Here's something that might shock you. Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring.

When cricketers think about eating right the first thing that comes into our heads is one of restriction. Who wants to be gnawing on a stick of celery at tea time while others tuck into cakes?

Not many club players in the UK want to miss out on a post match beer either.

For me, cricket nutrition is not about restriction at all. Those of us with the widest range of tastes will naturally eat healthier. In short, the less you restrict yourself the healthier, fitter and better at cricket you will be.

1. Use basic spices on meat. Steamed broccoli and a grilled chicken breast doesn't sound too appetising because it isn't. It's incredibly healthy though. You can easily make it both simply by dipping the chicken in a Jamaican jerk spice: Put some garlic powder, chilli powder, thyme, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl with the chicken until it sticks. There are many combinations for fish, poultry and beef.
2. Have an emergency plan. If you get hungry you should always have something on hand to eat that is quick and healthy. You can make a shake in 5 minutes that satisfies your hunger without being plain. Also buy a lot of stuff in without resorting to packets of shiny looking processed meals and snacks.
3. Eat something new once a week. I'm talking about natural food rather than the latest chocolate bar here. How many types of fruit and veg have you tried? Ever eaten ostrich or elk? Track things down and try them out. You might find you like it.
4. Look for the naturally sweet. A big complaint about healthy eating is that you can't eat anything sweet. While processed sugars are to be avoided stuff like berries, almonds and peppers (especially grilled) naturally taste sweet. If you can't stand the thought of avoiding sugar and starch why not replace it with Splenda?
5. Break the rules. One of the 10 rules of good nutrition is to have 10% foods. That means you can break the other rules about 10% of the time without worrying about getting off track. Want to have some cake at tea or a post game beer? Go for it, but only if you have spent the rest of the week following the rules.

As I have said before, I have found that eating healthy meals has expanded my taste rather than restricting it. Today I will be cooking an Indian dish called beef saag for the first time. Even 6 months ago I would never have thought about attempting it. Is there any reason you can't do this too?

For over 100 healthy recipes, including many that can be made in 5 minutes, pick up a copy of Precision Nutrition.