The guidance replaces existing advice which recommends that pregnant women or women trying to conceive should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week, and should avoid getting drunk. The Department said the new guidance was not based on new scientific evidence but was needed to help ensure that women did not underestimate the risks to their baby.

This message to avoid alcohol completely in pregnancy and when trying for a baby has been a long time coming. In January 2000, research from Queen’s University claimed that the Department of Health (who at that point in time recommended that pregnant women could drink four units of alcohol a week) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (who said that seven units of alcohol a week was not harmful) were offering unsound and dangerous advice.

The study showed that even a tiny amount of alcohol (4 glasses of wine a week) can affect an unborn baby’s brain and central nervous system. Scientists concluded that women who drink throughout their pregnancy will produce children with shorter attention spans, and their children will also find it more difficult to do well at school. At that time, Britain was the only developed country where pregnant women were officially told that they could drink.

The message is simple: avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive.

For years, women around the menopause have been told to take calcium and vitamin D tablets to protect their bones. But researchers believe there could be another incentive – staying slim.

Women over 50 who regularly take calcium and vitamin D supplements are less likely to gain weight than those who do not, according to a study. Researchers found that those who were deficient in calcium and vitamin D got the greatest benefits. The finding comes from a seven-year study of more than 36,000 U.S. women aged 50 to 79 enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Study. Half the women took 1,000mg of calcium and 400 ius of vitamin D every day; the other half took placebo pills.

After the menopause, women tend to gain weight especially around the middle. The results of the study showed that calcium and vitamin D supplements slowed the weight gain — particularly among women who weren’t getting enough calcium to begin with. The important thing about this study is that by taking extra calcium and vitamin D you are not only protecting your bones but can easily prevent some of that weight gain after menopause.

Calcium seems to reduce fat absorption and increase leptin, the substance that curbs appetite. Older women are encouraged to take calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis, so this research suggests there may be a double benefit. In addition, we’ve seen recent reports that vitamin D may play a part in preventing breast cancer and other disorders. Most good ‘bone’ supplements will contain both calcium and vitamin D so you do not have to take separate supplements of the two nutrients.

If you’re having problems losing those extra pounds or finding it hard to get motivated you may want to experiment with one or more of the four natural techniques below. They aren’t miracle cures but they can help you get to the root cause of why you aren’t losing weight or eating healthily and by so doing help you find ways to get back on track.

If you eat when you’re not hungry try hypnotherapy:

Most people with weight issues don’t need reminding that the way to lose weight is to eat less junk, more healthy, nutritious food and to be more physically active. They know exactly what they need to do to achieve their weight loss goal but for some reason they find it hard to actually make the changes they need to.

This is because for the great majority of people food is not the problem; the problem is stress, low self- esteem, and low willpower and until the real reason for overeating is taken into account they will continue to over eat or make poor food choices. In short, they eat not because they are hungry but to relieve boredom or to protect themselves from feeling lonely, angry, guilty or unfulfilled and this unhealthy relationship with food becomes a habit so they are eating without thinking about it.

Habits are stored in the unconscious area of your mind and the benefit of hypnotherapy is that it enables communication with the unconscious mind to make the needed behavioural and emotional changes. Hypnotherapy can also help change negative thinking habits which can trigger depression, low self-esteem and low willpower and give you the motivation you need to begin to love your own body and take care of it.

For instance, it can help give you the willpower to eat healthy and exercise and to turn away foods high in sugar, saturated fat and refined carbohydrates. It can help you feel full quicker, eat slower, and eat less than ever before.

You have to remember that it took years to put on the weight and it won’t come off over night and hypnotherapy isn’t a cure all for everyone but it can work for some people, especially those who for years have been reaching for food when they know they aren’t hungry.

If you’ve never had hypnotherapy before or are worried that it might be dangerous hypnotherapy remember that it is safe when practised by properly trained practitioners. It is usually carried out one-to-one with a trained and trusted hypnotherapist in a therapeutic setting. After taking a medical history and discussing how hypnotherapy may be of use, the therapist will ask you to sit in a comfortable chair or lie on a couch. Your attention will be shifted away from external events or mental stresses and you will be asked to focus on your breathing and increasingly relaxed state.

Once you’re relaxed, therapeutic suggestions will be made such as, ‘you will no longer feel the desire to eat when you are bored’. You’ll then gradually be brought out of your relaxed state and back into the present.

If you find it difficult to maintain a healthy weight pay attention to your digestive health:

Paying attention to your digestive health if you have weight problems is absolutely crucial because if your digestive health is poor you won’t be getting the nutrients you need to burn fat efficiently and lose weight. So take the following small steps to boost your digestion;

• Eat a small piece of fresh ginger before a meal to activate the saliva glands and stimulate digestion before you eat
• Drink a glass of lemon juice diluted with water first thing in the morning before you eat breakfast to give your digestive system a boost
• Try to increase your intake of green leafy vegetables because these ultra nutritious foods are packed full of important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for good digestion
• Mindful eating: Eat in a peaceful relaxing environment (stress can have a negative impact on digestive health) and chew your food thoroughly. Put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls and savour every bite; digestion starts in the mouth with your saliva.
• Increase your intake of fibre by eating dried fruit such as dates, figs and prunes, beans and legumes, snacking on apples, sprinkling ground flaxseeds (linseeds) on rice, grains, salads or any other meal of your choice.
• Probiotics: The bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum are considered good “probiotic” bacteria because they can help to maintain digestive and intestinal health. Although good bacteria can be found in some yogurts, there is a wide variation in the quantity and quality so look for good quality organic yogurt that add the active cultures after pasteurisation, because this heat process destroys both good and bad bacteria. Or alternatively you can add in a probiotic supplement like BioKult.

If you can’t get motivated to exercise and lose weight try yoga:

If you want to lose weight healthy eating needs to be combined with regular exercise but if the idea of spending an hour sweating away calories is not an appealing option yoga is a brilliant alternative way to get fit and flexible.

Although most kinds of yoga help tone muscle and build flexibility the one that significantly helps you burn calories is ashtanga. If you are overweight but fit this kind, also known as power yoga, is a great alternative cardiovascular work out that can help you lose weight and build fitness. If, however, you aren’t as fit as you know you can be you may want to begin with a less vigorous form such as silvanada which will help you build up your calories burning muscles but will also increase your strength and stamina so you can eventually move on to more aerobic activities.

If you can’t stop comfort eating try cognitive behavioural therapy (CBF):

Losing weight and keeping it off isn’t just about watching what you eat it involves addressing why you have an issue with food and why it may have become a way to avoid dealing with emotional problems, such as guilt and fear, which can lead to comfort eating.

Like hypnotherapy, CBF explores the psychological reason for negative eating patterns to get to the core of the problem and help you resolve underlying issues. Unlike hypnotherapy, however, practitioners don’t use the power of suggestion but instead teach you how to recognise the negative thinking patterns that are triggering your comfort eating and then give you powerful tools to stop those negative thoughts and habits.

The real power of the system is that it can help calm your mind and body, so you think more uplifting thoughts, make healthier food choices and don’t feel the need to use food as a substitute for emotional insecurity or hurt anymore. Again, CBF isn’t a cure all for everyone but for some people it can provide the incentive they need to eat healthily, lose weight and keep it off.