In general, dietary guidelines, include the following basic recommendations:

• Eat a variety of foods: This will help ensure you get enough calories, protein and fiber, as well as the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need.
• Control your weight: Keep within recommended weight limits for your age, sex and build. Obesity is defined as being 20% above normal weight.
• Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet: Ideally nor more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat, and no more than 10% should come from saturated fat. Choose polyunsaturated fats over saturated fats when possible.
• Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits and grains: They are rich in nutrients, fiber and complex carbohydrates, but low in fat. More than half of your daily calories should come form carbohydrates and 80 percent of those calories should come from complex carbohydrates.
• Eat sugar in moderation: Sugar is high in calories and promotes tooth decay.
• Use salt in moderation: Too much salt increases the risk of developing high blood pressure. Prepared foods are notoriously high in salt or other forms of sodium, so read labels carefully.
  
  One last word about diets – DON’T CHEAT. An odd biscuit here and there, or even extra fruit if you’ve rationed on fruit, can undo all good of several days careful eating