Far from a clandestine little black book, my little white book is instead where I will continue to openly collate all my favourites – from restaurants to contacts to products to ideas – for all to view and benefit from.

Being a food writer, I am often asked about food in relation to diets and weight loss, so, with the arrival of summer, here are some of my favourite food-related, and general, tips
to slenderise….

– Curb your hunger pangs during the day by making a digestion-friendly punch. I pour hot water into a large jug, stir in some low GI Agave nectar, dunk in an organic green teabag for 3 minutes, remove and then add slices of lemon, lime, orange and fresh mint. Add ice when cool and then sip throughout the day.

– In some cases it isn’t weight gain or fat which is the culprit in making you appear larger. Stress, eating late and processed foods all cause acidity which in turn create a sluggish digestive system and make you to bloat. The key to losing and keeping weight off is returning your system to its optimum mildly alkaline pH state. Dr Joshi’s Holistic Detox book guides you through an excellent way to do this.

– Drink a little water to see if you are hungry or just thirsty. Try drinking water at room temperature, as it is easier for your body to absorb, rather than shocking or passing straight through your system. Or even plain hot water as the Japanese do. Pop a slice of citrus fruit in if you don’t like it plain.

– Watch that your fresh fruit, dried fruit and fruit juice intake are not excessive as these are packed with sugar. Try reducing and upping your vegetable intake instead. Organic, ripe bananas, however, are a good slow-sugar-release fruit and also less acid-forming. Use honey or agave nectar as your sugar source instead.

– Fresh coriander, fresh mint, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, turmeric and ginger are great for digestion whilst onions and garlic help your liver to detox.

– For maximum nutritional content choose fruits and vegetables that have ripened naturally, and organically if possible, rather than those picked before ripe

– The stomach area is thought to be the emotional centre / chakra of the body. Sometimes weight gain is through comfort eating, often by numbing other feelings through the consumption of food. Even the physical distension of a full stomach can act to ‘pad out’ and ‘distance’ from other emotions in that area. So an initial question to ask yourself if you have digestive problems or weight gain around the stomach is, ‘is there something on your mind troubling you’? What is your comforting ‘duvet’ around your middle there to distance or protect you from? What purpose does it fulfil by your holding onto it that will change if you lose the weight?

– The best tip in the world to losing weight? Think about something else! Although it can also happen negatively in times of stress and crises too, so many people find they naturally lose weight in a positive way when their minds are actively and healthily engaged in something else – like having fun, falling in love, losing themselves in a great book, working on an enjoyable project, taking up a new hobby. When their minds are happily elsewhere and not obsessing about food or their mealtimes, they find they naturally eat whatever and whenever their bodies need to and excess weight falls off naturally, reaching an optimum set point.

– Listen to your body. It is a lot more sophisticated than we sometimes give it credit for and adapts very quickly. It knows what it needs to run smoothly and efficiently. Instead of being on auto-pilot and eating the same things three times a day, stop and listen. Once you’ve detoxed and returned your digestive system to its optimum pH state to rid false cravings, engage with when your body needs food, what type of food and notice when you are actually full instead of eating until the plate is clean.

– Try taking a vitamin B / B complex supplement to aid the metabolism of fats and protein.

– Drink lots of water between meals but only sip whilst your eating so your gastric enzymes don’t become too diluted, thus helping you to digest your food better

– Slow down. Spend more time really ‘tasting’ your food and registering flavours rather than eating rapidly. This way you’ll enjoy it more and know when to stop. Try not to do something else, such as watching television, working or even walking, whilst eating.

– Try freezing whole grapes or ice cubes of pureed fruit mixed with bio yoghurt and honey on sticks to eat as ice-cold healthy treats

– Try not to eat after 7pm latest so you can digest your food thoroughly before bed. If you can, try to make lunch your main meal of the day, with something lighter as your early evening meal.

– Start every morning with a glass of hot water and a slice of lemon. This is not just refreshing, the lemon helps to reduce the level of bloat-forming acidity in your digestive system and also helps cleanse the kidneys.

– Swap starchy veg like sweetcorn to protein-packed edamame beans and mineral-rich dark leafy greens instead.

– Fresh grapefruit and pineapple (which is rich in the enzyme Bromelain) both help the digestive system.

– Make a simple soup with onion, garlic, a stock cube, a litre of water, chopped raw chicken and boil for 15 mins until cooked through. Add lots of your favourite vegetables for the last 5 mins too and slices of fresh lemon and ginger. Add a little coconut milk or crème fraiche if you want a creamy soup, rather than adding cream.

– The ultimate immediate bloat buster is sipping peppermint cordial made with hot water.

– Different foods suit different people due to body type, disposition, lifestyle, habits from upbringing and even ethnicity! Monitor what seems to suit you best as an individual and watch for intolerances.

– If you suffer from bloatedness, stir fry or steam your veg as raw vegetables can exacerbate this. Stay clear of chickpeas, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, carbonated drinks and yeasty foods like soy sauce and Marmite.

– Try and have a little natural live bio yoghurt every day, perhaps with your cereal, a dollop on the side of your main or as a dressing.

– Get enough sleep – allowing your body enough rest is vital to keep your systems and weight balanced. Don’t stress your body by going to bed on a full stomach and forcing it to work on digestion through the night instead of regenerating.

– Drink fennel, nettle or peppermint tea. Switch black tea and coffee to lots of water and naturally antioxidant green tea. I personally find green tea to be the holy grail of weight loss as it seems to send my metabolism through the roof, particularly when taken in the morning.

– Switch from fermented beer and wine to vodka with fresh lemon, lime or unsweetened cranberry juice.

– Switch from wheat and potatoes to brown rice and oats, they are like exfoliants for your digestive system. Spelt and quinoa are also excellent.

– Munch on foods like carrots, mange tout, baby spinach, asparagus, peas, fish, chicken, eggs, olive oil, buffalo mozzarella, ricotta cheese instead of red meats, hard cheeses, processed foods, refined carbohydrates and sugary snacks.