8 Easy Healthy-Eating Tips From the Nutrition Pros

Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? I’m wondering if anyone will wish me a happy Registered Dietitian Day today.

Frankly, we need a day in our honor. People treat us like walking nutrition encyclopedias, and they don’t have us over for dinner because they think we’ll nitpick about the fat grams. Our friends rummage through our refrigerators and cupboards looking for contraband. When they find an errant chip or candy, they act like they’ve caught a dirty cop red-handed.

Here are some real-life RD nutrition tidbits.

Keep tabs on portions. For a perfect, one-cup portion of anything, I use the snack-size Ziploc bags. They’re great for those items for which you may want to control the portion. —Jennifer Hutchison, RD; St. Petersburg, Fla.

Eat like your inner child. I use my toddler son’s small-size bowls for my meals such as cereal and pasta and his cups for a serving of beverages for myself. —Amy D. Ozier, PhD, RD; DeKalb, Ill.

Fuel up in the a.m. I exercise first thing in the morning so I have 100 to 150 calories from a banana, sports bar, or a couple handfuls of cereal before I exercise. Then, I make sure I eat within 30 minutes of finishing my workout to get quicker and better replenishment. I feel so much better doing this, and I think it is helping me maintain a healthy weight and body composition. —Tara Gidus, MS, RD; Orlando, Fla.

Get a smoothie start to your day. I blend up a smoothie with 1 cup plain yogurt, ¼ cup uncooked oats, ½ banana, assorted frozen fruit, and a little bit of orange juice every night so I can grab a quick, healthy breakfast on my way out the door the next morning. It provides me with the energy I need to start my day and is a little easier to swallow than solid food early in the morning. —Kelly Griesel, RD, LD; Baltimore, Md.

Have a bone-building brownie. I usually crave something sweet after lunch, so I have a fudge-brownie-flavored Viactiv chew. It’s delicious, satisfies my sweet tooth, and gives me 50% of my calcium. —Lynn Stahlhut, MS, RD; Maryville, Ill.

Don’t go for diet dressing. I opt for the dieter’s taboo—full-fat salad dressing. Recent research has found that the nutrients in a salad are best absorbed when consuming a full-fat dressing versus fat free. I dip each forkful of salad into a side of dressing. Or when I buy vinaigrette dressing, I pour it into a little spray bottle and spritz it on my salad to keep calories controlled. —Jenna Stranzl, RD; Allentown, Penn.

Sub in some avocado. I use mashed avocados in place of all or half of the oil in any muffin or quick bread recipe—it even works in brownies. It adds the phytonutrient benefits of the avocado, but still results in the right taste and texture.” —Heidi McIndoo, MS, RD; Boston, Mass.

Make this soup! It’s quick to make using broth, frozen vegetables, canned beans, etc. Low cost, low calorie, high fiber! I take this soup to work for lunch. It is a tasty way to consume vegetables and the high fiber prevents my afternoon hunger snack attack. —Gayle Lanphier, RD, CSSD, LDN; York, Penn.

Vegetable and Bean Soup
1 small onion
2 ribs of celery
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 quart of broth (vegetable, chicken, or beef)
1 pound package of frozen mixed vegetables
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can of black beans or kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
Salt, pepper, spices, to taste

Chop the onion and celery into small pieces. Sauté in olive oil. Add broth, frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, and spices. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans and simmer one minute longer.

Tips: You may use any frozen vegetables and spices. My favorite seasoning is Old Bay. Omit the celery and onion if you are in a rush. For increased protein add cooked meats (a great use for leftovers). This yields about 1½ quarts, or six 8-ounce servings. Each serving is approximately 150 calories and contains 8 to 10 grams of fiber.