A few mockup guidelines I follow:
- No soda. A beer or wine is fine for food, and I also enjoy juice with water in a 1:5 or 2:5 ratio (normal juice is way to sweet). I still eat candy and such, because it is much easier to regulate your sugar intake when chewing a lot than when drinking it, so I don't end up overdoing it.
- Don't be afraid of fats, especially saturated ones. Cutting down on carbs in meals and getting energy from fats is great, since your blood sugar doesn't fluctuate as much. A bit of new research suggests that saturated fats should simply be considered energy, while a good balance of omega fatties is required for good health. So eating fatty fish regularly is important. Also, as well as the blood sugar benefits, uptake of saturated fats in the body in particular have shown to increase the overall feeling of happiness (hence a factor in why sad / hungover / etc. people tend to eat fatty foods).
- Don't fret over dietary advice if it isn't enjoyable. Half of the world will tell you something is bad to eat, then turn around and say the opposite as soon as solid evidence is presented (cholesterol in eggs fx). With a varied enjoyable diet (obviously only red meat and icecream every day isn't varied) and a bit of none-obsessive handwavy calorie counting, most people should be covered for their daily nutrient intake and be able to keep or reduce their weight.
That's not to say you shouldn't try diets if you're up to it, just don't believe some coach blindly if it makes you feel miserable.
- Cook as a hobby. It'll help you steer clear of fast food and processed stuff, it'll be cheaper, it'll help you try new stuff, and it's an easy way to accomplish something in your day.
- Don't drink coffee around your meals if you're vegetarian, especially if you're female. I'm not, but I studied nutrition at uni for a year and this was one of the more surprising facts. Non-animal iron uptake is hindered by caffiene.
What I really should do but don't: Exercise, get up and sleep at reasonable and consistent times, eat at least three meals a day, cut down on coffee. Especially exercise is important vs anxiety, but I just can't find the motivation. Also I should probably start on CBT.