Red, Crumbly and Moist Valentine Cake Recipe

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Red is the color of passion and most of the things that you see associated with love are red. Red velvet cake recipe are truly famous when Valentine's day approaches. Here is a simple moist red velvet cake recipe for you to try out this Valentine's Day and enjoy the colors of love.

Red, Crumbly and Moist Valentine Cake Recipe

What you will need:

- All-purpose flour - 2 cups

- Baking soda - 1 teaspoon

- Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

- Salt - 1 teaspoon

- Cocoa powder - 2 packed tablespoons

- Sugar - 2 cups (tradition asks for brown sugar, but white sugar works well too)

- Vegetable oil - 1 1/2 cups

- Eggs - 2 (yolks and whites separated)

- Vanilla - 2 teaspoons

- Red food coloring - 15 ml

- White distilled vinegar - 1 teaspoon

- Plain hot coffee - 1/2 cup

Preparation:

- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

- Preheat the oven to 325F.

- Blend oil and sugar together in a separate bowl until the sugar starts to dissolve. You can use an electric blender for this.

- Take the egg whites and beat them using an eggbeater until you get stiff standing peaks.

- Add the red food coloring to the egg whites and beat for about a minute more. Set it aside.

- In the oil and sugar mix, add the yolks of the eggs along with the vinegar and beat until the sugar dissolves.

- Add the hot coffee and mix well.

- Add the beaten egg whites to the mix and blend well.

- Add the flour mix to the wet mix using a spoon and mix well after each addition.

- Grease two 9-inch baking pans using a little butter and flour.

- Pour the batter in the baking pans equally. Smooth the tops.

- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

- You will know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

- Remove and cool on a wire rack before decorating or cutting in slices to serve.

While the cake is cooling you can prepare the frosting to go with it. Here is a simple recipe for white frosting.

What you will need:

- Cream cheese - 28 grams

- Milk - 2 tablespoons

- Butter - 4 tablespoons (at room temperature)

- Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon

- Powdered sugar - 2 cups

Preparation:

- In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, milk and butter.

- Once it is smooth, add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and blend well until you get a smooth thick frosting.

To assemble the cake:

- On a serving plate, place one cake and spread a thick layer of frosting over it.

- Place another cake on top of it and cover with frosting on all sides.

- Chill for a few minutes before serving.

- You can make as many layers of the cake as you want.

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I Love Touring Italy - Verona

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If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Veneto region of northern Italy on the Gulf of Venice. Venice is its best-known city and one of the most popular tourist destinations on earth. But the Veneto region is a lot more than this great city. There are excellent tourist attractions elsewhere, and you won't have to fight the huge crowds. With a little luck you'll avoid tourist traps, and come back home with the feeling that you have truly visited Italy. This article examines tourist attractions in the Shakespearean town of Verona, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be sure to read our companion articles on northern Veneto, southern Veneto, and the university city of Padua.

I Love Touring Italy - Verona

Verona. I don't know about you, but I can't hear this word without thinking of the phrase, Two Gentlemen of Verona, a not particularly well-known Shakespeare play. Verona was the setting of a particularly well-known Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. This city of more than a quarter million has a long and bloody history. Its residents are proud that on an Easter Monday more than two hundred years ago they drove out the French occupiers. The German writer Goethe and the French writers Stendhal and Valéry included Verona in their travel diaries. The Roman emperor Julius Caesar spent a lot of time here, and probably enjoyed many of the sights described next.

Verona has quite a collection of vestiges from its Roman days. Let's start with its Roman amphitheatre, the third largest in Italy. This structure is approximately 400 feet (140 meters) long and 350 feet (110 meters) wide, giving it a seating capacity of about 25,000 spectators in 44 tiers of marble seats. While only fragments of the outer walls remain, its interior is virtually intact. This edifice often hosts fairs, theatre, opera and other public events, especially during the summer.

A First Century B.C. Roman theatre was eventually transformed into a housing site but in the Eighteenth Century the houses were demolished and the site restored. Nearby you'll find the Ponte di Pietra (Stone Bridge), a Roman arch bridge crossing the Adige River, completed in 100 B.C. Retreating German troops destroyed four of the bridge arches in World War II but the bridge was rebuilt in 1957 using original materials.

You should also see the First Century Arco dei Gavi (Gavi Arch) straddling the Corso Cavour; once the main road into the city. Look for the architect's signature, a rarity for the times. French troops destroyed this arch in 1805, and it was rebuilt only in 1932.

