Many factors are involved in answering the question "what should I eat?". But here are some basic pointers to keep in mind - before you open your mouth.

1. Eat plenty of fiber, pulses, whole grains, foods made with wholegrain flour (such as wholegrain bread), and fruit and vegetables give you the benefit of fiber as well as its associated essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Grains are better only coarsely ground.
2. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially green leafy ones. These give you the vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and fiber you need.
3. Peel the fruit as little as possible (peel and pith are nutrient rich). Cook vegetables lightly by steaming or stir frying, and eat some raw everyday to benefit from their hormones and enzymes.
4. Cut down your fat intake (especially saturated fat). Choose fish, offal (organ meat), game, poultry, whole grains, pulses, nuts and seeds, or sprouted seeds, rather than red meat and cheese.
5. Cut down your sugar intake. Use sugar as flavoring rather than as a food. Avoid cakes, sweets, chocolates, biscuits, puddings, ice-creams, jam, fruits canned in syrup, soft drinks, sugar in tea and coffee, and milk shakes.
6. Cut down your salt intake. Instead of adding salt to your food use herbs, spices, fresh ginger, horseradish, lemon juice, tomato puree, vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable stock, yeast extract, chutney, and other flavorings.
7. Cut down your consumption of processed food to avoid the " empty calories" of saturated fats, added sugar, refined cereal grains, and additives.
8. Drink only moderate amounts of alcohol.
9. If you are overweight, exercise more and consume the amount of food and drink that will enable you to reach and keep to your optimal body weight.

Few Suggestions on Diet Plan:

Is it easy to follow?
This is a major complaint that many people have of weight loss plans. Constantly counting calories or points is not easy.
It takes time and can sometimes be inaccurate. If you eat at a restaurant, it can be impossible. A successful diet plan should give you a straightforward menu for you to follow. You should know exactly what to eat and when to eat it without having to count how many calories you are eating.

Is it too strict?
Diets that limit certain foods or food groups are too hard for most people. In the case of low carb diets, you are denying your body something it needs. Your body cannot function properly without carbohydrates. Also, a diet that says you can't have something, makes you want it more. A successful diet plan will incorporate all the food groups to give you a healthy, well-rounded menu.

Is it healthy?
You should never follow a diet plan that tells you to fast or eat only a couple times a day. This is definitely not healthy. Your body needs food! It should also not rely on prepackaged or so called "healthy food". Most of these packaged foods are NOT healthy for you. A successful diet plan will encourage you to eat real, whole foods that are naturally healthy.

Is it expensive?
There are many weight loss plans that require you to buy their "special" food. These packaged foods are not as healthy as whole foods, and they aren't cheap! They are very expensive compared to food you can buy in your local grocery store. It is hard for people to succeed on a diet plan that costs too much money. A successful diet plan will have you only buying foods that are found in the grocery store.

Does it give you healthy tips for life?
 Once you have reached your weight loss goal, usually you are done with the diet. This is where a lot of people fail. They have reached their goal, then they go back to their pre-diet lifestyle. You want to lose weight and keep it off. A successful diet plan will give you lots of tips and advice on keeping the weight off for life.

It is easy to get overwhelmed when searching for a weight loss plan. There are too many out there to count that are, for one reason or another, unsuccessful. Use these tips to help you find a diet plan that works!

5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat & Get Six Pack Abs

1. Many so-called "health foods" are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that can actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat... yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.
2. Ab exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are actually the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We'll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute.
3. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I'll tell you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below.
4. You DON'T need to waste your money on expensive "extreme fat burner" pills or other bogus supplements. I'll show you how to use the power of natural foods in more detail below.
5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks... they're all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that "ab contraption"... they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you'll learn some of their secrets and what really works below.