French fish stew – 390 calories Serves 2

Beetroot, apple and

numerous trials have shown that “more rapid and greater initial weight loss is associated with lower body weight at the end of long-term follow-up”. In other words, if you want to diet successfully it can be better to lose weight quickly than slowly.

The way to measure the overall impact of a particular food on your blood sugar is by calculating its Glycaemic Load (GL): GL = (GI x the amount of carbohydrate) divided by 100 An apple, for example, has a GI score of 40. It contains about 15g of carbs so its GL = (40 x 15)/100 = 6

rule of thumb, you should be wary of carbs with a GI over 55 or a GL over 20.

medium heat and fry the mushrooms for about 5 minutes or until golden. Add the chopped chilli, garlic, Cajun seasoning and black beans and heat through for about 5 minutes; season to taste. Keep warm while you fry the eggs. Use the same frying pan with the residual oil to fry the eggs until cooked to your liking. Divide the mushroom mixture between

The final principle is about getting your head in the right place – learning how to de-stress and reduce impulsive eating.

wheat), whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice and buckwheat. Legumes, such as lentils and kidney beans, are healthy and filling. Avoid most breakfast cereals: they are usually full of sugar, even the ones that contain bran. Oats are good as long as they are not the instant sort. Full-fat yoghurt is also good. Add berries, like blackberries,

stuff”: bread, pasta, potatoes, rice. Be wary of “brown” alternatives: the extra fibre can be negligible. Brown rice is OK, but some wholemeal breads have added sugar.