Nadia Lim helps us bypass the expenses of well-packaged health foods.
Everywhere we look companies are attempting to sell us the latest and greatest in health food products.
These clean eating trends are especially popular with young people, who fork out big bucks for Instagram-worthy health foods.
But is what's on our plates really worth it, or are young Kiwis wasting their money and harming their health in the process?
NZ Herald Focus spoke to Nadia Lim about why young people in particular spend too much on eating healthy and what they should be buying to create good, nutrient rich meals.
As a dietitian and chef, Lim believes it shouldn't cost people the earth to eat well. But we're being sold the healthy living dream through expensive marketing campaigns.
"There is so much food marketing and hype out there, that must be making people think you do have to spend a lot of money and of course that's definitely not the truth," she said.
"The healthiest foods in the food shops, they are silent, they don't have all these big marketing budgets or anything.
"The apples and the cabbages, they are completely silent, they don't have branding on them or anything, and they are the healthiest things you can eat."
Lim believes the easiest way to follow a healthy food plan and get what we really need in your diet is to ignore the fads and stick to basics.
"Eat real food. As long as it's real food that comes from the ground, the sea and the sky."
The My Food Bag co-creator also said trusting your instincts was important because different body types require different things.
The new Fresh Start programme, has a specific focus on weight management. Photo / Supplied
Lim said people will tend to favour expensive packaged items over natural unpackaged food, because "old school" healthy eating doesn't seem "sexy".
"Humans are always looking for some magic bullet, something that is instantly going to turn them into something else. We always seen to be striving for that. But the honest truth is, slow and steady does it and whatever is sustainable works best."
Losing half a kilogram to 1kg a week is more than adequate, according to Lim. Anything more may not be considered sustainable or healthy.
In the end Lim believes it comes down to making smart choices, but also enjoying what you eat.
"Whatever choices you make, you also have to enjoy them. Anything you do in life, in order to keep it up and make it part of your life it has to be enjoyable."
