Quality of food

Whenever possible, try to purchase organically raised food. The increase in cost is slight and your body will not have to work as hard to process and get rid of toxins.

As our young grandson says "Why would people want to eat food with bug spray on it?"

The secret to losing weight and keeping it off

Many people make the mistake of eating until their stomachs feel full. This is not natural and can lead to many digestive and overweight problems. If you leave your stomach partially empty you will still feel hungry for about 10 minutes after eating until your stomach starts processing the food that you have just consumed - then you will feel full.

If you are trying to control your weight here are two specific tips:

• Try to eat mostly food rich in nutrients (vegetables, grains, fruits, high quality animal protein) so that your body does not feel starved. When you do eat junk food, enjoy it but try to reduce the quantities of unhealthy food that you eat.
• Make sure that you thoroughly chew your food. Some people with weight problems are also "food gulpers" who barely take any time to chew their food. This habit is bad for at least three reasons: bad for the digestion, leads to over eating, and is not good for dinner conversation.

How much meat is enough?

This is really a matter of personal taste and body chemistry. For most people, probably the optimum diet has very little meat in it - perhaps two thirds of the size of a deck of playing cards per day. A few ounces of meat protein a day helps fill in the amino acids (especially sulphur based amino acids) that our bodies need. Children need more protein than adults.

If you eat only a small amount of meat, you can afford healthier meat: prefer meat from animals raised on organic grains and without growth hormones or antibiotics. Animal protein that is not "mass produced" costs a lot more but certainly tastes much better and is likely better for you.