Have you ever come across conflicting reports of which foods are right for you? Pick up any two health magazines, and chances are one will talk about the benefits of coffee while the other leaves no stone unturned to criticise it.
If, like me, all you want to do is live a reasonably healthy life, without having to peer down your cup of coffee wondering if this is going to be THE cancer-causing sip, what should you do? Drink your coffee or not? Or substitute it for red wine perhaps? After a great deal of research on my own, I have come up with one solution - listen to your mom.
Remember all the advice she gave you about food? Follow it.
Here are five rules of eating right:

• Everything is okay in moderation: Yes, everything is really okay as long as you know when to stop.
  Don't drink too much of that wine or eat too much dark chocolate and you will be fine.
  
• Exercise: No matter what you eat (or don't) and how much, always, always exercise.
  Don't shy away from a chance to do any sort of physical activity, whether it's cleaning out your wardrobe or walking the dog.
  At least 30 minutes of brisk walking is a must to fight off an alarming number of diseases; 45 minutes to an hour is recommended if you want to lose weight.
  
• Think local and seasonal: Olive oil may be the best for you if you live in Greece, but resort to good old sesame oil if you live in areas that produce sesame.
  The point is, locally grown foods are easily available, cheap and intended to combat common illnesses specific to that region.
  Same applies to seasonal foods.
  Forget about strawberries in May; opt for a mango instead.
  Not only are seasonal foods cheap, they are also fresh.
  
• Go natural: Confused about the ten-syllable-long compound in your oil that is supposedly making it heart-friendly? Mom says ditch it in favour of foods whose labels you can read and understand.
  This simply means eliminate packaged food as much as possible and create meals from scratch.
  (Get the oil though, even if it comes in a pack - just don't get fooled by terms such as "triple-refined.
  ")
• Listen to your body: Shilpa Shetty, the sultry Bollywood actor with a fab body, said in a Zoom TV interview once, "If my body tells me it needs a certain something, I listen to it.
  " Does this mean you can eat that tub of ice cream the next time your body "asks for it?" Unfortunately, no.
  In Shilpa's words, "You need to differentiate between a true body craving and a tongue craving!

So there - follow these five guidelines and keep those research findings for bedtime reading.
(Did you know, by the way, that a group of Californian researchers found that if you read before going to bed, it results in an unsettled sleep? Yawn!)