Healthy eating doesn’t need to be complicated, provided you follow these simple guidelines

1. JUST EAT REAL FOOD (JERF)

The best rule of thumb is to only eat food that grows out of the ground or that once had a face! Do this and you’ll find it hard to go wrong. By avoiding heavily processed and pre-packaged foods, you’ll also miss out on unwanted chemicals and added salt / sugar

2. EAT MORE GREENS

Vegetables should be the foundation of your diet – try to eat green, fibrous veg with as many meals as possible. Apart from being packed with antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals, vegetables are fibrous and filling, which will help you to feel full long after you’ve finished eating.

3. EAT PROTEIN WITH EVERY MEAL

Protein is filling, which means you’ll stay fuller for longer. Eat protein rich foods such as meat, fish or eggs with each meal. And raw nuts are a great protein snack. Aim for about 1g of protein per pound of body weight per day. To keep it simple, aim for about 20-30g of protein with each meal. You can make up the rest with snacks such as raw nuts or a protein drink. Add an extra serving on training days

4. DON’T BE AFRAID OF FATS

Fat doesn’t make you fat – as long as you’re eating the right kind. Stick to meat, fish, avocado, nuts and oils. Avoid hydrogenated and trans fats found in cakes, biscuits margarine and other processed foods. Good fats play a key role in everything from energy expenditure to testosterone production. Trying to avoid good fats will negatively affect your health, training and weight loss goals.

5. EAT FREE RANGE IF POSSIBLE

Because free-range animals eat a better diet and have less stress and illness to contend with than their cage-reared brethren, they’re often so nutritionally superior that it’s like eating entirely different food. Grass fed beef, for example, has much higher levels of CLA and omega 3’s. Choose free range food where you can

6. EAT THE RIGHT CARBS

You can get all your carbohydrates from fruit, veg, wholegrain bread, oatmeal, sweet potato, brown rice and brown pasta. Avoid refined versions such as white bread, pasta and rice, processed cereals, and high sugar foods such as cakes, biscuits, confectionery and soft drinks. The correct carbs will replenish your glycogen stores, which will help you recover faster and train better.

7. WATCH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Cutting your alcohol consumption will have a huge impact on your training results. As well as providing hundreds of nutritionally empty calories, drink stimulates your appetite when you’re at your weakest – would you want that fast food otherwise? You’re also far less likely to want to eat healthy or train (or even be in condition to train) when hungover. If you must indulge, opt for red wine, which has been linked with a reduction in the risk of heart disease, as well as improved muscle endurance, thanks to its resveratrol content. Stick to one or two glasses, after which the negatives outweigh the positives.