Losing weight doesn't have to be boring when you focus on bright, colourful meals. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colours, you'll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus. Not everyone has the time or the patience to count calories, but assessing the colours on your plate is something anyone can do - and it only takes an instant!

Why is colour important? Many fatty and caloric foods, such as dairy products and startchy carbs, are beige or brown. When there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost certain.

That's because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories....but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you'll get more enjoyment from eating when there's a variety of colours and flavors on your plate.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
1 cup peeled and cubed mango

Directions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Add chicken and mango and toss gently to coat. Arrange dark green lettuce leaves around a serving bowl and spoon mixture into bowl.

For extra crunch, serve with a side dish of red and green bell pepper, romaine lettuce, chopped celery and cucumber.

Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving of Curried Chicken:
Calories: 218
Total fat: 3 grams
Saturated fat: 1 gram
Cholesterol: 73 mg
Sodium: 170 mg
Carbohydrate: 17 grams
Protein: 30 grams
Dietary fiber: 1 gram