We eat for a million different reasons. Even sometimes because we’re hungry. Bad day? Revels on the way home. Birthday? Cake and candles. 7 o’clock? Mum says so. Then we forget about it after we’ve swallowed. In fact, each gulp stays with us for 3 more days as our body tries to use what we’ve chowed down. You are what you eat? You’d better believe it.

How much?
We burn up about 2000kCal every day, just keeping going. Food is fuel. The more we eat, the more we have spare. We store extra as fat, like squirrels preparing for winter.

And what?
There is no right diet. Don’t believe anyone who tells you different. They’re just after your £5.99. We just need a whole heap of variety to keep well and look great. Here’s the lowdown:

More
•Fresh fruit & veg - At least 5 daily. Believe me, you can’t OD. If you do nothing else, do this one.
•Iron - We lose iron with each monthly bleed. Green veg or red meat stop us running low.
•Calcium - Demand strong bones for life. Think dairy: milk, yogurt and cheese.

Less
•Salt - Don’t sprinkle on extra.
•Fat - Be honest. Does it hurt to go semi-skimmed? Look after your heart and your hips will take care of themselves.

Balance
•Carbs - (bread, potatoes, pasta, rice) and protein (meat, eggs, fish, beans) throughout the day. No matter what Dr Atkins says.
•Variety - really is the spice of life. And a little of what you fancy does you good. No one’s asking you to give up the odd Krispy Kreme.

Special Foods
For when you need to be:

Less tired: 2 glasses of water and a handful of peanuts
More brainy: Tuna/mackerel/salmon sandwich. Something fishy.
Less edgy: Cut out caffeine and sugar. Calm down.
More sexy: Sorry. I don’t believe in aphrodisiacs. You either fancy him or you don’t