Coffee shops
Coffee shops seem to be everywhere these days, enticing you in with tempting smells and the promise of a place to rest your legs. Next time you decide to pop in for a ‘quick’ coffee, or a well earned sit down, remember that muffins can easily pack in an astonishing 500cals and 26g of fat. You would be better off buying a standard-sized plain croissant with 250cals (share it if it’s a bumper sized one and avoid the luxury almond types, which pack 480cals each).

Fast food
When you’re out and the only option is fast food lunches, this doesn’t have to just mean burgers, fries and milkshakes – which, incredibly, notch up around 1,300 calories and 60g of fat and can definitely lead to a Super Size You.

Opt instead for a Subway Turkey breast with ham at 290cals, a Burger King Hamburger, also 290cals, or a portion of fish and chips. Believe it or not, splitting a small cod in batter and a potion of chips with a friend will keep your intake down to around 320cals each.

Bars
Usually the more ‘back to basics’ you go, the better. A roast chicken lunch has around 500cals, while a big ham salad has about 400cals. Both make much better choices than a ploughman’s with a pork pie (800cals) or a shepherd’s pie and chips (1,077 cals).

Seaside cafés
A ‘Full-Monty All Day Breakfast’ can give you the equivalent of two meals worth of calorific intake, packing in 1,200cals in one go. Instead, go for scrambled eggs with grilled tomatoes at 420cals and 29g fat. Alternatively, choose grilled mushrooms with grilled lean bacon (250cals) or simply a large serving of baked beans on toast (355cals).

There are also ways to eat healthily on holiday:
Click here for tips on healthy eating in Greece
Click here for tips on healthy eating in Italy

Teenagers are particularly keen on fast food, and often meet in cafés and burger joints. Click here for five ways to get them to eat out healthily.

Eating seasonally not only supports UK growers, but also cuts down on your food air miles. There also every chance that, just like Delia’s asparagus, it will taste far fresher and, indeed, better than imported produce.

So what’s in season right now? On top of asparagus, here’s a top 10 to get you started, courtesy of the Vital to Health and Wellness blog

1. Apricots
Although many people enjoy dried apricots, they are also delicious served fresh, especially when chopped in a salad.

2. Artichoke
They are one of the highest antioxidant vegetables around. To prepare an artichoke, tear off the outside leaves. Cut off the stems tips of the leaves and steam them in the microwave – serve drizzled with low-fat Italian dressing. Microwaving time depends on the amount. A large artichoke can take about 7mins, a small one only about 2 to 3mins.

3. Broccoli
Broccoli is always a good choice, because it’s loaded with antioxidants and is high in fibre. You can serve it steamed or sautéed, or try it raw in salads or for a crunchy snack. Broccoli is chocked full of essential vitamins and calcium for bone health.

4. Chives
Chives are one of the many seasonal herbs that are especially good in the spring.

5. Fennel
Around in early spring as well as summer and autumn, fennel has a delicious slight liquorice flavour and adds a unique taste and crunch to salads. Wonderful eaten raw!

6. Greens
Spring greens include Swiss chard, mustard greens and collard greens. Use them in a salad for a wonderful springtime treat. Don’t hide their natural flavours under a heavy dressing. Instead, mix a splash of lemon juice with a high-quality olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

7. Mango
Mangos are a wonderful treat just by themselves or mixed in a mango salsa and used on fish or chicken for extra flavour.

8. Oranges
Oranges are always a refreshing treat and easy to pack along on hikes or other outdoor ventures.

9. Spinach
Try spinach in place of lettuce in sandwiches, on burgers or in salads, or sauté spinach to serve as a side dish or in pasta.

10. Strawberries.
Strawberries are available through early summer, but may be sweetest in spring. Try putting strawberries on a spinach salad with a sweet dressing for a delightful lunch.

So what do you think about seasonal produce? And what are your favourites? Plus feel free to share any of your seasonal recipes!

Share your thoughts and tips and join the debate by becoming an Ador Facebook fan at http://tinyurl.com/2ufk7qc

Click here for proof that seasonal food can save you money, plus a delicious celery soup recipe

Find out how seasonal food can help you detox and control your weight with the Ador Spring Clean Diet

Although the Swiss are hardly likely to be shouting about the harm one of their most successful industries can do to you, the study has been recently championed by US health writer and GP Terry Gaff. It suggests that eating chocolate can actually reduce our chances of suffering from heart problems.

