When it comes to healthy eating and maintaining a healthy weight, it's all about balance and moderation. Many of us know the right way to eat, but we often need to be reminded. Here are 10 tips to help you be healthy and maintain the weight you want.

• Eat moderate portions
  If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. As they say, "everything in, moderation".
• Maintain a healthy weight
  The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and genes. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems. If you're constantly losing and regaining weight, a registered dietician can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful weight management.
• Exercise regularly
  Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight. You should try to do 30 minutes a day — whatever it may be.
• Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods
  You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily intake should include bread and other whole-grain products, fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. Obviously, all of this depends on your blood type or what foods you find agree or don't agree with you.
• Know your weaknesses
  To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what's wrong with them. Write down everything you eat for a week, then check your list. You might be shocked at what you add to your food and what 'treats' you sneak it without realising it. Try and be more aware of what you eat and keep up the diary.
• Don't feel guilty
  Choose foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any food is 'good' or 'bad'. Don't feel guilty if you eat something you love – just remember to eat it in moderation. If you find yourself craving something constantly, you might be lacking vitamins. Rather supplement your diet with say vitamin B than eat a chocolate every day.
• Eat regular meals
  The one factor that causes so many people harm is skipping meals. People think that if they starve themselves they will lose weight. Instead, it leads to out-of-control hunger later on which results in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.
• Reduce your fat intake
  Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If you eat foods high in fat, try going for the low-fat option and chose smaller portion sizes, for example.
• Condition your body
  Much of what we eat is also in our heads. If you make the right food choices over time, even though it seems difficult initially, you will naturally want to make those choices again as your body will appreciate it and you might even find that you end up 'craving' healthier foods.
• Make changes over time
  Don't expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight. Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of success. Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits.