To prevent piling on the pounds, Dr. Marian Faughnan, Nutritionist at safefood, has your guide to indulging on holiday without going overboard.

Keep it light for Breakfast

If breakfast is included in your accommodation, it's tempting to opt for a full fry when it's offered.
You know that bacon, sausages and fried eggs are fatty and salty, but you don't have to give them up completely.
Try to pace yourself. Why not have eggs one day, bacon another and a couple of sausages the next. Ask for them to be grilled instead of fried and team them up with some healthy vegetables such as mushrooms, beans or grilled tomato.
Include some vitamin rich fruit or fruit juice if these are available for a great start to sunny days.

Avoid double dining

On holiday, we often eat out for lunch and dinner and there is a danger of having two really big meals each
day.
Try to decide in advance which will be the bigger meal and try not to leave very big gaps between meals so that you are starving when reading the menu.
That's when you are likely to over-order, or forget your intentions to choose the lower fat choices. If you have had a large lunch and are out again at night, you can easily cut down by sharing a starter or a dessert.

Snack well

When you are out and about on holidays, there are plenty of temptations to snack in between meals, whether it's a bowl of crisps at the bar, or an ice cream at the beach.
Try to avoid fatty snacks at the bar, particularly if you are about to eat dinner.
Just remind yourself that you will be eating soon and don't need them.
At the beach, you can cool down with some fruit juice, or an ice 'pop' type ice cream, which is refreshing, without lots of fat or calories.

Take time to move

At home, most people cite 'lack of time' as the main reason for not exercising.
On holiday, that's the one thing we do have more of. Realistically, most people's diets do become a little worse on holiday, but you do have a chance to 'undo' some of the damage by becoming more active while away.
Take an early morning brisk walk before the sun gets too hot, or take a dip in the pool throughout the day and chalk up some laps.
You might even come home energised and in better shape at the end of your break!

Gut instincts!

Take the usual care when choosing to eat at a café or restaurant.
Have a look at the general appearance of the place, including the bathrooms. Is it clean and tidy?
Is the hot food hot? Do the staff look like they have good personal hygiene?
When it comes to something to drink, make sure that bottled and canned drinks have intact seals or caps when you get them. Remember if in doubt, speak out and tell the person serving you.

For more information on keeping food safe visit the safefood website www.safefood.eu or call 0800 085 1683.