New year, new you?

Check out our view on ten popular new year resolutions. Can any of these help you turn over a healthy new leaf?

I'm thinking of going on a detox diet

We wouldn't recommend overindulging but if you feel you've been overdoing it over the festive season, you don't need to go on a detox diet to get it all out of your system.

Rather than going on an extreme diet that doesn't contain the balance of nutrients we need to be healthy, here's a simple way to give your body a boost:

• only eat as much food as you need


• eat a healthy balanced diet (check out our practical tips below)
• drink more water (we need about 6-8 glasses of fluid a day)


• start getting active

For many of us, losing a few pounds would be a good first step to help improve our health and well-being. (Being overweight makes us more likely to develop some health problems, including conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.)

But diets that severely limit the amount of food, or types of food, you can eat are hard to stick to.

Often, people feel deprived and meals get really boring, which takes the enjoyment out of eating. And these kinds of diet can leave you short of nutrients that are important to be healthy.

So don't be tempted by the promise of super-fast results. The way to reach a healthy weight – and stay there – is to adapt your lifestyle gradually to reduce the amount you eat, improve your overall diet and be more active. Crash diets aren't good for your health and they don't work in the longer term.

Here are a few practical tips:

Base your meals on starchy foods, such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes, and choose wholegrain varieties whenever you can. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but it's things like butter that people spread on bread, the creamy sauces they pour on pasta and the full-fat cheese they add to a baked potato that make them fattening.

So starchy foods are a healthy choice, but try to serve them with low-fat spread, sauces made from tomatoes or vegetables, and low-fat cream cheese.

Cut down on foods high in saturated fat such as pies, sausages, butter, cheese, dishes with creamy sauces, cakes, biscuits and doughnuts.

Eat lots more fruit and vegetables. These are generally low in fat, help to fill you up, and make very healthy snacks if you get hungry between meals.

Choose lower fat milk such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and low-fat yoghurts, rather than full-fat versions.

Choose lean cuts of meat and don't eat the fat. Avoid eating the skin on chicken, because although the meat is low in fat, the skin contains much more.

Find out what is a healthy weight for you by using our Body Mass Index Calculator.

I want to do more exercise

Being physically active is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle and one of the best ways to help you lose weight and keep it off.

Lots of us have very good intentions at the start of the year and slog it out in the gym for the first two weeks of January, only to spend the rest of the year on the sofa. So, it's better to gradually become more active in ways you find enjoyable.

Going for a swim, a brisk walk or a bike ride, or joining an exercise or dance class, are all good ways to get active. Whatever you do, try to do it regularly.

I'm going to cut fat and sugar out of my diet

Let's look at fat first. We shouldn't try to avoid all fat, because everyone needs some fat in their diet to be healthy. But the type of fat we eat is important. Most of us eat too much of the wrong types of fat and that can increase our chances of developing heart disease.

• Saturated fats can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease. Biscuits, cakes, pastries, meat pies, sausages, hard cheese, butter and foods containing lard, coconut or palm oil all tend to be high in saturated fats.
• Hydrogenated fat, also called hydrogenated vegetable oil, is used in some biscuits, cakes, pastry, margarine and some other processed foods. Foods that contain hydrogenated vegetable oil (which is always declared in the ingredients list) may also contain trans fats.
• Trans fats may be found in foods that contain hydrogenated vegetable oil. These trans fats have no known nutritional benefits. They can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Some evidence suggests that the effects of these trans fats may be worse than saturated fats.

So, as part of a healthy diet, we should try to reduce the amount of foods we eat that contain hydrogenated or saturated fats and replace them with unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats can help to lower cholesterol. Foods that are rich in unsaturated fats include oily fish, avocados, nuts and sunflower, rapeseed and olive oils. And it's also important for most of us to reduce the total amount of fat we eat.

Fatty foods tend to be high in calories, so it's easy to eat too much of them, which increases our chances of becoming overweight.

It's a good idea to check the fat content on food labels because some foods are low in fat, even though they aren't marketed as low-fat products. And other foods that are labelled 'reduced fat' might still be quite high in fat and can be high in sugar.

Nutrition information is usually given per 100g, with a figure for total fat. Some labels also give a figure for saturates. Foods that contain more than 20g fat per 100g are high in fat. And foods that have 3g fat or less per 100g are low in fat. Foods that contain more than 5g saturates per 100g are high in saturated fat, and foods that contain 1.5g saturates or less are low in saturated fat.

