YOU are what you eat, or so they say - but should that stop you enjoying the odd treat now and again?

An hour of watching Dr Gillian McKeith banishing all things tasty on a Wednesday night is enough to drive even the biggest junk-food addict to a diet of salad and supplements, but maybe you can have your cake and eat it - as long as it's not super-sized and thick with cream.

Barbara Machin, one of York Hospital's senior dieticians, says there is nothing wrong with having pizza for tea, if you have it with salad and divide it out among your family.

"There's actually quite a good range of food on a pizza," said Barbara. "You've got a bread-based bottom, veg in the form of mushroom and peppers and protein in the cheese. It's all about portion size; eating one the size of a dustbin lid yourself is inappropriate."

Even the most dedicated slimmers have lapses, so do not feel bad about the odd take-away on a Saturday night, but choose a tomato-based Indian meal rather than a creamy sauce, and try stir-fried Chinese dishes without sauce, avoiding fatty or fried meat.

Try dried fruit instead of sweets, although dried fruit is high in natural sugar.

"Look at when you're eating sweets to see if you need to be eating anything at all," said Barbara. "Everyone can have a sweetie sometimes but if you're buying them everyday then that is unhealthy."

The same applies to crisps and bar snacks. Barbara said: "Most bar snacks are high-fat foods with little nutritional value. Try to go to the bar without being in the habit of ordering and eating snacks."

And for dessert, rather than reaching for the cream cakes and pastries, try plain sponge, Madeira or fruit cake.

Courtney's health and lifestyle coach Garry Tew believes craving is a habit that can be broken through a balanced diet.

He says simple changes, such as swapping nachos with sour cream for plain crisps and salsa, or choosing a hot dog cooked in water rather than a burger dripping with sauce and cheese, will cut the fat and calorie content.

"Some people are unenthusiastic about healthy foods but maybe that's because they haven't tried them or because they've been ingrained into a certain way of eating," he said.

"Convenience foods tend to be the worst for you and high in refined sugar which satisfies your needs quickly but doesn't leave you feeling satisfied for long.

"Foods like chocolate cause your blood sugar to rise really quickly, but fruit would give you a slower release, which helps you feel satisfied for longer."

Updated: 09:20 Friday, January 21, 2005