Healthy Eating Plan

Leading nutritionist Juliette Kellow, who devised this fantastic healthy eating plan, says: “Fresh dips can be a great choice for helping us to lose weight when they’re included as part of a balanced, healthy diet that’s lower in calories. For example, serving lower-fat dips like fresh salsa with vegetable crudités makes a healthy snack that helps you on your way to five-a-day. Using dips like guacamole or sour cream and chive dip in sandwiches instead of butter or mayo can reduce the fat content of your lunch. And most dips can be used as an ingredient in meals to make them tastier, a little bit different and often even faster to make if you use them in place of ingredients that are more time-consuming to prepare.”

That’s why we’ve come up with this unique Skinny Dipping Diet. This eating plan contains around 1,400 calories a day and includes plenty of nutritious meals and snacks – most of which include dips – to help you shape up for the New Year. Just follow this plan for the next four weeks and you'll look and feel amazing in your skinny jeans - and all your other clothes for that matter.

So what are you waiting for? Start the Skinny Dipping Diet today and look forward to a slimmer New Year...

Here’s what to do

• Choose one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner and one snack each day but vary your choices to make sure you get all the nutrients you need to stay healthy.

• As well as your meals and snacks, have 300ml of skimmed milk every day to drink on its own, use in tea, coffee or cappuccinos or to make into fruit smoothies or milkshakes using some of the fruit and yogurt in the daily menu plans. Milk is an important source of calcium needed for healthy bones.

• Don’t skip any of the fruit or veggies – to stay healthy you should eat five different servings of fruit and veg every day and this plan helps you to achieve this. Eating plenty of fruit and veg helps to boost intakes of fibre, vitamins and minerals.

• Drink plenty of water – have 6-8 glasses a day.

• If you follow a vegetarian diet, choose those dishes marked with a V

• Make sure tablespoon measurements are level.

Breakfasts 250 calories

Toast with honey and banana

2 slices wholegrain toast topped with 1 small mashed banana and drizzled with 1tsp honey.

Open smoked salmon and sour cream bagel

Top ½ toasted bagel with 1tbsp sour cream and chive dip and a slice of smoked salmon. Plus 1 bowl fruit salad.

Fruit salad with oats and creamy yoghurt

Make a fruit salad from 1 apple and a handful each of grapes, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Top with 1 small pot fat-free Greek yoghurt and 1tbsp toasted oats.

Poached egg and spicy tomatoes on toast

Add 2tbsp fresh salsa to 1 small can chopped tomatoes. Heat up and serve with 1 slice wholegrain toast and 1 poached egg. Plus 1 kiwi fruit.

Branflakes with sultanas and blueberries

Serve 6tbsp branflakes with 1tbsp sultanas, a handful of blueberries and skimmed milk.

Fiery BLT sandwich

Spread 2 slices wholegrain bread with 2tbsp fresh salsa and fill with 2 grilled rashers of lean bacon and shredded lettuce.

Porridge with raspberries and maple syrup

Make a bowl of porridge from 4tbsp oats with 135ml each of water and skimmed milk. Top with a handful of raspberries and 2tsp maple syrup.

Lunches 350 calories

Spicy tuna and bean pitta

Fill 1 wholemeal pitta with ½ small can tuna mixed with 2tbsp kidney beans, ½ diced small red onion, ½ chopped green pepper and 3tbsp fresh salsa. Plus a handful of blueberries.

Fennel, apple and smoked trout salad with tzatziki

One serving of Fennel, Apple and Smoked Trout Salad with Tzatziki (see recipe). Serve with 1 wholemeal pitta bread.

Warm egg, bacon and potato salad

Make a salad from 4 small halved new potatoes boiled in their skins, 2 grilled rashers chopped lean bacon, 5 sliced spring onions, 1 chopped hard boiled egg and 2tbsp reduced-fat sour cream and chive dip.