Porta Borsari, an archway at the end of the Corso Porta Borsari street, is the façade of a Third Century gate within the original Roman city walls. This street is lined with several Renaissance Palaces. Porta Leoni (Leoni Gate) is what remains of a First Century B.C. Roman city gate. Parts of it have been incorporated into a wall of a medieval building. Even in those days some people believed in recycling. You can see the remains of the original Roman street and the gateway foundations if you look slightly below the present street level.

The Twelfth Century Romanesque Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore is quite a masterpiece. It is built upon a Fourth Century shrine to the city's patron saint, St. Zeno, the first Bishop of Verona. The basilica's splendid one hundred ten foot (seventy two meter) bell tower is worthy of mention in Dante's Divine Comedy. Both the doorway and the inner bronze door have multiple panels of biblical scenes and depictions from St. Zeno's life. Its walls are covered with Twelfth and Fourteenth Century frescoes. Its vaulted crypt contains the tomb of St. Zeno as well as the tombs of several other saints.

The small but attractive Romanesque Twelfth Century Basilica of San Lorenzo is built on the site of a Paleo-Christian church, some fragments of which remain. The huge Eighth Century Romanesque Santa Maria Antica Church was the parish church of the Scaligieri family that ruled Verona for many centuries. Many of them are buried in the complex. Some of these tombs are quite unique and well worth seeing, even if you're not a habitué of that sort of thing.

The Twelfth Century Romanesque Duomo (Cathedral) was constructed on the site of two Palaeo-Christian churches destroyed by an earthquake much earlier in the century. The site includes an unfinished Sixteenth Century bell tower. Be sure to see the chapel adorned with Titian's Assumption.
Verona's largest church is the Fifteenth Century Sant'Anastasia whose interior is considered one of northern Italy's finest examples of Gothic architecture, and believe me this competition includes many entries. The construction of this magnificent edifice took nearly two hundred years. Among its items of honor are frescoes and hunchback statues that serve to dispense holy water. It is said that touching a hunchback's hump brings good luck. Maybe next time.

San Fermo Maggiore is in reality two churches. The tomblike lower Romanesque church dates from the Eighth Century. The huge Fourteenth Century Gothic upper church is notable for its ceiling festooned with the paintings of four hundred saints. There are more churches to see in Verona but we are now going to look at castles and palaces.

The Fourteenth Century Castelvecchio (Old Castle) was built on the banks of the Adige River near the Ponte Scaligero (Scaligero Bridge), probably on the site of a Roman fortress. Built to protect against foreign invaders and popular rebellions, it included a fortified bridge in case the owners had to flee north to join their allies in the Tyrol. Over the years the castle has known many renovations and restorations. Make sure to visit its art museum, specializing in Venetian painters and sculptors.

Those Scaligeris spent a lot of their time in the Palazzo degli Scaligeri, their medieval palace, which today, as then, is closed to the general public. But you can go next door to the Arche Scaligere with its Gothic tombs of selected members of the family.

The Italian Piazza is a meeting place. Verona has some special examples. The Piazza delle Erbe (Herb Square) has been around since the days of the Romans. For ages it was a fruit and vegetable market but now is geared to tourists. It still maintains its medieval look and some of the produce stalls. The Piazza dei Signori (Gentlemen's Square) is Verona's center of activities as it has been for centuries. This square is right next door to the Scaglieri Palace. Those gentlemen didn't believe in commuting.
We can't leave Verona without visiting those star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. The Twelfth Century Casi di Giulietta (Juliet's House) long belonged to the Dal Cappello family and since it's not a long way from Cappello to Capulet perhaps... This lovely house even possesses a courtyard balcony. Yes, the house at Via Cappello, 23 probably isn't the real thing, but crowds come to gawk and dream. This could be the place to propose marriage.

What about food? Verona's cuisine features typical dishes of the Po Valley plains: mixed boiled meats, nervetti (calf's foot and veal shank salad), and risotto, often prepared with a healthy douse of Amarone wine. The Piazza delle Erbe still has some fruit and vegetable stalls selling local produce such as radicchio and asparagus. Not only the wine is classified. Verona is home to a classified cheese, Monte Veronese. But who would think that rice is also classified? The Riso Nano Vialone Veronese is a laboratory-developed rice first introduced into the area in 1945. It now represents 90% of the local production. Is it better than other rice? Locals obviously think so. I promise that I will taste it on my next trip to Verona.

