As the leaves change and the air turns crisp, it can be tempting to indulge in delicious food favorites and hide those few extra pounds under a thick wool sweater. But you shouldn’t have to choose between sticking with your weight management plan and enjoying satisfying and delicious foods. There are some easy and tasty tricks to having your cake and eating it too.
Registered dietitian Sylvia Melendez-Klinger shares her tips on ways to outsmart hunger:
* Get those greens. Filling up on low-calorie, nutrient-dense vegetables is a great way to incorporate vitamins and minerals into your diet – and help fill you up at the same time. Not a salad lover? Integrating veggies into your diet can be as easy as topping your sandwich with spinach and peppers or baking chicken with carrots and onions.
* Protein packs a punch. Choosing foods with protein will help you feel full longer.
* Pump up the produce. Adding seasonal produce to each meal is another flavorful and delicious way to watch the scale. While summer may be best known for bringing fresh produce options to the table, fall ushers in a new group of colorful and nutrient-dense varieties of its own, like apples, yams, beets, pumpkins and carrots. Burn some extra calories by walking to your local farmer’s market to buy fresh, local options.
