Diet and fitness trends for 2005

by Juliet Kinsman

With new trends appearing all the time, it can be hard to know what's just a crazy fad and what could really work for you. We demystify the diet and fitness theories for 2005

How to eat

The common sense diet

The theory: There looks to be a big move away from fad eating regimes towards a more balanced view of nutrition. After years of craze diets, it's all come back to what granny said in the first place: eat a little of everything, munch in moderation and make sure you exercise.

Expert opinion: When it comes to giving extra pounds the heave-ho, don't cut out the carbs or forbid fat on your forks - just eat healthily, is the crux of Ian Marber's theory in his Food Doctor Diet. He suggests you stick to ten principles to make healthy eating work:

1. Breakfast is important.

2. Eat protein with complex carbohydrate.

3. Stay hydrated (drink up to two litres of water a day).

4. Eat a wide variety of food.

5. Eat little and often.

6. Avoid refined carbohydrates and sugar (white bread, cakes and biscuits).

7. Exercise is essential.

8. Follow the 80:20 rule (there's room for cheating - but only 20 per cent of the time).

9. Make time to eat (sit down and savour your meals, don't eat on the run).

10. Eat fat to lose fat - but it must be the right kind (unsaturated). Eat the right fruit and veg

The theory: Yes, you should eat at least five servings of fruit and veg, but some are much better than others.

Expert opinion: Patrick Holford analysed fruits and vegetables, based on six key health factors, and determined that indeed some have a higher nutritional value than others. 'We tested them with the ORAC rating, glucosinolate content, which is a key phytonutrient in vegetables, zinc, folic acid and vitamin C,' he reveals. 'For fruits we also measured their "glycaemic load", which is the extent to which they raised your blood sugar.'

The winners? 'The best vegetables are tenderstem, which is a cross between broccoli and kale, broccoli, asparagus, curly kale and spinach. The top fruits are berries - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, followed by oranges and red grapes. Make sure these are staple foods in your diet.'