While vegetarianism is becoming more and more mainstream, there are still people out there who fail to understand how anyone could make it through a day, let alone a life, without regularly consuming some form of animal protein. While it's true that some people's bodies don't do as well with a vegetarian diet as others, it certainly won't hurt anyone to have a couple of meals a week that don' t include meat. Increasingly, many meat-eaters are intentionally choosing to forgo meat for a full day or two each week to reduce their environmental footprint and balance out their intake of animal protein.

Too often, vegetarian food is thought of as just being salad leaves, lentils and beans with little taste or richness. This is far from the truth. There are many vegetarian recipes that are rich, filling and satisfying even for meat-eaters. Try, for example, black bean burgers:

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can black beans, well drained
• 60 g flour
• 2 slices bread, crumbled
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• salt and pepper to taste • oil for frying

Method

First, sauté onions until they are soft and translucent. In a large bowl, mash up the beans until smooth. Then add onions and the remainder of the ingredients, minus the oil. Add the flour bit by bit, so it mixes in thoroughly. Form the mixture into patties and fry in a lightly oiled pan until firm.

These days, many working women and multi-tasking moms are constantly on-the-go. As crazy as it sounds, it's not uncommon for a woman to get to the end of her day and realise that she forgot to eat lunch! However, if you've ever tried to find a truly healthy snack or meal in a train station, at a coffee shop or in a corner shop, you know that oftentimes, foods that are presented as healthy can be anything but. Something as seemingly innocuous as vegetarian sushi can have added sugar, MSG, or other fake ingredients that have no business being in something that's meant to be wholesome. Purchase a granola bar that says it's made with real oats and you'll probably find loads of added sugar and other ingredients which you can't pronounce on the ingredient label.

Those hungry and rushed moments—which are increasingly frequent in many women's lives—are unfortunately the times when we are most likely to eat the unhealthy and unwholesome foods that are available for purchase on the go. For women who want to avoid consuming these empty and unwholesome calories, being prepared is the best option. If you always have a healthy snack on hand to tide you over, you are way less likely to succumb to eating nutritionally bankrupt foods.

Indulging in a dessert or treat every now and then is one of life's great pleasures. But many people have dietary restrictions which mean the kinds of treats and sweets that are available in the supermarket or the corner shop are off limits most of the time. It's true, trying to find a dessert that is dairy free or gluten free is not easy. Most sweets are baked with flour or get their rich taste from cream, butter, or milk. And while there are some recipes that omit both dairy products and gluten, they usually involve complex mixtures of ingredients such as thickening agents and special types of flour. Few people have these ingredients on hand, which means they have to make a special trip to a health food store. However, this supremely easy recipe for gluten and dairy-free peanut butter cookies has just four or five ingredients. Although it's certainly not for those with a nut allergy, it's sure to please anyone else, whether they include dairy and gluten in their diet or not!

Ingredients:

• 250 g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 65 g brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• dark chocolate (if desired)

Method

• First combine egg, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix and then add peanut butter and pieces of chocolate
• Heap table spoons of dough on to a greased cookie sheet and flatten out with a fork
• Cook at 180 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes
• Let stand for 5 minutes

The reasons to improve our diets and cut down on processed junk food are plentiful. When we eat in a healthy and wholesome manner, we find that our bodies naturally feel stronger, our immune systems are more resilient, and those excess pounds seem to shed themselves. However, just because there are countless benefits of improving one's diet does not mean it is an easy task.

One of the biggest struggles for many women is conquering those pesky sweet tooth cravings. Even after the healthiest of meals, some people just can't seem to quell their craving for a chocolate bar or baked sweet. Furthermore, continually denying yourself the pleasure of enjoying a dessert can mean giving up your dietary goals all together out of frustration and deprivation. The way to avoid this is by choosing alternatives that are still sweet, but won't undo the rest of the day's healthy habits.

A small portion of natural, unsweetened yogurt is delicious if you add some honey, mixed nuts and fresh or dried fruit as a healthy and natural topping. If it's chocolate you desire, dark chocolate of at least 60% cacao content and minimal added ingredients can actually have antioxidant properties. Pair a small amount of nice dark chocolate with a natural nut butter like peanut butter or almond butter (with no added oils or sugar) and you've got a natural candy bar! Another great after-dinner treat is naturally sweet dried dates or stewed apples mixed with cinnamon and brown sugar.

