Oh dear, the confession that I have weak spot for potato chips came at a bad time. Obesity is once again in the headlines as new estimates suggest that up to 47 percent of our adult population is seriously overweight. Never have we needed nutritional role models more, and there I go defending my occasional foray into the dark and murky world of all things deep fried.

Yet if we all only ate fried foods occasionally, we'd be fine. Our problem is this. On the whole, unhealthy food in Bermuda is the norm, rather than the exception to the rule. Each time I go grocery shopping I have to restrain myself from ransacking everyone's carts in panic. Piled high with sugary drinks and processed meals, Bermuda's shopping carts are a testament to our poor state of health. And not only are we as adults feeding ourselves this rubbish, we're feeding it to our children too.

I'm not saying that we're all bad parents – there's several factors to blame here. Sure, we have a responsibility as adults to feed our children nutritious food, but marketing and food labelling is misleading. Just because something is "low fat" or "organic" doesn't mean it's healthy. Low fat is often high in sugar, and organic foods can be high in salt, sugar or saturated fat – they just happen to be chemical free. Chemical free is obviously a good start, but be wise when you read an organic nutrition label. If the sugar, salt or fat content is high, exercise caution!

Added to that, grocery stores are very clever at ruining your best intentions. You may have made it the whole way round the store resisting the chips and sugary treats, but by the time you've reached the check out, will power is often well and truly diminished. Not only have you been tempted for the tenth time, but you're also now starving. If you've done you're shopping on the way home from work and haven't eaten since lunch, then the candy bars at the counter may just about break your back. The trick of course is to have a healthy, slightly indulgent treat as you leave work (try the Kashi Go Lean Cherry and Dark Chocolate TLC bars) to prevent you caving in.

Also, our favourite Bermudian dishes haven't been created with health in mind. We know how to celebrate, but boy do we also know how to provide a coronary on a plate. By the time you've had fried chicken, peas 'n' rice, mac 'n' cheese, a swizzle and some ice cream, we've notched up a heart breaking number of calories. Even if we only have one or two of these at a time, we're pushing our luck when it comes to achieving a healthy balance.

If we are going to get anywhere, if we are going to protect ourselves and our children from the debilitating health conditions associated with obesity (type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, erectile dysfunction to name a few), then there has to be a cultural shift. We need to recognise that many of our staples are not healthy and we have to change them in a way that's still appealing.

It's a simple fact that most of us live in an almost permanent state of denial. It doesn't matter how many people we know who have had heart attacks or had amputations as a result of type 2 diabetes, we always seem to think "it won't happen to me". However, as obesity is now affecting 47 percent of our adults, there will come a time when "it won't happen to me" becomes completely irrelevant. It will happen to you, it will happen to nearly everyone – unless we do something about it.

Still, that doesn't mean the answer is to have a national ban on unhealthy food. If we are going to adopt healthy lifestyles permanently, then we still have to come up with something appealing.

Human beings are too fond of the here and now to see the long-term benefit of eating braised tofu and mung-bean soup three times a day.

As a start, we can do two very simple things when it comes to improving our diets in Bermuda. The first is to modify portion sizes, and the second is to take some of our favourite recipes and adapt them to create healthier versions. See the answer to this week's question for an example of how to do both.

Question of the week: Do you have a healthy recipe for mac 'n' cheese? – Two Space Tyres, Pembroke

Let's put it this way – I have a healthier version of mac 'n' cheese, and I have to confess I have borrowed this one from the American Heart Association. As I have food allergies to both dairy and wheat, an evening experimenting with healthy mac 'n' cheese recipes could end up in a near-death experience – or at least three hours hugging the toilet bowl.

This is a slightly adulterated version of mac 'n' cheese so not exactly the real deal I know, but it should come close enough! Compare the chart below – and see how the nutritional value of the AHA recipe compares to that of your typical frozen mac n' cheese meal. You'll see the sodium and fat content especially are far lower:

Healthy vs. Standard

584mg sodium vs. 970mg sodium

335 calories vs. 370 calories

6g total fat vs. 15g total fat

4g saturated fat vs. 6g saturated fat

27g protein vs. 14g protein

42g carbohydrate vs. 44g carbohydrate

19mg cholesterol vs. 25mg cholesterol

However, bear in mind that the AHA recipe serves six. Serving sizes are crucial here.

When you have a main meal, one quarter of your plate should be carbs, one quarter protein and half should be non-starchy green veg or salad. Remember that carbs include pasta, rice, beans, pumpkin and corn, so only one quarter of your plate should be made up of these. And no cheating with ginormous plate sizes either! As a guideline, your carb serving should be what you could cup in one hand.

Hearty Baked Macaroni

Serves six

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil spray

1 16oz can tomato puree (look for the one with no added salt)

1 cup water

2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 ½ cups low-fat cottage cheese

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 8oz package wholewheat macaroni, uncooked

4oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Spray a 9x9x2 inch casserole dish with the vegetable spray

3. In one bowl, mix the tomato puree, water, herbs and ½ teaspoon garlic powder

4. In another bowl, mix the cottage cheese, onion powder and ½ teaspoon garlic powder

5. Spoon ⅓ of the tomato mixture into the dish. Follow with half the macaroni, all of the cottage cheese mixture and then ⅓ more of the tomato mixture

6. Add the rest of the macaroni, and then the rest of the tomato mixture

7. Cover with foil and then bake for one hour.

8. Uncover and top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 minutes uncovered.

9. Although this contains some protein too, serve this as your carb portion with some baked chicken and a large green salad.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted on 291-4725 or clinicalnutrition[AT]gmail.com.