The research investigated the difference in heart-related deaths between those people who ate chocolate and those who didn’t, while also studying the effects of the quantity eaten. It was found that those who consumed chocolate less than once a month suffered 27% fewer heart-related deaths than those who never touched it.

However, more interesting – and even better news for chocolate lovers everywhere – were the findings that the risk was 44% lower for weekly chocolate eaters and 66% less for those who ate chocolate two or more times a week.

Taking this research to the extreme, you could use it as an excuse to eat as much chocolate as you like. However, the fat content, even of dark chocolate, makes drawing such a conclusion rather flawed, unless you seriously want to pile on the pounds.

Here at Ador, we believe in the old adage ‘everything in moderation’. And our 35g bars help you to have a little bit of what you fancy, without being tempted to overdo a good thing. They also contain a natural ingredient that keeps you fuller for longer, so they’re the ideal snack to have between meals – while also making them a pleasure you don’t have to feel guilty about.

Click here for our full article on research into the benefits of chocolate.

Click here for more on chocolate and health.

1. Instead of buying lots of Easter eggs, why not buy your kids something to play and get active with, like a skipping rope or a space hopper, and ask relatives to put money in the kitty for this kind of treat, so that they are not overwhelmed with mountains of chocolate.

2. Use the bank holiday weekend to begin doing things with friends and family, such as messing around in the park with a Frisbee or ball, going for a long walk or thrashing around in your local swimming pool.

3. Go on an organised Easter egg hunt or organise one yourself with friends in a garden or local park. It will get you up and active, and you can just give out a small egg along with another non-food gift as the final winners’ prize.

4. Rather than tucking into one Easter egg after another, melt some chocolate and dip the ends of strawberries into it for a delicious but vitamin-packed chocolately treat.

5. Alternatively, chose your favourite bar of Ador chocolate (just 189 calories) which contains a natural extract of pine nut that helps to keep you feeling full, and spend the money who would have splurged on Easter eggs on treats, like a facial, manicure, pedicure, or some clothes you have had your eye on for while.

Click here to find out what people across the globe eat and do at Easter

Click here to find out how you can work off those Easter calories

Click here for healthy Easter gift ideas

Click here for more healthy Easter treats

Had enough of chocolate at Easter? Then click here for some healthy Easter desserts

Cadbury Flake Egg with four treatsize milk chocolate Flakes, £0.89
916cal = 3hrs 5mins walk

Cadbury Crème Egg with two extra milk chocolate eggs, £0.89
1,034cal = 3hrs 45mins walk

Mars Milk Chocolate Egg with two full size bars, £0.89
1,873cal = 6hrs 25mins walk

Nestlé Smarties Mini Eggs inside a milk chocolate egg, £4.15
3,096cal = 10hrs 30mins walk

Nestlé Quality Street Egg with a bag of Quality Street, £2.29
2,770cal = 9hrs 25mins walk

If you really want to work off the pounds, look for local Easter family fitness programmes like this one in Bristol by EnergisedPerformance

Click here to find out what people across the globe eat and do at Easter

Click here for 5 tips for a healthier Easter

Whether men are just more cowardly or more sensible is your call, but over half of males questioned said they’d rather jog off those pounds, because surgery is more painful than getting active.

What do we think? That surgery may give fairly instant results, but if you go back to your old eating habits, you’ll pile the weight back on. And then have to go through the whole expensive, uncomfortable and potentially dangerous shebang all over again.

The whole point is that eating well doesn’t mean giving up everything you love. It just means eating in moderation and still having a bit of what you fancy.

When what you fancy is chocolate, you can do that with a 35g bar of Ador. What’s more, it has the added benefit of containing pine nut oil which helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer – as do our oat bars.

They look great, taste great and are whole lot more enjoyable than the surgeon’s knife.

Click here for more on the research.

Click here for more about the benefits and drawbacks of cosmetic surgery.

From chilli lamb kebabs to a healthy fry up, each meal is low in carbohydrate, low in calories and low in fat. What’s more, following Ador’s daily offerings is a great way to solve the dreaded ‘what are we eating tonight’ conundrum, with the added bonus of knowing that you’ll always be serving up a healthy option.

“The recipes are all between 350 to 400 calories,” said Ador’s founder Franco Beer, who thought them up, “and they are part of our Recipe For Life programme, which we’ll be rolling out to our website members and Facebook fans soon.”

For your daily healthy mail meal recipe and other healthy eating information, sign up for the Your Ador newsletter and become a Facebook fan.

