Drinks

Make sure you drink plenty of water – from the tap, filtered or mineral according to your preference. If you’re really not keen on it, flavor it with a low- calories squash.
Pure fruit juices are good for you but should be classed as part of a meal. I’ve included them in the breakfast counts because that’s when I like a glass (and vitamin C in them helps you absorb iron in foods like fortifies breakfast cereals). If you drink a small glass at other times of the day, add on 50 calories a glass.

Tea and coffee area fine in moderation but drinks them preferably after meals or in between as the tannin in these beverages impairs the absorption of some essential nutrients. Use skimmed milk or drink them black (tea with lemon is good). But No sugar. If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll have to use artificial sweeteners, but ideally you should wean yourself off the sweetness as it will help your diet as a whole.

Try to consume at least 300 ml ½ pt/ ½ cups of skimmed milk during the day but that includes what you put on cereal or use in cooking.

Alcohol is not a dieter’s friend since it contains lots of empty calories. However, far be it from me to say you must abstain completely. Have it as a treat with a meal or as an occasional evening tipple to sip and enjoy. But never drink alcohol to quench your thirst. Allow yourself a drink only if you are under the limit of calories for the day, don’t drink in place of good nutritious food and, if you must drink spirits, make sure you have low-calories mixers.

As a guide, count 100 calories per single measure of alcohol, that is a half-print of beer or larger, a wineglass of wine, a small sherry or a single measure of spirits. This is actually an overestimation but it means you’ll be ‘in credit’ rather than the other way round! But beware because if you’ve decided on 1000 calories a day and you treat yourself to two glasses because if you’ve decided of wine or a double G&T, it’s a fifth of your daily calories.