I had a very social time in Lindo's yesterday when I seemed to run in to everyone I know. Clients, co-workers, friends, neighbours … what a shame then that I had an enormous pizza in my cart.

How come I don't see everyone I know when I've just had my hair done? Or when baby Chloe is looking immaculate and performing tricks? Instead I'm most likely to run into people when I've just had my eyebrows waxed, or when my little girl is having a meltdown.

It's rare for any of us to make it round the grocery store without seeing at least one person we know. So in my line of business, slipping something unhealthy in amongst the veggies is a dangerous game. Ironically it wasn't even for me, but was a melted-cheese form of bribery for our babysitter. I have experimented with babysitters, and the ones you leave carrot sticks and hummus for aren't so keen on coming back.

Of course there are plenty of occasions when the bad things in the cart are mine. And as I'm now used to people inspecting my grocery shopping, I've got quite good at hiding chocolate under the broccoli. Unfortunately on the pizza-shopping occasion, I hadn't yet made it to the household supplies aisle. I had thought that a paper-towel multipack would be the perfect thing to hide the slab of DiGiorno badness in my cart, but it obviously wasn't meant to be.

Yet whilst admittedly there are times when my grocery shopping is less than perfect, I stick to whole, natural food for the most part. I do find it very difficult not to hijack people's shopping sometimes and point out all the bad things in it. Overflowing with sodas, chips, white bread, juice boxes, processed cheese and cookies, these are the kind of purchases that lead us straight down the path to obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and not just us as adults, but our kids too.

Taking a long hard look at your grocery cart is one way to evaluate how healthy your diet is. The food you eat should be as close to its natural form as possible fresh fruit and veggies, wholegrain bread and hormone/antibiotic-free chicken for example would be ten times better than strawberry jello, white bread and chicken nuggets. Next time you're in the grocery store, take a serious look at what you're buying.

However, the very best dietary reality check is to keep a food diary for a week. Write down every single thing you eat and drink (and how much of it) for seven days – being totally honest with yourself – and then review it.

Most people find that seeing it on paper is quite revealing. We don't realise quite how often we slip up. Why don't you try it and see how you do?

The big no-no's include skipping meals, snacking on junk, drinking sodas or fruit punch, forgetting your five-a-day and eating fried or processed food. Check in with me next week and I'll explain why!

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 BA Hons, Dip ION is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the U.K. Please note that she is not a Registered Dietician. She can be contacted at nourishbda@gmail.com