemeal and wholegrain bread, pitta and chapatti
• Wholewheat pasta and brown rice
• Wholegrain breakfast cereals

2. Eat lots of fruit and veg

Most people know we should be eating more fruit and veg. But most of us still aren’t eating enough.

Try to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day. It might be easier than you think.

You could try adding up your portions during the day.

For example, you could have:

• a glass of juice and a sliced banana with your cereal at breakfast
• a side salad at lunch
• a pear as an afternoon snack
• a portion of peas or other vegetables with your evening meal

You can choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced, but remember potatoes count as a starchy food, not as portions of fruit and veg.

3. Eat more fish

Most of us should be eating more fish - including a portion of oily fish each week. It’s an excellent source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.

Aim for at least two portions of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish. You can choose from fresh, frozen or canned - but remember that canned and smoked fish can be high in salt.

What are oily fish?

Some fish are called oily fish because they are rich in certain types of fats, called omega 3 fatty acids, which can help keep our hearts healthy.

How much oily fish?

Although most of us should be eating more oily fish, women who might have a baby one day should have a maximum of 2 portions of oily fish a week (a portion is about 140g). And 4 is the recommended maximum number of portions for other adults.

Examples of oily fish
Salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines, pilchards, eel

Examples of white or non-oily fish
Cod, haddock, plaice, coley, tinned tuna, skate, hake

Shark, swordfish and marlin
Don’t have more than one portion a week of these types of fish. This is because of the high levels of mercury in these fish.

Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should try and choose as wide a variety as possible.

For more information on fish and for advice - including recommended limits - for children, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying for a baby, see the link below.

4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

Fats

To stay healthy we need some fat in our diets. What is important is the kind of fat we are eating. There are two main types of fat:

• saturated fat - having too much can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases the chance of developing heart disease
• unsaturated fat - having unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat lowers blood cholesterol

Try to cut down on food that is high in saturated fat and have foods that are rich in unsaturated fat instead, such as vegetable oils (including sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil), oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Foods high in saturated fat

Try to eat these sorts of foods less often or in small amounts:

• meat pies, sausages, meat with visible white fat
• hard cheese
• butter and lard
• pastry
• cakes and biscuits
• cream, soured cream and crème fraîche
• coconut oil, coconut cream or palm oil

For a healthy choice, use just a small amount of vegetable oil or a reduced-fat spread instead of butter, lard or ghee. And when you are having meat, try to choose lean cuts and cut off any visible fat.

How do I know if a food is high in fat?

Look at the label to see how much fat a food contains. Generally the label will say how many grams (g) of fat there are in 100g of the food.

Some foods also give a figure for saturated fat, or ’saturates’.

Use the following as a guide to work out if a food is high or low in fat.

Total fat - what’s high and what’s low?

High is more than 20g fat per 100g
Low is 3g fat or less per 100g

If the amount of fat per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of fat.

Saturated fat - what’s high and what’s low?

High is more than 5g saturates per 100g
Low is 1.5g saturates or less per 100g

If the amount of saturates per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of saturated fat.

Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much fat you will get from it.

Try to choose more foods that are low in fat and cut down on foods that are high in fat.

Sugar

Most people in the UK are eating too much sugar. We should all be trying to eat fewer foods containing added sugar, such as sweets, cakes and biscuits, and drinking fewer sugary soft and fizzy drinks.

Having sugary foods and drinks too often can cause tooth decay, especially if you have them between meals. Many foods that contain added sugar can also be high in calories so cutting down could help you control your weight.

How do I know if a food is high in added sugar?

Take a look at the label. The ingredients list always starts with the biggest ingredient first.

But watch out for other words used to describe added sugars, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, hydrolysed starch and invert sugar, corn syrup and honey. If you see one of these near the top of the list, you know the food is likely to be high in added sugars.

Another way to get an idea of how much sugar is in a food is to have a look for the ‘Carbohydrates (of which sugars)’ figure on the label. But this figure can’t tell you how much is from added sugars, which is the type we should try to cut down on.

High is more than 15g sugars per 100g
Low is 5g sugars or less per 100g

If the amount of sugars per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of sugars.

Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much sugars you will get from it.

Sometimes you will only see a figure for total ‘Carbohydrates’, not for ‘Carbohydrates (of which sugars)’, which means the figure also includes the carbohydrate from starchy foods.

5. Try to eat less salt - no more than 6g a day

Lots of people think they don’t eat much salt, especially if they don’t add it to their food. But don’t be so sure!

Every day in the UK, 85% men and 69% women eat too much salt. Adults - and children over 11 - should have no more than 6g salt a day. Younger children should have even less.

Three-quarters (75%) of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as breakfast cereals, soups, sauces and ready meals. So you could easily be eating too much salt without realising it.

Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure. And people with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than people with normal blood pressure.

How do I know if a food is high in salt?

Check the label to find out the figure for salt per 100g.

High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium)
Low is 0.3g salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium)

If the amount of salt per 100g is in between these figures, then that is a medium level of salt.

Remember that the amount you eat of a particular food affects how much salt you will get from it.

6. Get active and try to be a healthy weight

It’s not a good idea to be either underweight or overweight. Being overweight can lead to health conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes. Being underweight could also affect your health.

Check if you are the right weight for your height using the link below.

If you’re worried about your weight, ask your GP or a dietitian for advice. But if you think you just need to lose a little weight, the main things to remember are:

• only eat as much food as you need
• make healthy choices - it’s a good idea to choose low-fat and low-sugar varieties, eat plenty of fruit and veg and wholegrains
• get more active

It’s also important to eat a variety of types of food so you get all the nutrients your body needs.

Physical activity is a good way of using up extra calories, and helps control our weight. But this doesn’t mean you need to join a gym.

Just try to get active every day and build up the amount you do. For example, you could try to fit in as much walking as you can into your daily routine. Try to walk at a good pace.

Whenever we eat more than our body needs, we put on weight. This is because we store any energy we don’t use up - usually as fat. Even small amounts of extra energy each day can lead to weight gain.

But crash diets aren’t good for your health and they don’t work in the longer term. The way to reach a healthy weight - and stay there - is to change your lifestyle gradually. Aim to lose about 0.5 to 1kg (about 1 to 2lbs) a week, until you reach a healthy weight for your height.

7. Drink plenty of water

We should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, every day to stop us getting dehydrated.

When the weather is warm or when we get active, our bodies need more than this. But avoid drinking soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugar.

Alcohol

There is nothing wrong with the occasional drink. But drinking too much can cause problems. Alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down could help you control your weight.

Women can drink up to 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day and men up to 3 to 4 units a day, without significant risk to their health.

A unit is half a pint of standard strength (3 to 5% ABV) beer, lager or cider, or a pub measure of spirit. A glass of wine is about 2 units and alcopops are about 1.5 units.

For good health, it’s a good idea to spread your drinking throughout the week and avoid binge drinking. Drinking heavily over a long period of time can damage the liver.

8. Don’t skip breakfast

Breakfast can help give us the energy we need to face the day, as well as some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health.

Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight. But missing meals doesn’t help us lose weight and it isn’t good for us, because we can miss out on essential nutrients.

There is some evidence to suggest that eating breakfast can actually help people control their weight.

So why not go for a bowl of wholegrain cereal with some sliced banana and a glass of fruit juice for a healthy start to the day?