Whether you are an American or not, you will probably love a good old hamburger every once in a while – who doesn't? But it's a known fact that if you're trying to slim down for summer and look good in that new bikini, you should probably stay away from fatty food and too much meat.

If that seems too difficult, may it be suggested that you try bean burgers? Not for everyone, but if you are the kind of person who likes to try new things then they could be for you:

Black Bean Burgers

• black beans (1 can) • half green bell pepper – cut it into 2 pieces, • cut half an onion into wedges • 3 cloves of garlic • 1 egg • chili powder - 1 tablespoon • cumin - 1 tablespoon • hot/chilly sauce - 1 teaspoon • bread crumbs – 4 tablespoons

Heat the oven to 375 F ahead of time. Pour beans into a bowl. Mash the beans until they are thick and pasty. Finely chop the bell pepper, garlic, and onion and stir into beans. In another bowl mix the chili powder, egg, cumin and hot sauce.

Add the stirred mixture into the mashed beans and sprinkle in bread crumbs up to a point when the mixture holds together and gets sticky. Divide mixture into bean patties. Place patties on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake on each side for 10 minutes.

It is a delicious yet healthier version of a burger to satisfy that “junk food” craving. Add tomatoes, onions if you so like, or avocado. For an even healthier yet just as delicious hamburger, combine the bean patties with whole wheat buns.

Some families don't give much thought to their meal planning, due to time constraints or differing schedules, while others plan an extensive menu for each and every meal. Although, there isn't a court room that decides each family's food intake, there is something to be said about the latter option of planning your meals.

It makes room for a healthier and more nutritional consumption and helps to meet the needs a family might have. If a family has small children, it's important to factor in what your little ones might need when preparing a meal plan.

While most tots love a bit of sugar in the form of pastries and sweets, it's always best to keep these to a minimum. Children do need some form of sugar and carbs, as it is an important part of a healthy diet, but there are different and healthier ways of supplying them with this necessary component. Encouraging your little ones to enjoy fruit is one step that can be taken and can be used as a healthy snack to replace that chocolate bar or pop tart and at the same time meet their need for sugar.

Carbs are important for your growing tykes and, although, they may love a big piece of bread with butter at the dinner table, try working in potatoes or brown rice as a starchy side on their dish.

A great TV advert can capture the imagination of the general public like few other marketing techniques and the effect can be wide ranging and inspiring – sometimes adverts are fondly remembered by entire generations.

Today, there's a modern crossover effect caused by the rise of social networking: great TV adverts often move online, most commonly to video channels like YouTube, then rack up millions of views.

Almost everyone likes a good TV advert, it seems, and here are three great examples of campaigns, from the recent to the older. All examples can be viewed online, incidentally.

Campaign: Brad & Dan

Two laid-back Aussie blokes are on hand to offer sage advice to neurotic Englishmen with profound anxiety about inane relationship issues, such as Ben - who asks “Is my girlfriend really going to end up looking like her mum?”.

Brad and Dan set things straight, with a few bizarre detours and exchanges, before taking a glug of Foster's lager as a reward.

These clever adverts subtly parody identifiable national stereotypes and there are chuckles to be taken from the exaggerated truths within the dialogue.

The advice offered by Brad & Dan before they take a sip of premium beer is also worryingly comforting.

Campaign: Red Bull gives you wings

All sorts of powerfully hypnotising scenarios unfold in Red Bull's lo-fi cartoon adverts about people or animals drinking Red Bull and gaining the mysterious power of flight.

In one case, an Arctic dwelling penguin tries to take to the skies - like most other birds can - by drinking a can of Red Bull, but frustratingly fails because the drink is frozen due to the sub-zero temperatures.

There's loads of distinctive charisma in each scratchily illustrated story, but Red Bull has also identified a strong narrative and stuck to it strongly - making the whole campaign more cohesive and memorable over time.

Campaign: Too Gorgeous

Pot Noodle's ads have always been fairly strange - one involved Motorhead's ‘Ace of Spades' being inexplicably blasted out over a pseudo-news-broadcast, but the ‘too gorgeous' campaign was especially odd.

These delightfully strange adverts involved home-made footage of a shambolic, bulbously moustached, pot-noodle-loving Welshman called ‘Terry', and his mate John, bungling around and generally shouting garbled nonsense about Pot Noodle being ‘too gorgeous' – in protest against adverts that proclaimed the potted snack to be nutritious.