Tex Mex jacket potato V

Top 1 medium-sized jacket potato with 2tbsp each of guacamole, fresh salsa and reduced-fat sour cream and chive dip and serve with salad.

Prawn and pasta cocktail

Mix 5tbsp cooked wholewheat pasta shells with 1 small pack of prawns, 5 halved cherry tomatoes and 2tbsp reduced-fat thousand island dip. Serve on a bed of iceberg lettuce.

Greek salad wrap V

Fill 1 wrap with 25g feta cheese, ½ diced green pepper, ½ diced small red onion, cucumber chunks, 1 chopped tomato, 3 sliced black olives and 1tbsp each of tzatziki and houmous. Wrap up and serve with extra salad. Plus 1 kiwi fruit.

Tricolor couscous salad with guacamole V

One serving of Tricolor Couscous Salad with Guacamole (see recipe). Plus 1 bowl fruit salad.

Dinners 500 calories

Turkey fajitas

Fry 1 sliced turkey steak (around 100g), ½ chopped red and green pepper and ½ chopped red onion in 2tsp sunflower oil. When almost cooked stir in 3tbsp fresh salsa and heat through. Fill 1 wrap with the mixture, together with shredded iceberg lettuce and 1tbsp each of guacamole, fresh salsa and reduced-fat sour cream and chive dip. Serve the remaining fajita mix with more shredded lettuce and another 1tbsp of each of the dips.

Moroccan Lamb

One serving of Moroccan Lamb and Vegetables with Houmous and Mint Dip (see recipe).

Baked spicy chicken with wedges

Make potato wedges by cutting 1 large potato into 8. Place in a baking tray, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. Meanwhile, place 1 skinless chicken breast in a separate lightly-oiled baking tray. Spoon over 3tbsp fresh salsa and sprinkle with 2tbsp grated Cheddar cheese. Place the wedges and chicken in a medium hot oven and cook for around 30-40 mins until the wedges are soft in the middle but brown on the outside and the chicken is cooked through. Serve with salad. Plus 1 bowl fruit salad.

Vegetable and goat’s cheese pizza V

One serving of Vegetable and Goats Cheese Pizza with salad (see recipe). Plus 1 scoop vanilla ice cream with a handful of strawberries.

Mixed bean stew V

In a large pan, fry 1 small chopped onion in 2sp olive oil until soft. Add 1 sliced carrot and fry for a further few minutes. Mix in 1 small can tomatoes, 4tbsp fresh salsa, 1 small can drained mixed beans and 150ml vegetable stock. Season with black pepper, cover and simmer for around 30 minutes until the carrot is soft. Serve with 5tbsp brown rice, topped with 2tbsp sour cream and chive dip.

Creamy salmon and spinach pasta

One serving of Creamy Salmon and Watercress Pasta with salad (see recipe). Plus 1 small pot reduced-fat chocolate mousse.

Greek pork kebabs

One serving of Greek Pork Kebabs (see recipe) (266 cals) with 1 wholemeal pitta. Plus 1 pot fat-free fruit yoghurt.

Snacks 200 calories

Hummus and carrot sticks V

4tbsp houmous with 1 carrot, peeled and cut into batons.

Tortillas with onion and garlic dip V

12 tortilla chips with 2tbsp reduced-fat onion and garlic dip.

Guacamole and tomato roll V

1 small wholemeal roll filled with 2tbsp guacamole and 1 sliced tomato.

Sweet treat

3 small chocolate chip cookies and 1 mug low-fat instant hot chocolate.

Cheese and chive topped crispbreads V

4 rye crispbreads topped with 2tbsp reduced-fat cheese and chive dip and 4 sliced spring onions.

Tzatziki and salad filled pitta V

1 wholemeal pitta filled with 2tbsp tzatziki and salad.

Wine and nibbles V

1 medium (175ml) glass of red or white wine with 5 olives, 2 breadsticks and 2tbsp fresh salsa.