Navigating the avalanche of information available on how to stay fit and healthy can feel exhausting, and make the urge to tuck into a friendly-looking kebab or doughnut even more tempting.
And while the mantra “eat less, move more” is a helpful starting point, it leaves many questions unanswered.
We have asked four diet and nutrition experts for the most important factors to remember when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, to stop you from desperately grasping at the latest diet fad every few months.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
If the premise of a miracle diet falls apart under the weight of a little scrutiny, it probably won’t work in the long term. Necking a bottle of wine, eating chips and gorging on chocolate to stay healthy and lean long-term? Unlikely.
Aisling Pigott, a dietician and spokeswomen for the British Dietetics Association (BDA), stresses: “There is no such thing as a magic answer when it comes to a healthy diet.
“We live in a world where we are so keen for ‘quick fixes’ and fast solutions. This is not helpful for people trying to tackle the complex relationships and routines they may have with food, eating and health.”
Remember that no food is ‘good’ or ‘bad’…
Many diet regimes pedal the idea that certain foods – like pizza, burgers and cake – are wholly bad, while others – kale, blueberries and quinoa – are wholly good. But this breeds unhealthy and unhelpful attitudes towards food, and can even trigger eating disorders.
“I strongly feel that 
we should neither glorify or demonize any foods” says Ms Pigott.
“Food is food, it provides nourishment and will have different values, and there are pros and cons in all foods.”
