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

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

Join the food debate on our Facebook discussion page

There’s always a rush to book into your favourite restaurant. However, when you get there you find that not only have the prices been hiked especially for Valentines Day, but also that there are two sittings and you either have to down your meal quickly and get out or eat late. Neither of which is very romantic, as all you really want to do is have a relaxing evening with the one you love. What’s more, often there’s a restrictive set menu, so you lose out on a number of fronts.

Then there’s chocolate. Every brand on earth seems to have come up with something special to give your Valentine – and once again the prices tend to be ‘special’ too. From organic Green & Blacks to Cadbury’s (or should we say Kraft’s), they are all at it.

The problem is that this is the time when many people have started the year with the good intentions of getting fitter and healthier. And this sudden focus on food could seriously derail all your hard work. So here are some tips to take the calories and the expense out of Valentines Day, so you can actually enjoy it in the way you were meant to.

As far as the restaurant rip off goes, if you are keen to eat out to celebrate your love for each other, go on another day – say 13 or 15 February. You’ll find it’s quieter, you have a greater menu choice and the price is right. Then have a romantic dinner in on Valentines Day itself. Also, if you are keen to control your weight, don’t let that keep you indoors. Simply go for healthier menu options and smaller portion sizes. Click here for more tips on eating out healthily.

As for gifts, try to steer your partner away from getting you chocolates. Why? Because they are packed with calories. Scoff a 250g box of Guylian Belgian Seashells, and you’re looking at 1,365 calories! Or the wonderful Hotel Chocolat Love Selection Box (see what they’ve done there) contains 30 chocs and 1,500 calories. Meanwhile, a Cadbury’s Milk Tray 400g box packs in nearly 2,000 calories – eek!

There are plenty more calorie-free presents around that are just as satisfying and won’t pile on the pounds. Rather than eating chocolates, you could be beautifying yourself with the Organic Pharmacy Party Girl gift box, for £65. Or enjoying a three-part massage that you’ve created yourself at the Tripletz website.

Plus you can still enjoy delicious Swiss chocolate on Valentines day guilt-free by getting your partner to slip in an Ador 30g, 175 calorie bar, which also includes natural pine nut oil to keep you fuller for longer.

Click here for more calorie-free Valentine gift ideas…

Click here For for Valentine gift ideas for men

Click here for some great value options

THE VALENTINES DAY CALORIE MASSACRE

Counting the calories of the big sellers…

Hotel Chocolat Love Selection Box
30 chocolates 1,500 calories

Green & Black’s Organic Luxury Assortment
200g 970 calories

Cadbury’s Roses Box
220g 660 calories

Milk Tray Chocolate Box
400g 1,940 calories

Nestle Dairy Box
100g 543 calories

Thornton’s Moments
250g 1,018 calories

Guylian Belgian Seashells
250g 1,365 calories

Black Magic Box
188g 863 calories

Cadbury’s Koko Truffles
200g 1,160 calories

Celebration’s Box
420g 2,184 calories

Kicking off with Blue Monday, 22 January (how dare they name the most depressing day of the year after a classic New Order track!), last week was when people’s New Year resolutions tumbled like trees in a hurricane. The combination of cold weather, grey skies, post New Year abstinence and a flurry of pesky credit card bills has everyone running for the duvet with a plate of their favourite comfort food.

In fact, a Cardiff University psychologist has actually devised a formula that shows 22 January as the most depressing day in the calendar. The man himself, Dr Cliff Arnall, has come up with an equation that takes into account six factors: weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our New Year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and the feeling of a need to take action.

And taking action is certainly what you need to do to pull yourself out of the doldrums. The trouble is, that plate of comfort food probably won’t help. However, the good news is that you can eat yourself happier – and healthier. So pump up your iron levels with protein, breakfast on slow-release carbohydrates, fill yourself with folic acid, open up to omega 3 and boost your mood with berries. Do this and it could be the start of a wonderful friendship with the food that really matters, and your route to a healthier lifestyle.

Check out our feature Lift Your Mood With Food for more details…

Share your seasonal blues experiences at Seasonal Affective Disorder Support’s Journal

Plus click here for more tips on relieving seasonal affective disorder

And finally, click here for Sleep Strategies for Seasonal Affective Disorder Sufferers

Very often these extra calories come from us unwittingly eating larger portions and servings of everyday foods than we used to. Take for instance the size of an average scone. Back in the 1980’s, it would have weighed around 50g and have provide 157 calories. Now the average size of a scone from a supermarket is around 70g and if you go into a typical high street coffee shop, they can tip the scales at 190g with a whacking 600 calories.

Or think about chocolate. When we were growing up, a 50g bar was the absolute norm. Now 100g bars sit right next to them on shelves and don’t look unusual. It just looks like another bar of chocolate.

And here is the problem. We eat in portions. How many people do you know who, on picking up a now fairly standard 50g packet of crisps say: “Crisps used to come in 25g bags, so I’ll just eat half,” or “I’ll break this big bar of chocolate in half and have the rest later.” It just doesn’t really happen.

The consequence is that we end up unwittingly eating more than we think and more than we used to. Portions have, quite simply, become distorted over the last few decades and this distortion is taking its toll on our waistbands.

But it isn’t just that portions are getting bigger. Most of us wouldn’t know what the ‘30g’ size serving of breakfast cereal recommended on the box actually looks like, let alone, an average sized slice of bread or steak.

Here at Ador, we take portion size seriously. This is why our chocolate comes in 35g bars. Along with the pine nut extract it contains, which helps to keep you feeling full, 35g is quite enough – and with 179 calories, it won’t ruin your diet.

Same goes for our oat bars. They are 50g in weight. No one really needs a 100g flapjack, which you see for sale in train stations and newsagents. With 500 calories plus, they are a waste of your daily calorie intake. Our 50g bar contains Fabuless, an oat and palm oil extract, which, again, helps to keep you feeling full for just 168 calories. It is enough, believe us.

In fact, don’t believe us, give it a try for yourself and then tell us what you think.

The blog at http://tinyurl.com/yku5eyr has a useful guide to portion control that you may find helpful.

Meanwhile, the Food Standards Agency is proposing to encourage food manufacturers to offer smaller portions of their products to help people eat more healthily – http://tinyurl.com/yjeox9v