New Australian research has suggested that just four weeks of consuming a diet high in fat can modify a person's palate, so that you are less able to taste fat properly- which means you may not be able to recognize when you are full and satisfied.

Response to fat helps the body to recognize fullness and satiety. Basically, the more fat you consume on a regular basis, the more likely you are to overeat at meals and feel urges to eat in between. The good news is, eating a diet low in fat can over time actually make you feel more full on fewer calories.

Muesli can be a great healthy choice for breakfast- but be careful which brand you choose. Make sure you check the nutritional panel before you pick out your muesli, as some varieties may contain as much sugar so Coco Pops, or even more fat than a McDonalds Double Quarter Pounder.

Recent research by consumer organization Choice has revealed that many popular muesli products may actually be doing more harm to your healthy eating plan than good. After testing 159 different brands of muesli, Choice has released a report that warns consumers to take the fat and sugar content of products into consideration. (The full report is available here www.choice.com.au/muesli.)

Nuts are a great addition to any healthy eating plan. Full of healthy fats, dietary fibre, amino acids, plant sterols and a range of essential vitamins and minerals, nuts are some of the most nutrient dense foods, and just a small handful can give you a great range of health benefits. In fact, recent studies have suggested that adding nuts into your diet can almost half your risk of heart disease.

Each nut tree has its own unique nutritional makeup, with a range of vitamins and minerals including folate, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper and vitamin E. Here are some of the health benefits of different nuts…

There’s no magic weight loss food- but there are foods you can add to your diet plan that will help give your metabolism a boost, allowing you to burn more fat, more quickly. Give some of these a try!

Berries

Fibre is an essential diet weapon- it keeps you feeling full and satisfied, helping you to eat less throughout the day without compromising on your energy levels. There are plenty of ways to get more fibre in your diet- but one of the best (and the most delicious!) are berries. One cup of raspberries gives you 8 grams of fibre; a cup of blackberries has 7.4 grams and blueberries have 3.5 grams. Whether you buy them fresh or frozen, add some berries into your diet plan and enjoy the sweet, delicious taste, while you beat hunger pangs.

Beat off colds and flus this winter by keeping your immune system strong. Over the colder months, it’s easy to start feeling run down and lethargic, but if you keep your body supported with all the right vitamins and nutrients, you can keep your energy levels up and fight off illness. Here are some top tips for staying healthy in winter… 

Drink lots of water

Stay hydrated in winter by making an effort to get your two litres each day. A glass of water might be the last thing you feel like on an icy winter day, but it’s actually one of the best things for you! Even though you’re not sweating like in summer, your body needs plenty of fluids to keep your body hydrated. And when you have a cold or flu, increase your water intake to around 10 glasses a day to help make up for lost fluids, speeding up your recovery. 

Cereal can be a good choice for a healthy breakfast- but some cereals are definitely much better for you than others. Many cereals contain large amounts of refined flours, and often large amounts of sugar can be disguised by fancy names and clever marketing buzz-words. So start the day out right and choose a cereal that gives you a big nutritional boost and keeps you feeling full and satisfied throughout the morning.

Here’s what to look for in your breakfast cereal:

When you’re trying to lose weight and concentrating on eating healthy foods, it’s easy to forget about the contribution your drinks are making to your calorie total. Often, we don’t really think about the impact of our juice or coffee or hot chocolate- but those liquid calories can add up fast, and sugary or sweetened drinks in particular can really sabotage your diet plan.

Try to make water your main beverage. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is so important, not only for your weight loss, but for your general health and wellbeing. Your body needs lots of water to maintain all its normal functions properly, including metabolism. And it has no calories, which frees you up to get more of your energy from food.  

Here are some of the most common daily drinks, and what you should be cautious of…

If you’re always running late for work, or have a million and one things to do in the mornings, it can leave you with very little time to cook and prepare a healthy breakfast. It often seems easier to grab a muffin at the coffee shop or skip breakfast altogether- but both of these can sabotage your healthy lifestyle.

Eating too many sugars and refined carbs is an inefficient way to get energy, and is likely to leave you feeling sluggish, hungry and craving calorie-heavy foods by mid-morning. And skipping breakfast means you’re more likely to overeat later in the day, and you miss the chance to kickstart your metabolism and get the energy you need to get off to a flying start.

So it’s important that you keep in the habit of starting your day with a small, healthy meal, even if it’s on-the-go.

One of the keys to losing weight is controlling your hunger- which is easy if you always feel satisfied. Knowing which healthy foods are the most filling, and incorporating them into your regular diet plan is the best way to make sure you feel full after eating, so you can eat less without feeling deprived. It’s just a matter of being smart about the calories you consume, and making a few changes to what and how you eat.

Here’s how you can eat less and feel more satisfied…

Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in Australia, and often, people are not aware that they are deficient until the symptoms start to show up in more serious health problems, like osteoporosis.

Vitamin D offers a range of possible health benefits, including:

• More energy and vitality
• Strengthening your immune system
• Helping to lower your blood pressure
• Helping to reduce the risk of diabetes and some cancers
• Strong, healthy bones
• Improved mood and mental health

And studies have suggested that it may also play a role in weight loss and weight gain. When levels of vitamin D in the blood are low, it can be harder to slim down. So it is important to make sure you’re getting enough- both through sensible exposure to sunlight and in your diet plan.