THEY say adding more color to your plate and eating  five fruits and vegetables every day will surely keep you healthy and bright.

A balanced and healthy lifestyle is the key. But how exactly should this  be done?

Nutritionist Nicole Senior in her post at Taste.com said the first step to getting the balance right is to make health a priority. Commit to a healthy lifestyle. Schedule 'appointments' for healthy activities such as exercise, shopping and cooking as you would with other important obligations.

Nicole said managing weight is about energy balance. Energy input from food and drink needs to be balanced with energy output through activity. Beware of those creeping extra treats.

Remember that energy is used to fuel organs such as the brain, heart, lungs and liver, so it's not as simple as just measuring the kilojoules in (food) and out (activity). However it's good to be aware how much energy is in the food you eat.

Here, she provide some sample exercise a 60kg person needed to burn off kilojoules consumed in different foods and drinks.

* 1 medium glass wine = 30 minutes' brisk walking

* 50g chocolate bar = An aerobics class

* 1 medium serve French fries = Jogging at 8km/hr for 42 minutes

* 1 can cola drink = Swimming for 30 minutes

And because temptation to indulge in sinful treats is strong, Nicole advises to avoid them as much as possible.

She shared her tips on how to balance right the diet. Here’s the serving size guide to give you the idea how many serves are needed daily from each food group. It also shows how many extras (treats) are okay. The larger your body size and the more active you are, the more servings of food you need. To lose weight, choose a smaller number of serves within the range.

* Vegetables and legumes - Serve one to two cups (75g) of cooked vegetables or one cup salad.

* Fruits - A serve of one tennis ball-sized piece or two small golf ball-sized pieces or one cup chopped. Eat 2 to 3 serves a day.

* Bread, cereal, rice, pasta, noodles - Serve two slices bread, one cup cooked rice/pasta, one cup porridge, 1 1/3 cups cereal. Eat 4 plus serves a day.

* Milk, yoghurt or cheese - A serve of one matchbox-sized piece cheese, one cup milk or 200g tub yoghurt; Eat 3 serves a day.

* Meat, fish, chicken, eggs, nuts or legumes - A serve of two matchbox-sized pieces (100g raw) meat/chicken, palm-sized piece (150g raw) fish, two eggs, 1/2 cup cooked beans/lentils, 1/3 cup nuts, 120g tofu; Eat 1 to 2 serves a day.

* Healthy oils - A serve of two teaspoons oil or unsaturated margarine spread; Eat 2 plus serves a day.

* Extras/treats - A serve of 1/2 x 50g chocolate bar, one can cola drink, one small glass wine, one slice (40g) cake, one mini-pack (30g) chips; Eat 0 to 3 serves a day.

It's easy to check if your meal is balanced. Half your plate should be filled with vegetables, a quarter with meat (or alternatives) and the remaining quarter with grains or starches (bread, rice, pasta, potato etc). If you're trying to lose weight, use a smaller plate. If dining out, choose entre-sized portions and order vegetables to accompany your meal.

Make time for exercise. Commit to exercise and stick to it. Set aside time for physical activity. Use motivating tools such as pedometers to record the number of steps you've walked daily, join an exercise class with a friend or simply take the dog for a brisk daily walk.