In one case, Terry offers Pot Noodle to enthusiastic swimmers in a leisure centre using a fishing rod as part of an ‘experiment'.

Plainly, because the ads were hilarious – especially if you like surreal British humour – but also because of the clever juxtaposition afforded by Terry's homemade protests against Pot Noodle, simultaneously presenting Pot Noodle as good for you, and bad for you, in a tasty way.

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

- 200gms Wild Rice
- 70gms Edamame Peas: Shelled
- 80gms Broccoli Florets
- 1 Red Chili: Chopped Finely (Optional)
- 1Tsp Five Spice Powder
- 1Tsp Chili Paste
- 2Tbsp Peanut/Sesame Oil
- 4Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- Half an Onion- diced
- Salt to taste
- Peanuts (optional)

Method:

First in a bowl prepare the sauce. Add the chilli paste, five spice powder to the soy sauce and mix it well. Leave it aside.

In a pot bring 4 cups of water to boil and add the rice. Depending on the sort of wild rice you have, let it cook for an average of 10 minutes. While the rice is being boiled, place a wok on medium heat and pour the oil in the wok. Once the oil starts crackling add the onion and let it cook for three minutes until it turns translucent. Add the garlic and stir for another two minutes. Then add the Broccoli Florets and the shelled Edamame Peas. Let this cook for another minute or two.

Meanwhile, once the rice is done, drain the water and add it to the wok. Then add the soy sauce mixture that you prepared earlier. Mix all the contents well so that the sauce is evenly distributed amongst the rice, making it slightly stick but not watery. Cook the entire contents of the wok together for another minute and it's ready to be eaten.

With food anything highly processed is often white – white Pasta, bread and sugar – and they all contain a high level of refined sugar. Wholemeal, wholewheat and even wholegrain foods have a higher nutritional level and, thus, greater health benefits than refined foods, which are often high in sugar. In a bid to eat healthier, try going brown – for an unrefined and less processed version of your household staples.

Try wholemeal or wholegrain loafs instead of your usual white. If you have trouble adjusting to the taste, even though the taste of wheat flour is virtually undetectable, bake it yourself. Bread, cakes, pancakes and cupcakes, are all delicious options that can all be baked with wholemeal flour all from the comfort of home. You could also opt for rye bread, rye crackers or wholemeal pitta if you need a break from bread.  

Many types of pasta from fusilli, to spaghetti and macaroni, are widely available in wholewheat versions. They also contain 50% less sugar than their white counterparts. Avoid coloured pasta when possible, as it is every bit as processed as white pasta.

Ranging from light brown, to the very dark muscovado sugar, there is an option to please almost everyone. Brown sugar unlike white, has not been stripped of its molasses, so in comparison, contains far more vitamins and minerals, including calcium and iron, than white sugar. Brown sugar also contains fewer calories by mass than white sugar.

Brown rice is loaded with vitamins, richer in fibre and is thought to lower cholesterol significantly. It is also relatively unrefined with only one layer, the hull, removed during processing.

A-Salad-a-day may well keep the doctor at bay. While salads can appear drab and non-appetising at times, the truth is they can be every bit as delicious and adventurous as your favourite junk food or unhealthy snack.

A large salad is a healthy balanced choice for an evening meal. Using a large bowl, mix your preferred carbohydrates and protein. Then finish with a slightly larger portion of greens and a simple dressing.

Spinach, rocket, sugar snap peas, and asparagus are all alternatives to the usual salad greens. Spinach is extremely rich in antioxidants and iron, while asparagus and sugar snap peas are low in caloric content. Lightly steam all for the most nutritional value.

Tangy fruits like apples, pomegranates and cranberries can add interesting flavour to salads. Add a handful of chives, watercress and cherry plum tomatoes for a light and nutritious lunch.

Go For Antipasti

Artichokes, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms soaked in olive oil add much needed colour and taste to any pasta or bean dish. Many come pre-seasoned so there's usually no need to add much else.

Dress it up

The dressing is where your imagination comes in. Making your own dressing can be both simple and hugely effective and is one of the best ways to season your salad according to your taste buds. Vinegar, honey, lemon, mustard and olive oil are all ingredients you can easily mix and match, and use to compliment any salad ingredients.

Get inspired

Food blogs are filled with healthy salad menus, from raw to vegan, and since most are updated on a regular basis, they could help you beat the salad rut.