Astragalus
Stops viruses establishing themselves in the respiratory tract. Take at the onset of a cold or flu, and when you keep getting one cold after another.

Camomile tea
Encourages a good nights rest, which is crucial for a robust immune system to fight back against infections.

Cranberry
800mg of cranberry extract a day can be substituted for the juice to help treat urinary tract infections.

Echinacea
A natural anti-biotic agent and stimulates virus fighting interferon. Take for three weeks at the onset of infection.

Garlic
Look for standardised extract tablets, such as Kwai Garlic, to treat coughs and colds.

Ginger
Make a ginger tea infusion to relieve aches caused by colds and flu.

Gingseng
Stimulates killer ‘T’ cells that destroy bacteria and viruses. Take daily if exposed to people with coughs and colds,

Liquorice
Relieves symptoms of sore throat by thinning the mucus and reducing inflammation. Take 200mg liquorice capsules three times a day.

St John’s Wort
Repeated infections can reduce serotonin levels in the brain, which lowers mood and in turn makes us more susceptible to infections. Take 300mg daily of standardised extract, such as Kira St John’s Wort.

Valerian
Promotes sleep by raising the brain chemical GABA.

White willow bark
Can relieve headaches, muscle aches and pains and fever caused by infections through its aspirin like salicin. Try 60-120mg a day.

Click here to find out what to eat to boost your immune system…

But don’t just sit back and give in to the bugs. By eating the right things you can actually fight back and boost your immunity – and I don’t mean vitamin pills. Sure, they have their place, but sort out your diet and you’ll stand a far better chance of stopping bacteria and viruses from taking hold and ruining your spring.

Seasonal vegetables are a good start, with bright orange and dark green varieties top of your list, as they convert into vitamin A. So go for carrots, spinach, cabbage and pumpkins, supported by protein-rich foods like meat, eggs, fish, pulse vegetables and nuts.

What’s more, ignore your friends’ protests and pile on the garlic – the most raw the better. It has legendary infection-fighting properties, with the added advantage of helping you get a seat on the tube in the rush hour, or whatever your preferred mode of public transport may be.

Finally, another favourite that boosts your resistance to infections is shiitake mushrooms, thanks to the presence of the supernutrient lentinan.

Balancing your diet well during winter and early spring can lay the groundwork for a healthier year.

Click here for more ways to eat to beat the bugs.

… and if you do pick up a bug, click here for your guide to which supplements and herbal remedies can speed up your recovery.

Meanwhile, click here to find out why broccoli is a great immunity booster and can help you live longer.

Plus click here for more immunity boosting food news.

From healthy eating brands like us, to a brilliant collection of food bloggers and lots of people in search of great things to eat, Twitter is brimming with a marvelous collection of food-related comments, information and tips.

Although pretty new to the social media foodie scene, we hope that our mix of observations, articles, tips and recipes is adding to the debate.

In fact, we think we’ve tapped into a hot topic. One subject close to all foodies’ hearts… and stomachs… is how to control their obsession in order to prevent piling on the pounds or eating unhealthily.

A number of tweeters, led by the Love Food Love Drink e-zine, were recently considering which foods help to keep you full so you can avoid over-snacking between meals. Here’s the fascinating Twitter strand…

Luvfoodluvdrink: Is it just me or do eating apples make you really really hungry?

Beckpaskin: @luvfoodluvdrink – YES! But I’ve found that if you eat some protein with an apple (some nuts, cheese, glass of milk) it fills you up nicely.

JournoBird: @luvfoodluvdrink – I think it’s the acid. Always makes your belly rumble, especially during important meetings!

Luvfoodluvdrink: @BeckyPaskin – …or sandwich. My apple was supposed to be a mid-morning snack, but I ended up eating my lunch by 12. Oh well, two lunches today!

Beckpaskin: @luvfoodluvdrink – Schoolboy error. Still, you could do worse than have two lunches in a day!

Luvfoodluvdrink: @JournoBird @BeckyPaskin – Sandwich didn’t work, so am testing an @AdorFood choc bar. Apparently suppresses hunger. Tastes good too!

So there you have it. A tweeting session about food that keeps you full reaches its logical conclusion – Ador snacks!

We just love tweeting foodies!

Follow JournoBird Jamie Cleary on Twitter, who apparently loves food, loves wine, loves people, loves life.

Becky Paskin writes and blogs for BigHospitality.com

luvfoodluvdrink is the Twitter moniker for top foodie website LoveFoodLoveDrink

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