MumKnowsBest is pleased to announce the launch of a brand new diet and fitness section written by nutrition and fitness expert, Rachael Anne Hill (www.rachaelannehill.com).

Over the coming months Rachael will inspire, motivate and guide you along the path to achieving a slimmer, fitter and healthier you than you ever believed possible. A mum of two herself she knows all too well how tempting it can be to finish the food on your children's plate, how difficult it can be to find the motivation to exercise after a long day and how disheartening it can be trying to diet whilst still having to cook and prepare all those ‛off limit' foods for the rest of the family. That's why you won't find any strict diets or gruelling exercise regimes here. Just lots of realistic, achievable and enjoyable strategies that make a world of difference to how you look and feel!

Rachael's Top Tip To Shed Pounds - ‛Veg Out'!
Forget calorie counting, weighing, measuring and other faddy diets. Simply switch from eating meals based predominantly around carbohydrates such as cereals or toast for breakfast, sandwiches or jacket potatoes for lunch and rice or pasta for dinner to meals that are made mainly from fruit or vegetables instead such as soups, stir-fries, salads, roasted vegetables and smoothies (see below for more examples). Doing so will automatically reduce your calorie intake (sometimes by as much as 500 calories a day - the amount recommended for long term, permenant fat loss), lower circulating levels of insulin (the fat storing hormone) and because we naturally prefer to eat carbohydrates with fats (think bread without margarine, baked potatoes without butter and crackers without cheese) you'll slash your fat intake too. You'll also significantly increase your intake of essential vitamins, minerals fibre and other disease preventing nutrients.

Here's how .....

• Eat a minimum of seven servings of fruit and vegetables a day
• Swap your bowl of cereal with some chopped fruit on top for a bowl of chopped fruit with a spoon or two or cereal added.
• Swap your midday ham salad sandwich for a large ham salad
• Swap a lunch time jacket potato for a bowl of vegetable soup
• Halve your calories and double your nutrients by swapping shepherd's pie made in the traditional way - mince, onion and potatoes for a vegged up version packed with grated carrot, peas, onion and courgette finished with a nutrient packed sweet potato and leek topping. Serve alongside a generous helping of spring cabbage lightly saut√©ed in a little garlic and olive oil.

Swap the usual plate of spaghetti with two or three spoons of bolognese sauce on top for a plate of bolognese sauce made largely from tomatoes, peppers, carrots, peas and sweetcorn with a little extra lean meat added and one or two spoons of wholewheat spaghetti added in.

Ditch calorie laden puddings in favour of a home-made fresh fruit smoothie. Use frozen summer berries combined with a dash of apple juice, a banana and a spoon of low fat natural yogurt for a quick, convenient and deliciously filling drink that is chilled to perfection!