GET THE HEALTHY EATING HABIT

Canned soft drinks are a no-no. Full of additives, many are very high in sugar, and all are so easy to gulp down, that you can get through far too many over a day. Give them up, or have just one a day.

What�s good to drink? Water is the best choice. You don�t need costly mineral waters, as in most areas tap water is perfectly palatable. If yours is strongly chlorinated, draw a jug or bottle full and refrigerate for an hour or more before drinking. You�ll find that swimming-pool aroma will have almost disappeared.

Make your water more enjoyable by adding ice cubes and fresh fruit slices. Lemon, lime, orange, a sprig of mint, all help to make the basic glass of water into something more interesting.

With drinks, the rule is the same as with food � the more natural, the better. Don�t buy �water with a hint��, or �slightly-sweetened�� Get back to water pure and simple.

Fruit juice counts towards your daily helpings of fruit and veg, but only once. Fruit juice is full of natural sugars which can impact on teeth and weight, so one glass a day is enough.

For a hot drink � you can have coffee or tea, but stick to a couple of cups a day. Use skimmed milk, and cut sugar down, or out. Try herbal teas, redbush tea and other healthier hot drinks.

You can also drink warm or hot water, enlivened with a slice of fruit. This is really refreshing mid-morning. Do try it � you may have thought you would never drink warm water from choice, but you'll soon be looking forward to your cup-with-a-slice, and coffee with milk will begin to feel too �heavy�.

If you enjoy a glass of wine or beer, that�s fine. Stick to national guidelines for healthy drinking. In the UK, these are 2-3 units of alcohol a day for women, and 3-4 units for men. A unit of alcohol is � pint of beer, a small (90ml) glass of red or white wine, or a measure of spirits.

Have at least one day a week when you don�t drink alcohol at all. Beware of binge drinking, which is very harmful.

So, now you know what are healthy drinks, and what you should avoid. Tomorrow, we�ll take a look at what you�re eating and drinking at the moment, and work out where to make some all-important changes.

Day 2 of Get the Healthy Eating Habit, ecourse.