Let's suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Gnocchi (Small Potato Dumplings). Then try Pastissada de Caval (Horsemeat Stew, often simmered in wine). For dessert indulge yourself with Pandoro di Verona (Verona Butter Cream Cake). Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We'll conclude with a quick look at Veneto wine. Veneto ranks 3rd among the 20 Italian regions for the area planted in grape vines and for its total annual wine production. About 45% of Veneto wine is red or rosé, leaving 55% for white. The region produces 24 DOC wines and 3 DOCG wines, Recioto di Soave, Soave Superiore, and Bardolino Superiore. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Almost 30% of Venetian wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation.

Valpolicella DOC is a world famous wine produced north of Verona from several local red grapes. This wine is usually nothing to write home about and often tastes of cooked cherries. But that is hardly the end of the Valpolicella story. Valpolicella Ripasso is made from young Valpolicella wine put into tanks or barrels containing the lees (one could say dregs, but that might give the wrong impression) of a recioto wine (see below). The mixture undergoes a secondary fermentation and becomes a more interesting wine. Valpolicella Recioto is made from passito grapes, those dried on mats for several months. It may be a still wine, a fizzy wine, or a sparkling wine. Valpolicella Recioto is sweet or bittersweet. Amarone DOC is a type of Valpolicella Recioto whose sugar has been completely transformed into alcohol becoming a powerful tasting wine that packs a punch and ages well. What a difference between Amarone and its source wine, Valipolcella.

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Healthy Eating and Exercise Regime For Quick Weight Loss

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The problem with many diet plans is that they are too restrictive, too complicated to follow, or both. Diets often fail because most people find them hard to stick to for the long-term. Rather than eating to lose weight, it is much better idea to eat for health. Healthy eating is a lifestyle change that you can become accustomed to after a short period of time. When you make eating healthy a habit, you will no longer have to stress over what to eat and whether it is good for you.

Healthy Eating and Exercise Regime For Quick Weight Loss

Weight issues also become less of a problem. There are many types of healthy eating plans to follow but the ones below are ones that I favor most. Of course you should speak with your health care provider before changing your eating habits or exercise regime.

Healthy Eating Plans for a Lifestyle Change

Developing good eating habits can make life so much easier. You learn how to maintain a healthy weight and how to manage food rather than letting food mange you. Two good methods of eating are "clean eating" and the paleolithic diet. Both are similar in that they do not include processed foods. Processed foods often contain high amounts of fat, sugar, and calories. Simple carbs like bread, cereal, rice, and pasta tend to be the foods that keep us overweight.

They are often eaten in excess. When they are not burned, they are stored as fat. Think about a typical day of meals. Breakfast may consist of cereal, a bagel, etc. Lunch may be a sandwich or pasta. Dinner may be more bread, pasta, rice, etc. Desserts can be cake, pie, cookies, ice cream, or other. These simple carbs add up quickly in a day.

Following the eating plans of clean eating or the paleo diet may help you to reach your weight loss goals in a healthy way that you can stick to for the long-term.

Exercise to Burn Fat

Any exercise is better than none at all, however, there are some that do a better job at fat burning than others. Three great fat burning activities include strength training, calisthenics, and interval training. All three of these exercise routines burn fat by developing muscle. Muscle burns both fat and calories. Even when we are at rest, our muscle burn calories.

The best thing about these exercises is that you do not need to spend more than an hour working out. You also do not need to spend money on gym memberships. Combining your healthy eating habits with fat burning exercises will have you on your way to permanent weight loss.

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Why is Portion Size Important?

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We can learn a lot from our caveman ancestors about food, nutrition and portion size. As they walked the earth some 2 million years ago, stone-age hunter gatherers ate small amounts of fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meat throughout the day. Storing food for long periods or carrying it for great distances was not practical so typically hunter gatherers would eat what they could when they could find it.

Why is Portion Size Important?

People today have a different approach. Many admit to having no breakfast, a big lunch and an even bigger dinner. Thinking of your metabolism as being like a fire helps explain why this is not a good idea. Ideally, you want to keep your metabolism at a steady pace during the day. Skipping meals is like starving the fire of oxygen. Eating big portions is like taking a large log and throwing it onto the fire. In both cases the fire doesn't respond well. On the other hand, eating small portions regularly is like taking a handful of twigs and throwing them onto the fire at regular intervals. The result - the fire burns evenly throughout the day and you'll avoid those sudden cravings of hunger.

