What nutritionists tell their friends about healthy eating

'I believe in eating whatever it is you're craving, as long as it's not made from foods that contain CRAP: chemicals; refined sugar or flour; artificial sweeteners, colours, or flavours; and preservatives. 

'Recently someone wrote me to say she had wanted a fast-food burger and fries, but instead of going to the drive-through, she made her own 3-ounce beef patty, put it on half a whole-grain bun, topped it with spinach and tomato, and baked some potato wedges for the side. It was the first time she had given herself permission to eat what she wanted without guilt. 

'People talk about superfoods like they're some exclusive club, made up of wild salmon and hemp and expensive, exotic fruits. In reality, they're just everyday foods, mostly plants, that don't contain CRAP and deliver maximum amounts of vitamins, antioxidants, healthy fats, fibre, and protein – like apples, potatoes, spinach, and almonds. Even cheese counts, as long as it's not the processed kind!' – Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, nutritionist and author of The Superfood Swap

'A lot of my friends have gone on low-carb diets, and no doubt they're effective – but only for a while. Eventually you end up feeling deprived and hungry and give up. 

'Instead, I suggest a moderate-digestible-carb diet. It sounds complicated, but it really just means you choose foods that are high in fibre, a type of carb that passes through your intestinal tract undigested because your body can't break it down. In other words, you only absorb calories from the carbs that are left over when you subtract the amount of fibre. 

'For example, regular pasta has 42 grams of carbs and two grams of fibre, so you're getting 40 grams of carbs. Whole-wheat pasta has more fibre, dropping the carb count to 33. But bean pasta often has only 17 grams of carbs and 12 grams of fibre, leaving you with five grams left over, plus a nice helping of protein, which keeps you fuller for longer. A good rule of thumb: check the nutritional info for at least four to five grams of fibre for every 15 grams of carbs.' – Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD, nutritionist and wellness manager at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute

'A friend wanted to lose weight, so I suggested he start walking his golden retriever for 45 minutes every night before dinner. A month later, the number on the scale hadn't changed. When I asked if he had done what I said, he replied angrily, "I took the dog out every night. In fact, the dog went to the vet recently, and he's down 11 pounds!"

'Turns out, the dog was still getting the same amount of food, but my friend was eating more, figuring the exercise meant he could have bigger portions at dinner. Exercise relieves stress, boosts your mood, and reduces your risk of disease, but it doesn't burn as many calories as you think or give you license to eat more. Once he got his portions in check, the pounds finally started coming off.' – Joan Salge Blake, EdD, RDN, LDN, FAND, nutritionist and clinical associate professor at Boston University's Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

'When friends want to start eating healthier, I suggest small steps — what I call taste-bud rehab. It's hard to jump from your current diet to a much better one. But let's say you like crisps; how hard would it be for you to eat better crisps, made with just whole grains, healthy oil, and salt? 

'Whether you're buying a snack or even bread, yoghurt, salad dressing, or pasta sauce, you want to look for the one with the fewest ingredients. That way, you're taking out sugar, salt, and chemicals and adding fibre and antioxidants. 

'Research shows that after just a few weeks, the part of your brain associated with addiction becomes desensitised to junk food and actually starts to prefer the healthier versions. If your taste buds can't be with the foods they love, they learn to love the foods they're with.' – David L. Katz, MD, MPH, founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and author of the forthcoming book The Truth About Food

'My sister once told me that out of all the weight-loss advice I've given her over the years, this was most effective: on a scale of one to 10, start eating when you get to three and stop at six or seven. 

'Think of one as famished, 10 as Christmas Day-full, and five as the balance point, where you're not thinking about food or hunger. Six is when you're starting to feel satisfied, seven is when you're satisfied, and eight is when you're starting to feel full. 

'We're so used to relying on external cues, like counting calories or measuring food, that we've lost touch with our bodies. It takes a little bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can do it anywhere. My sister still falls back on this rule at parties and even on holiday.' – Ellie Krieger, RD, nutritionist and host of 'Ellie's Real Good Food'

'I've been studying flavonoids (polyphenolic compounds that may help dilate your arteries and prevent the buildup of plaque) for 25 years. One of the most potent groups is anthocyanins, found in blueberries as well as strawberries, blackberries, aubergine, and even chocolate. 

'Research shows that women who eat a handful of blueberries three to four times a week are 34 percent less likely to have a heart attack, and they have a much lower risk of heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes.

That's one of the reasons I love my work: it so easily translates into real life! I gave a talk to staffers about eating berries two years ago, and many are still taking my advice. Some of them have moved on to dark chocolate – and that's fine, as long as you're having no more than a couple of squares.' – Eric Rimm, ScD, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

'My husband never wants me say what I do for a living when we're out together, because as soon as people find out, they inevitably ask whether they should go on a cleanse. The answer is no! We have kidneys and a liver to filter out toxins. Think of it this way: if you stopped putting petrol in your car so it could 'detox,' it wouldn't run. You might need to give it an oil change instead, which would mean cutting back on saturated fat and replacing it with modest amounts of healthy vegetable oils. 

'You want to clean the filters by eating more fruits and vegetables, which act like a scrub brush in your intestines. But you don't need to stop giving your car petrol, and you don't need to deprive your body of fuel. You just need to give it better fuel: fresh produce, whole grains, and lean protein.' – Joan Salge Blake, EdD, RDN, LDN, FAND, nutritionist and clinical associate professor at Boston University's Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

'Friends often point to me at parties and say, "This is the guy who said it's OK to drink!" I've done a lot of research on light to moderate drinking, and while it does raise your risk of breast cancer, and I wouldn't start drinking now if you don't already, some alcohol is fine. 

'Women who have up to one drink a day live longer and have lower rates of heart disease and diabetes, and the benefit for those diseases is much greater than the risk for breast cancer. Don't feel like you need to switch to red wine, either. If you prefer beer, white wine, or a shot of vodka, by all means, go for it. Most studies among women show that they have equal benefits. 

'Just remember, beer has about 140 calories and wine and spirits 100. So if you do drink, you should consider removing something else from your plate.' – Eric Rimm, ScD, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health