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1. Regularly “feed your mind” with information about nutrition. Knowledge is a great motivator. One of the best ways to do this is to subscribe to a reputable health or nutrition magazine or newsletter that provides articles on nutrition, commentary on the latest research, and answers to readers’ questions. Choose one that is NOT associated with a particular diet plan or line of supplements.

2. If you don’t like low-fat salad dressings, don’t force yourself to eat them. Instead find (or create) a salad dressing that you really love, using one of the “good” oils — preferably canola or olive. Then cut the fat by adding a great Balsamic vinegar — 2/3 dressing, 1/3 vinegar or even 50-50. Lemon juice works well, too.

3. Don’t eat unless you are hungry. Don’t eat because it’s time to, don’t eat to be polite, don’t eat to celebrate, and don’t eat because it’s there. Most of all, don’t eat to satisfy emotional hunger. Just say no — it’s really not that hard.

4. Learn to love fresh vegetables. How? By eating them — lots of them. Steam them, microwave them or eat them raw in salads. Just one rule: NO BUTTER. Dip vegetables in hummus. Season with herbs, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or toss in a little seasoned olive oil just before serving.

5. Occasionally stroll through one of those outdoor farmers markets that sells local produce. Being surrounded by piles of gorgeous vegetables and fruits is every bit as seductive as an ice cream parlor or bakery. It’s like taking a total immersion language course. Health consciousness by proximity.

6. Become a connoisseur of fruit. If you think all pears are named Bartlett, introduce yourself to D’Angou and the incredibly delectable Comice. If your market doesn’t offer variety, ask the produce manager to branch out — or shop elsewhere.

7. For a quick meal add extra vegetables (red and yellow peppers, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, broccoli, peas) to one of those pasta-in-a-pan concoctions from the frozen food case.

8. If you are addicted to sweets, get rid of the stimuli. Purge the pantry of candy, cookies and pastries. Get the ice cream and sugary soft drinks out of the refrigerator. Don’t buy the stuff, period. If you can stay away from sugar for a month or so, you will find the craving greatly diminished if not completely gone. It’s incredibly liberating!

9. For a hearty breakfast, combine three or four fresh fruits (berries, cubed melon or mango, sliced bananas, peaches, pears, etc.) and top with a no-fat-added granola. If you like, add a few tablespoons of low-fat or nonfat yogurt and top with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts or pecans.

10. Don’t be an “unconscious eater.” Pay attention to what you are putting in your mouth, when you’re putting it there, and why. Slow down and savor the myriad flavors of good food.

11. Don’t starve yourself. Consuming too few calories can create feelings of deprivation and lead to binge eating. Food is fuel, and without sufficient fuel your “engine” will sputter and cut out. In addition, eating too little can lead to deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals.

12. Keep on hand a supply of healthy snacks: nonfat yogurt, fresh fruit, dried fruit, rice cakes, baby carrots, and low-fat, whole-grain crackers like Triscuits® and the fabulous ak mak®.

13. Invest in a fruit ripener —a spherical, clear plastic container found in many kitchen gadget stores. For speedy, even ripening, load with avocados, bananas, tomatoes, peaches, pears or any fruits that require ripening.

14. Put fresh lemon juice in a spray bottle for spritzing salads, vegetables, even chicken. Lime juice is great, too. Try it drizzled over corn on the cob with a shake of chili powder.

15. Store your scales in a remote closet (hey, these are RADICAL tips). Constantly weighing yourself can be both discouraging and misleading. For one thing, muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are exercising and building muscle while losing fat, the scales might not register much change. You’ll know how you’re doing anyway — by how you feel and the way your clothes fit. Let your physician do the weighing at office visits.

16. Say farewell to fast-food restaurants. They are the enemy. If you live in a small community that offers little else in the way of dining out options, mourn the loss and take back responsibility for feeding yourself. Pack your lunches, spend a little more time in the kitchen, or organize a healthy-eating cooperative with extended family and friends, “dining out” at each other’s homes on a rotational schedule. If you live in a large community, do a little research off the beaten path. Find restaurants that know what a vegetable looks like and actually serve them. Thai, Greek, Indian and Japanese restaurants are good candidates.

17. Drink plenty of water. Sometimes what feels like hunger is actually thirst. Soft drinks — even diet soft drinks — are not acceptable substitutes. If your tap water is marginal, invest in bottled water.

18. Like baked potatoes? In place of butter and sour cream, fill with bruschetta sauce or your favorite salsa, and diced avocado. Add chopped fresh tomatoes, black beans, onion, cilantro, corn, or diced green or red bell peppers (fresh or fire roasted).

19. Many restaurants take pride in serving huge portions, but that doesn’t mean you have to get huge eating them. If the serving size is enough for two, split it with your dining partner or take half home for tomorrow’s lunch. Suggestion: Make the decision before digging in, and move the “save” portion to the side of your plate.

20. Reverse the composition of your plate and palette. Instead of a big slab of meat with a dollop of vegetables and rice, make vegetables and grains the focus of most meals, with relatively small portions of meat, poultry and seafood. Request similar dispensations at restaurants. Many will be happy to comply.

21. Replace saturated and polyunsaturated fats (butter and most oils) with canola and olive oils, which are largely monounsaturated and heart protective. Avoid hydrogenated fats (margarine, commercial baked goods, puddings, chips, cookies and crackers). Hydrogenation makes some unsaturated fats more saturated and also results in “trans fats,” increasing the risk of heart disease.

22. Fill your plate with color. When choosing fruits and vegetables, deep reds and purples, dark greens, and bright yellows and oranges usually mean more vitamins, minerals and protective plant pigments. Top choices are blueberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, raspberries, red grapes, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, beets, red bell peppers, eggplant and carrots. And go for red leaf or romaine lettuce over iceberg.

23. Bring on the beans. Red, white, black, pink, pinto, kidney, garbanzo — beans are one the most nutritious foods you can eat, extremely low in fat and high in fiber, phytochemicals, folate, potassium, protein, magnesium, vitamin B-6, zinc, copper, and iron. Serve in salads, soups, pasta and vegetable dishes, as a topping for potatoes, in salsa garnishes for seafood, and teamed with rice. (Beans get a bad rap for causing intestinal gas, which thorough cooking and rinsing usually prevents.)

24. Substitute plain, nonfat yogurt for high-fat, high-calorie items like mayonnaise and sour cream. Use it in tuna and potato salads, cole slaw, smoothies, baked potatoes, dips and spreads (blended with a little cream cheese). Add a tablespoon or two to sauces just before serving.

25. EXERCISE. When you eat more than your body needs, the excess is stored as fat — that’s a law of physics. Muscle is the engine of the body. If you want to burn more fuel (calories), build a bigger engine. With a fitter, stronger, more active body, you will burn more calories more efficiently. In fact, for preventing practically anything and everything that can go wrong with your body, exercise is the number one common denominator.

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This article is for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. Your health and lifestyle may make the outcomes different for you. You should consult with a physician or other health-care professional familiar with nutrition, prevention, and related health issues.