Cutting out all sugar is very difficult and more or less impossible to stick to. There are naturally occurring sugars in lots of foods, including fruit and veg, and you don't need to avoid these.

But it's a good idea to try to cut down on foods and drinks that contain lots of added sugar, such as biscuits, sweets, jams and sugary fizzy drinks.

Both adults and children in the UK eat too much sugar. And more of it comes from sugary fizzy drinks than any other type of food or drink. So cutting down on sugary drinks, such as cola and lemonade, is a good way to reduce the amount of sugar you have.

These drinks contain very few nutrients and the added sugar they contain can damage teeth. These fizzy drinks can also fill us up, so we have less appetite for healthier foods.

Here are a few ways to cut down on sugar:

• If you take sugar in hot drinks, gradually reduce the amount until you can cut it out altogether.
• Instead of always spreading jam on your toast, you could try a low-fat spread, sliced banana, peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese.
• Try having a currant bun instead of cakes or biscuits.

Some foods that you might not expect to have sugar added to them can contain lots, for example some breakfast cereals, cereal bars and tinned spaghetti and baked beans.

If you look at the ingredients list on a food, the biggest ingredient comes first, so if sugar comes near the front of the list you know the food is high in sugar. Watch out for other words that are used to describe added sugar, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose, hydrolysed starch, corn syrup and invert sugar.

I will eat more fruit and veg

Having at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day has lots of health benefits. For example, it reduces your chances of developing heart disease and some types of cancer.

Most people in the UK don't eat nearly enough fruit and veg. And plenty of people think they're eating enough when they're not.

Each of these provides one portion of fruit and veg:

• one apple, orange, banana or pear
• two halves of tinned peach
• two small fruit such as plums or satsumas
• three heaped tablespoons of veg
• three heaped tablespoons of pineapple chunks or fruit salad
• one heaped tablespoon of dried fruit such as raisins
• a dessert bowl of salad
• a handful of berries

Try to change your daily diet so that eating lots of fruit and veg becomes a habit. Here are some tips and suggestions on how you could increase your fruit and veg intake:

• Drink a glass of fruit juice at breakfast time.
• Add some sliced banana or raisins to your breakfast cereal.
• Keep some fruit handy for a mid-morning snack.
• Add tomato, lettuce or other salad to sandwiches.
• Eat fruit salad for dessert.
• Add vegetables to curries, casseroles and pasta sauces.
• Serve an extra vegetable or side salad with a meal.

Remember that fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced fruit and veg can all count towards your daily portions, but juice can only count as one portion a day, however much you drink. This is because you don't get the same nutritional benefits from juice as you get from whole fruit and veg. However, some smoothies may count as more than one portion if they contain all of the edible pulped fruit and/or vegetable.

And even though potatoes are vegetables, they are classified as a starchy food, so they don't count towards our five daily portions of fruit and veg.

I'll try to eat more fish

Both white fish (such as haddock, plaice, halibut and sole) and oily fish (such as sardines, salmon, trout, pilchards and mackerel) are excellent sources of protein, vitamins and minerals.

We should aim to eat at least two servings of fish a week, including one serving of oily fish. Most people in the UK don't eat as much fish as this, so it's definitely a good idea to try to make it a regular part of your diet.

Although most people should be eating more fish, there are maximum levels recommended for oily fish. See More on fish at the bottom of this section for more information.

Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant and children should avoid shark, swordfish and marlin. Other adults should have no more than one portion of swordfish, shark or marlin a week.

Oily fish contain a type of fatty acid called omega 3 fatty acids. These fatty acids can help prevent coronary heart disease.

Canned salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout and pilchards count as oily fish, as they do when fresh. This is because the canning process doesn't significantly reduce the fat content of the fish.

Canned tuna is different. Although fresh tuna is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, when tuna is canned the levels of these fats are reduced to a much lower level. So, although canned tuna can be a healthy choice, it doesn't count as oily fish.

I want to cut down on salt

It's definitely a good idea to stop using salt at the table, because most people in the UK eat much more salt than they should. It's important to cut down on salt because salt contains sodium and having too much sodium can raise blood pressure.

