It's autumn and that time of the year again  when the wooly pullies come out and we're able to cover up any lumps and bumps we've aquired over the summer.However, the little black dress and dinner suits will be making their seasonal appearance for the upcoming  festivities and it may be time to start thinking about shifting some of those pounds.

These are our top ten food and drink suggestions to get healthy and slimmer!

Quinoa pronounced keen-wah is an ancient grain reknowned for it's high protein and fibre content.Quinoa has a lovely nutty taste and is delicious and satisfying as an alternative to rice.

It's very versatile,cheap,easy to prepare and very good for you.

Lentils- full of protein and fibre they make a super satisfying addition to soups,stews and curries.Red lentils are our favourite as they tend to be softer and provide a beautiful colour to many dishes.Low fat too!

 I like to serve this with toasted rye bread to keep the Glycemic Index down

Sweet Potatoes are a great swap out for the old white spud.They help to stabilize blood sugar levels,are rich in dietary fibre,Vitamin C & Vitamin B. Fibre is a vital part of digestive health. Sweet potatoes can be simply roasted and served with some super garlicky hummus or made into a delicious soup.

Rye Breads

Changing your daily wholemeal loaf to the earthy dark rye breads can add loads of nutrients like B Vitamins,zinc,iron,magnesium as well as having antioxidant properties.Rye is a much heavier type of bread but it is full of insoluable fibre.My kids like it toasted with St.Dalfour no added sugar fruit spreads.Yum!

Cinnamon

Add cinnamon to your porridges,cereals,teas,smoothies and get the spice that helps regulate blood sugar levels.Cinnamon is a great antioxidant and digestive aid.A fragrant and delicate spice that can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes.Love it on brown rice pudding! 

Grapefruit

The wake up your tastebuds sour kind of super fruit.Recent research has discovered that eating grapefruit and drinking grapefruit juice can really aid with weight loss.Grapefruits plant compounds reduce insulin levels which helps you to feel less hungry and lower insulin levels allow the body to break down fats.

Herbal teas

Drinking herbal teas helps to detoxify the body and flush away toxins.Get yourself an interesting selection to help suit your moods.Chamomile is very soothing and can help promote sleep.Fennel is very cleansing and can help with IBS.Green Tea helps to burn lots of calories.Milk thistle and Dandelion are great diurectics and help support the liver.

Chillies

Add some hot spices to your diet and you can speed up your metabolism.Chillies contain capsaicin which causes the body to burn more calories.Resist high fat curries that contain lots of cream and choose dhansaks and tomato based dishes.Curries also encourage slower eating as they are hot and can't just be gulped.

Spice up your life!

Pomegranates

Pomegranates are fibre rich and provide a low calorie treat.They have antioxidant properties that help to protect the body.Drink the juice or eat them fresh.They are so juicy and refreshing and add so much colour to big salad.

And finally...........

Chocolate!

Research says that eating small quantities of good quality dark chocolate can help reduce hunger pangs.

We do love Montezuma's Chocolates.They are sooooooo good!

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