Make small changes

We looked at the same survey data to help answer our question: What are normal-weight people eating? According to Dr. Jenny Ledikwe, a post-doctoral fellow at Penn State and lead author of the study, normal-weight people had diets lower in calorie density than those of their obese peers.

They are not depriving themselves; they eat a variety of foods from all food groups. She encourages people to ¡°make small changes to their diet by incorporating additional fruits and vegetables to lower the calorie density. Lean meats, low-fat dairy products and whole grains are also good choices."

To stay lean in this expanding world you don't have to cut out whole categories of foods or eat tiny portions. These tips can help you choose a healthy balance of foods to lower the calorie density of your diet:

* Sneak vegetables and fruit into your diet throughout the day: top cereal with berries, snack on an apple or carrot sticks, tuck your favorite veggies into sandwiches or casseroles, increase the proportion of veggies on your plate.

* Cut the fat in foods without sacrificing taste by using a smaller amount of highly flavored vegetable oils, switching to lower fat milk and buying lean cuts of meat. Fat packs more than twice as many calories into an ounce of food as carbohydrates or protein.
* Keep your pantry well-stocked with a variety of your favorite low-calorie-dense foods so these are what you eat when you have the munchies.

* Focus on what you can eat, rather than what you can't. Find a low-calorie-dense eating pattern that you enjoy so you will stick to it.

* Find ways to tweak your own diet using foods that you like and find appealing.

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