"I thought at the time I would like to be able to set out for someone what they should eat based on whatever their health problems were. I was very young at that time. I didn't know it would be dietetics that I would eventually work towards."

Today, Ms Browne has been a dietician for 23 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics from the University of Western Ontario. A month ago she became the clinical dietician at the Allergy Clinic of Bermuda, and she has also been executive director of the St. John Ambulance Brigade for about two years.

One of Ms Browne's duties at the Allergy Clinic of Bermuda is to give dietary counselling to patients in the clinic's new smoking cessation programme.

"There are quite a number of people who quit smoking and have a problem with weight," said Ms Browne. "My job is to look over their present eating patterns and try to help them make changes in conjunction with the cravings they get from cigarette smoking and the changes that occur in their bodies as the result of having stopped."

She said one of the problems for people who are trying to quit is that they are use to having something in their mouths. They often turn to sweets to try to cope with this.

"Also there are combination habits," she said. "They might be accustomed to having coffee with a cigarette. So you are trying to replace that combination habit. Someone might say to you that the coffee doesn't taste the same since they quit smoking.

"We are trying to come up with alternatives for that. Maybe it is time to exercise or time to take in some additional fluids. It might be snack time."

Ms Browne also gives nutrition advice to people who have allergies or food sensitivities.

Clinic Nurse Manager Jutta Harvey said, "I can tell people what they are allergic to, what to avoid, but it is really helpful to have Jacqueline tell them what alternative foods they can eat so they don't miss out on nutrition, and they don't feel unhappy. If we don't take care of those things then the likelihood of succeeding diminishes."

Ms Browne said dieticians like herself are always competing with the latest fad diet. Some of these diets emphasise low carbohydrates and some emphasise low fat, but Ms Browne said, for people who don't have specific health requirements, a balanced diet is the key.

"I would look at a moderate diet in terms of fat content and carbohydrates," she said. "People always want to lose weight quickly. I don't blame them. However, what you really need to look at is the unglamourous side. What is it that I am doing in terms of my eating patterns that needs to change for the long term? That is not very glamourous."

She said changing your dietary lifestyle is one of the hardest things to do, particularly, if you love certain foods.

"People frequently don't have breakfast," she said. "They say they don't have time and they don't even think of alternatives for what they could have for breakfast or alternative times for breakfast."

One of the difficulties in changing your lifestyle is learning how to plan meals, and not eat on an impulse. Without planning, many people eat at restaurants for lunch, or stop by the supermarket to pick up something ready-made for dinner.

"You do need to plan even if you are not making your own lunch and taking it into work, you at least need to plan in terms of where you are likely to eat and whether you are likely to get a meal that is within the confines of your diet," she said. "Also, a lot of people don't think of asking when they go to the restaurant, 'can I have plain meat with vegetables'. They are the customer. Usually the restaurant will be very happy to oblige, but you have to ask the questions."

But she said eating out means that you lose control over what you are eating.

"I find that so many people stop by the supermarket for their meals. So we are not cooking as much anymore. That leads to a variety of problems. You lose control of what you are eating. You don't know what is in the scrambled eggs. It may be water or it may be milk."

She said people also have to beware of meal-in-a-box type meals or frozen dinners.

"Right away you are usually looking at a higher fat and salt content and an assortment of other chemicals that will be in that for preservatives," she said.

Ms Browne said that one way people can save time without eating unhealthy 'just-add-water' meals is to use the microwave to cook.

"Most people just use the microwave to reheat things," said Ms Browne. "Most people don't think of it in terms of cooking. You may need to experiment with things a little to see how the microwave works on them. Maybe put a meal on for ten minute intervals so you don't overcook it. With certain items you are going to have to decrease the water. In the microwave, many dishes don't require as much water so it is going to overflow abundantly. "Look at it as you would an experiment in a lab. Go in and do one or two things that may be side dishes that you could replace in a different way.

"It may say 45 minutes in a regular cookbook, but cook in seven minutes in a microwave.

You will learn that certain types of food generally take so much time and generally require so much more and so much less liquid to use with it."

She recommended that people read the cookbook that usually comes with a new microwave, but she said you could also use a regular cookbook with some adjustments.

"There are certain things you will need to key in on to make it work," she said. "For example, scrambled eggs can be done in a microwave, but you can't cook it all at one time. Do it at 30 second intervals. Stop the microwave, scramble it, then put the microwave on another 30 seconds. You have to keep turning the product so it is fully cooked, but not dry."

She said cooking is a form of creativity that society needs to regain. Her advice is to experiment and have fun.

"Try using yoghurt and season that, instead of a mayonnaise with a salad," she said. "Add some lemon juice for a bit of a piquant flavour. Initially, your experiments may look like what the kids do the first time out, finger painting."

Ms Browne said she herself doesn't do as much cooking as she use to because her mother loves to cook.

Her mother, Pauline Daniels, was a food service and home economics teacher.

"My mother likes to have someone enjoy her cooking," said Ms Browne. "She has found that with increasing age she doesn't have the physical strength to stand up as long in the kitchen and to lift a variety of pots and pans. She is in her 70s. Now she is into what she can combine that is semi-prepared or totally prepared to make an interesting flavour and taste that is still healthy.

"That happens to be her particular interest. Many people come in and say to her: 'you should be sitting down and not doing anything', but I glory in her spirit.

"Cooking is something she has always enjoyed doing. It keeps her mentally active. She is always trying to think of new ways."

Ms Browne said cooking should be taught in school, but really the responsibility for teaching a child to cook starts at home.

"Many parents don't cook anymore," she said. "Often, both parents are out working so there is limited time. It goes right back to the planning thing, even if it is just teaching your child the basics of how to operate a microwave."