The ideal number of meals is six per day consisting of a good breakfast, a medium sized lunch and a small dinner. You need less energy while sleeping hence the smaller portion size close to bed time. Your 3 main meals should be supplemented throughout the day by 3 smaller healthy snacks such as fresh fruit or a handful of nuts.

A bowl of porridge in the morning garnished with dried fruit is an excellent way to start the day. Porridge is an example of a slow release carbohydrate. It releases energy slowly and steadily to your body. Quick release carbohydrates such as cakes, biscuits and sweets tend to give a sudden burst of energy followed by a slump. It's this slump in energy which can leave you feeling hungry for more food.

Other foods such as sweet potatoes in their skins, carrots and parsnips provide us with the essential carbohydrates we need to keep healthy. A lack of carbohydrates in a nutrition plan can sometimes lead to problems concentrating and headaches.

For Fruit and vegetables you should be consuming at least 5 servings every day spread across your meals and snacks. One serving is roughly equivalent to:

• 1 large piece of fruit such as an apple, banana or pear
• 2 medium sized pieces of fruit such as kiwis or peaches
• 1 cup of berries or grapes
• 2 tablespoons of cooked vegetables
• 1 small bowl of salad

For meat and other sources of protein we should be consuming 2-3 servings every day. One serving is roughly equivalent to:

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 medium sized lean steak
• 1 fillet of fish such as salmon, cod or Pollock
• 1 can of tuna
• 2 boiled eggs

For fatty and sugary foods and foods with high salt content, try to consume as little as possible. Reduce your saturated fat intake by cooking with small quantities of vegetable based oils and use reduced fat spreads such as margarine. Avoid refined sugars as they are essentially empty calories and have little, if any, nutritional value.

So if you're trying to kickstart a healthier lifestyle, a great place to start is by eating the kind of natural foods our cavemen ancestors would have eaten in small portions and at regular intervals throughout the day.

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Primal Diet, Do You Want A Stronger, More Agile, and Leaner Body?

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Do you want to develop a body like a caveman or cave woman? The primal diet or better know as the Paleo Diet is your answer. Follow what I tell you and you will be on the way to having a stronger, more agile, muscle rippled, Greek God of a body. Many celebrities and athletes have gotten the body of their dreams following this primal diet.

Primal Diet, Do You Want A Stronger, More Agile, and Leaner Body?

This diet is the diet of our Caveman/Cave women ancestors; it was the era of a very diverse diet that contained all the nutritional elements that made the Caveman mimic the abilities of the animals that he pursued. He was fast, agile, strong, and had super endurance. It was either be a competitor or die.

So, what is the difference between the primal diet and other diets?

In general this diet is abstaining from foods that our metabolism was not designed to digest. Our diet has changed since the era of the Caveman but our metabolism is still the unaltered genetically coded system of our Caveman ancestors. In other words if it comes in a box our metabolism does not know what to do with it. We wonder why we develop problems with our digestion and science puts a name on that problem and develops a pill to counteract the symptoms, but what you are experiencing is an allergy to something your body recognizes as foreign.

Dairy products are a very good example. We become lactose intolerant and the doctors give us pills to counteract this disease. This is not a disease but our body rebelling to dairy products which our caveman ancestors did not consume. Cows were not domesticated until the many centuries later and since that time we have been having digestive problems attempting to consume these dairy products. The hype is that milk is good for us, milk is good for calves, but not for humans. The calcium it contains can be found naturally in many different fruits and vegetables.

Here are some of the other products we need to avoid with the Primal diet;

Avoid processed sugar.

Sugar and artificial sweeteners are not necessary in your diet. Sugar is found naturally in fresh fruits and vegetables and the amount is sufficient for needs of your body. Processed sugar causes your pancreas to secret large amounts of insulin which promotes the storage of fat. It also suppresses your immune system leaving you wide open for disease. This diet is diabetic friendly and the only diet that your doctor will have no problems accepting. Check out Ph.D. Nancy Appleton's article "146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health".

Eliminate Grains.

There is a lot of hype promoting whole grain breads as being healthy, actually they fall in the same category as white bread and it is something foreign to our caveman metabolism. You need to realize that our whole problem with our allergies and diseases began about 10,000 years ago when man decided to start living in one place and cultivating his own food. What happened was that his diverse diet became a diet of his own crops mainly wheat, corn, and barley.

