Instead of seconds, chew gum
When sanity dictates that you should stop shoving food into your face at the buffet or dinner table, pop mint-flavoured gum into your mouth.

It changes the flavour of everything and makes that third helping of lasagne almost impossible to swallow.

Eat this, then go out
Munch on an apple before you head down to your local pub.

This will help prevent you inhaling three bags of nuts and a bucket of chips when you sidle up to the bar.

Drink ginger ale instead of cola
Besides containing too many empty kilojoules, colas (including the diet kind) are high in phosphorous, a mineral that can prevent the absorption of calcium.

Ginger Ale is a better carbonated sugar. It has no phosphorous and as many as 125 fewer kilojoules per glass.

Use healthy condiments
One important secret of weight-loss is making bland foods taste good.
Slather the right grainy mustard on a fat-free turkey sandwich and it becomes downright delicious.

Use Worcestershire sauce to spruce up steamed broccoli and other healthy foods or lightly brush barbecue sauce on grilled vegetables and you'll find yourself actually craving that eggplant.

Fire up a finer kebab
Shish kebabs are healthy, manly meals.

To make them perfectly, use twin steel skewers. Two prongs keep the chunks more secure when you turn them on the grill.

Afterwards, put the kebabs in a serving dish, douse them with warm cognac or brandy and light them. They'll burn for a few minutes, leaving juicy meat under a crusty coating.

Freeze mister
One of the easiest ways to improve your diet is to stock your freezer with bags of frozen vegies.

Not only do they provide a variety of nutrients, but they're also convenient for throwing into soups, stews, stir-fries and instant rice dishes.

Frozen vegetables are usually frozen within a few hours of harvesting, so their nutritional quality can actually be better than the fresh stuff.

Throw in the towel
When reheating pizza from the night before in the microwave, place a paper towel underneath to absorb moisture.

This prevents the crust turning into a soggy, doggy-chew toy.

Spend your dough wisely
While browsing the bread aisle, you naturally grab a loaf of something brown - it must be higher in fibre than Wonder White, right? Not necessarily. That dark complexion may be courtesy of molasses or food dyes.

Likewise, a loaf with seeds or oatmeal flakes gracing its top isn't exactly high in fibre either - they could just be decoration.

To be sure that you're a breadwinner every time, look for the phrase "100 per cent wholemeal" of "multi-grain" on the package.

Snack on a stalk
Celery is pretty much the answer for any man whose doctor has told him, "You have high blood pressure; cut down on your salt intake."

Celery's naturally salty flavour can help eliminate your sodium urges, whether noshed raw or added to a wide variety of dishes. And it makes a refreshing drink when blended with apple juice.

As a bonus, it contains potassium, a mineral that's been shown to help fight hypertension.

By Joe Kita