Macaroni and cheese, peas and rice, potato salad, coleslaw, fried chicken, fried fish -- all of these are staples of Bermudian cuisine. In the last article, you learned about serving sizes for the various food groups in the Food Guide Pyramid.

At the very top of the pyramid, the smallest piece, is the fats, oils and sweets section, and the advice is to use these sparingly.

But that may seem easier said than done if you eat a lot of our traditional meals.

With Easter weekend coming up, I thought this would be a good time to offer some suggestions on how you can make these Bermudian dishes a little bit healthier: Let's start with good old macaroni and cheese. Do you add oil or butter to the water when you're cooking the pasta? If so, don't -- it's not necessary and only adds extra fat. Why not try using low-fat cheese instead of regular cheese; this will also help cut the fat and calorie content, and unlike fat-free cheeses, it still has the flavour and texture of cheese.

Mix your potato salad with light mayonnaise, instead of regular; you will still have the moistness and flavour of mayonnaise with a lot less fat.

Instead of frying your chicken, why not try dipping boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a light salad dressing, for example Italian, and then roll them in a mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and then bake in the oven. Most of the fat in chicken is in the skin, so by removing it and not cooking your chicken in oil, you will have a very healthy and tasty substitute! Use the same trick with your fish -- bake or grill the fish for your fish sandwich, and you will have a much healthier meal. And what about the tartar sauce? Make your own using light mayonnaise, relish, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.

For your coleslaw, just use less dressing; it doesn't have to be swimming in dressing -- you just need a little bit for flavour.

In addition to preparing your foods in a healthier way, it is also important to look at how much you are eating. In the last two columns, we talked about the number and serving size for each of the various food groups.

If you look at the Bermudian diet, it falls mainly into the starch category -- macaroni and cheese, peas and rice, potato salad, the bread for the fish sandwiches, and of course for Easter, hot cross buns.

So in addition to preparing healthier versions of these dishes, be careful about how much food you put on your plate. Take just a little bit of each instead of piling your plate as high as you can. Try having your fish on its own instead of with bread.

If there is a green salad available, fill half your plate up with salad. And be sure to eat slowly; your body takes about 20 minutes to recognise being full. So enjoy the company of family and friends, and chat between mouthfuls.

You may find yourself satisfied even though you still have food on your plate.

You do not have to clean your plate! I am not suggesting, however, that you take all the enjoyment out of holiday gatherings by constantly worrying about what you put in your mouth.

However, you will be less lethargic and have more energy for the friendly game of football or flying your six- or eight-footer after lunch by not loading yourself down with fat! Just practise moderation and enjoy knowing that your body will thank you for it!