The fresh fruits and vegetables were all but eliminated from his diet and vitamin deficiency began causing problems. The whole grain itself is not the problem it is the refining that causes the problems. In cracking the grain the germ, which contained the essential nutrition is discarded and what is left is gluten. We remember it from our childhood as a form of paste. It makes great breads, pie crusts, cookies, cakes, and biscuits; but it is what we call refined carbs and these carbs transform straight to fat. You will find that eliminating these refined carbs from your diet will cause a great weight loss.

Whole wheat breads that are bought at your supermarket are just hype and contain sugar and also white refined flour. As I said white flour is just a paste or binder and when added to whole wheat it causes it to bind and to allow yeast to make it rise. If there was not any white flour in whole wheat bread it would be a form of hard tack.

Legumes are another of the products we need to eliminate from our diet.

These include soy products, peas, lentils, peanuts and beans. In nature there is a balance between plants and animals that allows for a species to survive. Legumes developed there own defenses in a chemical we call lectins. Lectins are a carbon-binding protein that is essentially a pesticide. This protein has to ability to bind with sugar that is needed for the plant's maturation but it cannot be fully digested in our system. With this binding power it can attach to our intestinal lining and cause us a lot of distress. In order to process these products they would have had to been fermented, boiled, or some other process which our ancestors would not have had the knowledge.

Because of the lectins ability to attach to the intestinal wall this causes damage and eventually can cause breaks or breaches in the intestinal wall allowing free agents such as ecoli to enter our blood stream. Once these agents are allowed free movement they can attach to any organ causing damage which immediately brings our autoimmune system into play which causes mayhem. Lectins are linked to such autoimmune problems as IBS, Crohn's, colitis, thyroiditis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and arthritis.

Is the Primal Diet worth your time and effort? If you substitute your evening meal for a Paleo meal for a period of two weeks you will notice a marked difference in your health, you will sleep better, wake up more alert, and have more energy throughout the day. This difference will definitely be your wakeup call. This diet is worth you time to search for more articles, information, cookbooks, and tips on getting started.

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The Nutrition Solution for America's Woes

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If you are a typical American you live on a diet of processed foods and inactivity. Unfortunately, this lifestyle is 100% antithetical to the optimal functioning of our bodies. The genes we carry in our DNA are the result of millions of years of adaptation and procreation. As our needs change we experience micro-evolution and alter our genes slightly from one generation to the next. The result has been a genetic structure that is highly evolved, extremely resilient, and has the potential for extraordinary health and fitness. However, between 5,000 to 10,000 years ago (an evolutionary drop in the bucket) we discovered farming and with that came twinkies. Currently, we collectively possess an arrogance that despite the millions of years of adaptation and micro-evolution, we believe that we can produce a healthier human fuel in a factory using the cheapest inputs, than what the earth provides. We get our health advice from certified and licensed USDA advocates who promote upside down pyramids and antiquated Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). We have allowed the dairy industry to convince us that as adults we should drink another mammal's milk, meant for a calf, as our premier and, ostensibly, only source of calcium. We may even have been convinced that a processed wheat product is the breakfast of champions or that consuming a highly inflammatory combination of wheat and corn will reduce cholesterol because it is "Heart Healthy". Can someone please tell me what a nut cluster is?

The Nutrition Solution for America's Woes

"Well, all this nutritional technology must have been good for something?". I beg to differ. As the poster child for nutritional technology the United States is an embarrassing case study. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer incidences are rising. Whereas many developing countries are suffering from diseases of inadequate nutrition, we are suffering from diseases excess improper nutrition. We eat a lot of junk, and some of it even says "Healthy" right on the box. When native or traditional cultures adapt a Western food culture, they begin to see a rise in Western diseases as well.

"So smarty pants, how do we fix the problem?" A quick study of human anthropology shows us that hunter-gatherers were healthier than their farming ancestors. This can be studied through bones recovered from each of the 2 groups. When we ate food provided by the earth, that our DNA had millions of years to adapt to, we were healthiest. Would you advocate a processed cereal for Koala bears called, "Eucalyptus Bites" or should we just allow them to continue eating the leaves they have been eating since the beginning of their existence.

In conclusion, we live in a modern world with ice cream, and cup cakes, and granola bars. We can't eat 100% like hunter-gatherers; I understand that. We can, however, base the majority of our diet on the foods that the earth has created specifically for us that are lock and key with our nutritional requirements and therefore, produce optimal health. They are: Vegetables, fruits, meats, nuts, seeds, and plants, not to mention other complex celled organisms like seaweed and mushrooms. Some people call it the Paleo diet, I call it Real Food. Start small, do what you have to do, just get there. Let's keep it simple.

