Make regular snacks a good habit

Spend some time with children – or your pets – and you’ll find that eating throughout the day is almost instinctive. We evolved to eat frequent meals rather than large meals, and snacking isn’t necessarily a bad thing – if the foods you choose to eat are good and you’re genuinely hungry, it can be a healthy eating habit.

We usually get hungry every three to four hours, so eating several smaller meals throughout the day can actually help prevent you from overeating at your main meals. Snacks should include healthy carbohydrates – such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains (such as crispbread) – along with some protein (such as nuts, products containing soy proteins, or low-fat dairy products).

The afternoon stretch between lunch and dinner can be hard to get through – many people try to make it through but end up eating too much for dinner. Try having an 'extra lunch' instead – something with a little more 'ballast' like a protein shake or a cup of cottage cheese with fruit. This will make it easier to eat less for dinner.

If you have trouble stopping eating after dinner, try brushing your teeth after you've eaten dinner. It's an effective signal to stop eating.