Although not adding salt to food will help you cut down, about three-quarters of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, so you need to be smart when you're shopping too.

It's a good idea to check the labels on different foods and compare them, to help you choose lower-salt options.

If a food contains more than 1.5g salt (or 0.6g sodium) per 100g then it is high in salt. And if a food contains 0.3g salt (or 0.1g sodium) or less per 100g it is low in salt.

Salt is added to lots of food products that you might not expect. For example, some types of bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits (savoury and sweet), tinned vegetables and soups, sauces and ready meals can be high in salt.

So it's a good idea to check the label of these foods and choose the lower salt option. And try not to eat too much of heavily salted foods such as bacon, cheese, pickles and smoked fish.

I will eat breakfast every day

This is a very worthwhile resolution, because a good breakfast provides the energy we need to face the day, as well as helping to give us some of the vitamins and minerals we need for good health.

Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them to lose weight. But missing meals doesn't help us lose weight and it isn't good for us, because we can miss out on essential nutrients.

There is also some evidence to suggest that eating breakfast can actually help people to maintain a healthy body weight.

It's important to make a healthy choice for breakfast. Having some starchy food, such as bread or breakfast cereal helps to give us energy. Try to choose wholegrain versions, because these contain more fibre and nutrients, and give a more sustained energy boost.

Not all breakfast cereals are healthy choices, because some can be high in salt, sugar and fat. So, always check the label and try to choose no added salt and sugar versions, and those lower in fat. Porridge is a healthy choice (but watch out for added sugar and salt in some oat-based cereals). Try making it with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk and use fresh or dried fruit to sweeten it, rather than sugar.

I'm thinking of taking vitamin supplements

Most people don't need to take vitamin supplements, because they can get all the nutrients they need from a healthy balanced diet. And popping pills can't give you the same benefits as eating well.

Eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg a day is especially important, because this can help prevent heart disease and some types of cancer.

Evidence suggests that fruit and vegetables are good for us, not just because of the individual vitamins and minerals they contain, but because of the combination of different nutrients and fibre you get when you eat them. So increasing the amount of fruit and veg you eat will benefit your health more than taking supplements.

Some supplements could make you ill if you take too much, for example vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. So if you do decide to take supplements, take care not to take too much. (See the Vitamins and minerals section for how much is too much.)

Pregnant women, people who eat liver every week and older people at risk of osteoporosis shouldn't take supplements containing vitamin A or fish liver oils (which are high in vitamin A).

But there are some occasions when your GP might recommend supplements, such as iron tablets if you have anaemia. And women who are trying for a baby should take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid a day from when they stop using contraception until the 12th week of pregnancy. Pregnant women should also take 10mcg of vitamin D each day.

I'm going to cut down on alcohol

There is nothing wrong with the occasional drink. But drinking too much can cause problems. Alcohol is also high in calories, so cutting down could help you control your weight.

Women can drink up to 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day and men up to 3 to 4 units a day, without significant risk to their health.

A unit is half a pint of standard strength (3 to 5% ABV) beer, lager or cider, or a pub measure of spirit. A glass of wine is about 2 units and alcopops are about 1.5 units.

For good health, it's a good idea to spread your drinking throughout the week and avoid binge drinking. Drinking heavily over a long period of time can damage the liver

Don't forget, we should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses (1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, every day. When the weather is warm and when we get active our bodies need more than this. But avoid soft and fizzy drinks that are high in added sugar. Instead how about a glass of water with a slice of lemon or lime?

I'll try to take a packed lunch to work

This resolution requires some organisation! But it can be much cheaper than going to the sandwich shop every day and healthier too, because you have more control over what goes into your lunch.

Many people think sandwiches are boring, but they don't need to be. One way to make them more interesting is to try using different types of bread — squashy granary rolls, brown bread with added nuts or seeds, rye bread, bagels, tortilla wraps or wholemeal pitta bread.

Healthier sandwich fillings include lean meats such as beef and turkey, chicken without the skin, tinned sardines or salmon, hard-boiled egg, Edam, mozzarella, reduced-fat Cheddar cheese and low-fat cream cheese.

It's a good idea to add some salad to help you eat more fruit and veg and make the sandwich more tasty. You could also try adding a few olives, sundried tomatoes or some sunflower seeds. And remember to be sparing with butter, mayonnaise and dressings because these are high in fat.