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Your Food Relationship - Achieve Your Diet and Fat Loss Goals Faster

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Food - none of us can go without it! But how does the way in which we think about food impact our diet? Are you someone who just sees food as body fuel, or do the different tastes, textures and nutritional values of food excite you? In today's health conscious world, I would think that most of us fall into the latter group. If you want to achieve your diet goals quicker, then you need to clearly understand you relationship with food.

Your Food Relationship - Achieve Your Diet and Fat Loss Goals Faster

Eat and Burn

In its simplest form, food gives our body the calories it needs to run on a daily basis. When there are too few calories, the body looks to its own reserves. When there are too many calories, the body puts them away in storage (i.e. as body fat). On a purely mathematical level, so long as we burn as much as we consume, we are not going to produce excess body fat. So yes it is possible to eat junk food and stay thin but we also know that what food we eat can be as important as how much food we eat.

Food Fanatics

Not all foods are created equal. It would be nonsense to say that a caramel flapjack and an organic apple containing the same number of calories are of equal health benefit. At the 'eat and burn' basic level then yes they might provide our body with the same number of calories but substance is surely just as important. We have all learned that the organic apple is bursting with healthy goodness, whilst the flapjack will be laden with sugar and other nutritional nastiness.

The food world has gone crazy over the past few years. Every other program on television is a cooking program. But why are we so obsessed? It is just body fuel at the end of the day...

I have to admit, I am a modern day 'foodie'. I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen and I strongly believe in the health benefits of natural food. In my eyes, there is nothing wrong with this, food has the fantastic ability of making us happy so let's take advantage. However, you need to be aware of your root relationship with food. There is definitely a risk of obsessing over food. Such obsession may manifest itself as punishing yourself for eating 'junk' food, a lifetime of calorie counting, or possibly worse. We each have unique relationships with food and to get the most from food we should strip away the layers and get to the bottom of what and why. Why did you have to eat popcorn whilst watching that movie yesterday evening? Why did you have to drink alcohol when socialising last week? It is good to sit back and think about our food choices so we understand why we made them and can enjoy those choices instead of feeling guilty about them!

Strategies to Avoid Food Obsession and Achieve Your Diet Goals

As we are dependent upon food for survival, all of us have a relationship with food.

Here are a few ideas to help you find out, change, and nurture your food relationship.

• Make a Black, Grey, White list of foods you commonly eat. Black for the least healthy, White for the most. Then keep it in your kitchen, making sure that your cupboards are full of those foods on the White list (typically fresh fruit, vegetables, unsalted nuts and seeds, whilst trying to cut out those on the Black list (basically anything processed containing sugar, as well as alcohol and if you follow the Paleo diet, then all grains too). To take things further, you can keep a score board to measure how many food items from each colour group you are eating - monitoring your results forces the truth upon you, so there is nowhere to hide!
• Work out what type of food personality you are. Do this by clearly identifying what you enjoy about food. For me, I know that eating healthily will make me feel happy but so does the odd treat. I have a soft spot for beer and ice cream (not together though!), so I indulge in these things every now and again. It may be that you enjoy a certain type of cuisine, or need to eat every two hours. Being aware of your food personality will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses in your diet, which you can then address sensibly instead of obsessively.
• Be wise about food availability - possibly the most important factor in keeping a healthy diet is to always have the healthy food readily to hand. Most people resort to less healthy foods because they are so accessible. A little bit of effort on your part and healthy food can be fast food in any hectic lifestyle. Prepare your healthy food in advance and keep stock levels high (i.e. always have fresh fruit and vegetables at the ready).
• Equally, if it isn't in your house in the first place then you can't eat it! If you don't have very strong willpower, avoid the lethal step of bringing junk foods into your home. Too often I have picked things up and thought it would be saved for a rainy day but the evenings are full of temptation and before you know it that treat is in your belly. I know that keeping sweet food in the house can undo my healthy eating, so it's best kept out most of the time.

Free Your Food, Do Not Trap it with Rules

The key to making healthy eating a lifestyle choice and not a short term diet is to make it fun and enjoyable, not boring and burdensome! I think adopting a 'rule free' food psychology is more realistic than to simply ban certain foods altogether. To be truthful, we all fall off the healthy eating bandwagon. In my eyes, this can be a good thing providing that you that you do enjoy your treats (e.g. cake) that you consume otherwise what is the point!? Don't worry and just get right back on track instead of dwelling on that junk food.

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