Now is a good time to give your body a little break from having to process excessive amounts of sugar, fat and alcohol. Just follow this simple 'home detox' for 4-7 days and you can start reducing some of the post-Christmas bloating and improve your energy levels.

Cut out refined sugars
Sugar is void of any nutrients, and yet when you eat some your body will have to process it, using up its reserves of nutrients. Simply by cutting out sugar as much as you can you can boost the nutrient levels in your body and help increase energy levels.

Sugar is hiding in many packaged foods, so do watch out. Swap your cereal to porridge, avoid sweets, biscuits, chocolate and stop adding sugar to your drinks. Read the labels of any packeged and tinned foods to see if they have any added sugar. You will have to cook more from raw ingredients if you want to avoid added sugars. If you want some ideas, check out my recipe factsheet in this newsletter.

Increase your fruit and vegetable intake
Aim to have your five portions of fruit and veg every day. Add some frozen berries to your porridge in the morning, or have natural yoghurt with banana or grated apple. Have a salad instead of a sandwich for lunch and go for a variety of vegetables with your evening meal. Check the recipes in this newsletter for more ideas.

Drink more water
Water is one of the single most important nutrients without which your body will not be able to function. By keeping well hydrated you will increase your energy levels, have clearer skin and keep your digestion working better.

Fill a 1.5 litre bottle of water every morning and have it at your desk in the office. Make sure you have finished the bottle by the end of your work day. Pour water into a glass or a plastic cup rather than drinking straight from the bottle – this way you can hygienically re-use the bottle for much longer. The water from the water machines or fountains available in most offices is often very good quality, so you can save money by not buying bottled water regularly.

And just a friendly reminder that alcohol is not part of a good detox diet, so give your liver a break for a week or two as well!

If you want more personalised help with your diet or need support with a specific health issue, please contact me to find out what a nutrition consultation could offer you.

If one of your New Year's resolutions was to lose w*eight you might be thinking of starting to watch your fat intake. There are so many low fat 'diet' products out there that I wouldn't blame you for thinking that all fats are categorically bad for you. So this is a good time to remind everyone that not all fats are equal - while some of them can easily be omitted from a healthy diet, others are essential for good health.

There is now plenty of research to show that two fats in particular, omega-3 and omega-6, have plenty of health benefits.

Omega-3 consumption has been linked to reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer's (your brain has a high concentration of these fats). Resent Australian research has also found that expectant mothers supplementing with omega-3 oils have babies with higher cognitive performance.

But most importantly, both omega-3 and omega-6 help boost the metabolic rate, making it easier to lose w*eight.

So what's the best way to consume these super- fats? Oily fish are the best source of the omega-3 fats. These include salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines and tuna. Nuts and seeds provide a good dose of omega-6, and are a great snack. Just make sure you eat your nuts fresh (not roasted or salted).

Don't forget though that if you are hoping to lose w*eight, you will still need to be aware of the total calories consumed. Even these lovely superfoods eaten in excess will stop you from losing weight. It's the old 'calories in vs. calories out' truth!

Rather than just one recipe, I thought I'd collect some really easy meal and snack ideas together to help start your healthier new year.

You can find them here in a printable factsheet.

Sanna Anderson is a Nutritional Therapist trained at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, a leading establishment in the field of nutrition education.

She spent the first 10 years of her career in the financial industry enjoying the challenges of the corporate world. She's always been a keen cook and is passionate about good food, but it wasn’t until experiencing the dramatic effects of a diet change on her own health that she realised the impact good nutrition can have on the quality of life.

She is now sharing this knowledge at her nutrition consultations and through this newsletter and believes that good nutrition is the corner-stone of health and well- being. She is passionate about making healthy food appetising and easy to prepare and her approach is to work with her clients’ unique circumstances to help them achieve their goals.