Nicole Senior shares her top tips on smarter, healthier, greener food choices.

Weight-loss basics
To lose weight you must eat less and move more. There are no gimmicks, short cuts, magic bullets or secret methods. Phew. Now that's been said we can talk about how to do it and have some fun while you're at it.

Are you getting enough food fun?
Take time to prepare and enjoy tasty and interesting meals. Eat slowly in a relaxed environment using good plates and glasses, with some cool background music. There's no need to ban fun foods altogether, just learn to savour them in small amounts.

Size matters
Many people make good choices of foods - they just eat too much of them. Practising portion control is important, whether eating out or at home. Keep the size of your everyday meals in check, since eating more than you need adds up over weeks and months to unwanted kilos.

Balance your plate
Going hungry is no fun. Feel satisfied without overdoing the kilojoules by using the 'half quarter-quarter' plate rule. Fill half your plate with vegetables/salad, a quarter with grain food (such as rice, pasta, bread) or potato, and a quarter with lean meat/chicken/ fish or alternatives (eggs, legumes etc).

Fast food
Make more time for fun and exercise by choosing healthier take-aways. But keep it under control - one or two dinners a week (or less). Choose wisely to keep weight loss on track and remember the half-quarter quarter rule. Think about portion size - order small, or eat half and have the rest later.

Getting the good stuff in
Here's how many serves you need to eat each day to meet your nutrient needs while losing weight:

Vegetables - at least five handfuls (eat more, not less of these)

Bread, cereal, rice, pasta (preferably wholegrain) - two to four serves (one serve is two slices bread; one cup cooked rice/pasta)

Fruit - two to three average-sized pieces/serves (one serve is one cup chopped)

Lean meat/chicken/fish* - two serves a day (one serve is 100g raw meat/chicken, 150g raw fish - aim for lean red meat three to four times a week for iron and zinc)

Dairy - two to three reduced-fat/low fat serves (one serve is one cup milk, 200g yoghurt, 40g cheese)

Healthy oils (sunflower, canola, olive) - three to four serves (one serve is two teaspoons oil or unsaturated margarine spread)

Take-away mix and match
A smart and healthy way to fit your good take-away into a weight-loss eating plan is to mix and match with food you have at home. For example, microwave some frozen Asian mixed vegetables to serve with a Thai chicken stir-fry and rice. This helps you achieve the half-quarter-quarter plate rule, and the take-away becomes a meal for two, or the other half can be enjoyed another night. Filling up on vegetables is a great way to eat fewer kilojoules and still feel satisfied.

Quick and fun food
There are many time-saving products in our supermarkets to turn basic ingredients into delicious, fun meals, such as flavour bases, curry pastes, and stir-fry and pasta sauces. Using these products to whip up balanced meals takes less time than pizza delivery. Look for brands with lower sodium content.

Good take-away options

• Barbecued chicken (skin removed), corn on the cob, peas and a bread roll
• Stir-fried meat/chicken/tofu and vegetables with steamed rice
• Chicken salad
• Thai beef salad
• Sushi box
• Falafel and salad wrap
• Vietnamese rice paper rolls
• Plain hamburger or (uncrumbed) chicken breast fillet burger
• Grilled fish and salad

Ice magic
Your freezer can help free up time for fun. For time-poor households, heating up a frozen low-fat meal is a sensible and healthier solution than take-away burger and fries. Lean meat, chicken and fish can be defrosted to make quick and easy meals. You can cook extra and freeze leftovers in individual serve-sized containers. Frozen vegetables are a nutritious stand by, and will help you reach your target for health and wellbeing.

Fast and light
Sometimes fast food is the only option. Look for lighter choices such as salads, wraps, lower-fat burgers, sandwiches and rolls. Choose water, diet soft drinks, coffee or low-fat milk. Sensible ordering can slash your kilojoule and saturated fat intake.

Festive fun
Parties are about being social and catching up. Sure, food is part of it, but you don't need to overdo it to have a good time. Don't weigh yourself down with heavy food and you'll be the first one on the dance-floor.

Fun physical activity
Weight loss requires you to move more, so try to make it fun. Encourage and organise outings with your friends and family. Beach and bush walks, soccer in the park, tennis and swimming - even the humble Frisbee - are all fun activities and good kilojoule burners.

The facts on eating out:

• The average Australian eats four take-away meals a week (such as lunchtime sandwiches or a take-away on the way home from work)
• One out of every three food dollars spent goes on eating away from home
• The most popular food eaten away from home is the humble sandwich, followed by hot chips and hamburgers
• Fast-food chain restaurants serve the highest number of meals of any food provider

Tick to the rescue
There's no need to miss out on the fun of everyday eating out just because you're watching your weight. The Heart Foundation of Australia has heeded the call of the more than eight out of 10 Australians who wanted help finding healthier choices when eating out. After more than two years' development, meals with the Heart Foundation Tick will soon appear in a food court or chain restaurant near you. Meals with the Tick must meet strict nutrition standards for saturated fat, trans-fat, sodium (salt), serve size, fibre, and vegetable content. A nutrition information panel like those found on supermarket products will be required for Tick-approved meals. The Tick program will include random auditing of participating food outlets.

Nicole Senior is an Accredited Nutritionist, consultant, editor, author, writer, speaker, blogger and social networker. This article first appeared in Super Food Ideas Magazine.