Healthy weight-loss diet (part 7)

To maintain good health, we need to eat a variety of foods from the five food groups. Eating them in the right proportion 

will help to keep your weight under control.

A sensible rate of weight loss is around 0.5kg to 1kg (1lb to 2lb) a week. To achieve this, you need an energy deficit of 3,500kcal to 7,000kcal a week, which means eating 500 to 1,000 fewer calories a day. You can do this by replacing high-fat foods with those that are low in fat such as fruit, vegetables, unrefined carbohydrates and lower-fat dairy products, and by being more physically active. It's also important to watch the size of your portions. This can be difficult, because over time you can lose touch with what's a sensible amount of food.

A word about salt

On average, we eat over 50 per cent more salt than the recommended level and more than twice the amount we actually need.

We've become used to eating foods containing salt, so reducing the amount we consume often means adjusting our palates.

A lot of salt comes from processed foods, so look for low-salt varieties and check the salt content on the label. You can also cut salt by:

• Preparing foods from fresh ingredients as much as possible
• Avoiding salty snacks, such as crisps and salted nuts
• Choosing 'unsalted', 'no added salt' or 'reduced salt' foods