• Break the salt habit gradually.

Don’t expect to be able to reduce your salt intake overnight. That will not happen. It will take about 4 weeks for your taste buds to adjust and begin to recognize the wonderful subtle flavors of foods masked by salt.

• go for the fruit

If you have a sweet tooth, you can satisfy your cravings for sweets, cookies (my problem area), and fruitcakes. How about a juicy peach the next time you crave a candy bar, or a banana instead of a cookie (I love bananas!). Try a small bag of dried apricots in your pocket or purse, if you need a sweet “twist.” In tea or coffee, try honey, nature’s answer to granulated sugar.

• talking about sugar

This is hidden in a lot of products that you wouldn’t expect to find. As medicine, canned vegetables, and even some meats or prescription drugs. The word sugar may not appear, but other words such as dextrin, dextrose, corn syrup, fructose, fruit juice, etc. may appear. It really is hard to avoid them, because there are so many of them. So my simple suggestion: Cut granulated sugar out of your weekly grocery store and if you have time, look at what’s in the foods you’re buying. Cutting out high-sugar foods would be a great start.

• Speaking of which, go for ‘sugar/salt free’ varieties.

If you can’t find them, and if you can, give them a good rinse to help remove some of the salt. Salt is the main culprit in loading our diet with sodium BUT it’s not the only one. Look for baking powder, baking soda, MSG on food labels, they are all high in sodium (salt).

• Do it yourself

Ready meals and some canned soups often contain a lot of sugar and salt. By preparing food yourself, you can radically reduce your intake. Use herbs, spices, mustard, a squeeze of lemon, etc. instead of salt or sugar to liven up your meals. Also try cooking meals in bulk, putting them on a smaller plate and freezing them. In one day you could cover a whole number of foods that help you lose weight.

Weight reduction can be hard work, I know I’ve really been there. So why not get simple, straightforward help from the experts? I have spent a lot of time finding good, inexpensive ways to help you lose weight.