Don't sit near the food. If it's a potluck, bring a low-fat dish. Eat less earlier in the week, so you can eat a little more at the event. But don't skip meals. Increase your activity on the day of the event—and on the days before and after. Mix wine with seltzer water to cut the calories in half. Ask friends for support—and offer them some as they make the same changes. If you're trying to control your weight, you don't have to give up snacks. It's actually recommended that you do eat every four hours while awake. This helps keep your blood sugar level up, and it keeps you feeling good. It's what you eat that makes the difference with snacks. Here are some snack ideas for "on the go" or at work: bagels—try different kinds low-fat granola or cereal bars low-fat crackers pretzels/pretzel chips flavored mini rice cakes graham crackers/fat-free cookies fresh fruit, whole or cut-up canned fruit, snack-pack size dried fruit, like raisins juice boxes nonfat or low-fat yogurt cut-up veggies, like baby carrots fat-free pudding or Jell-O cups string cheese fat-free frozen yogurt cone as a treat

Restaurant meals

• Eat out rarely, if you can.
• Avoid buffets and all-you-can-eat restaurants.
• Choose restaurants that specialize in low-fat, healthy meals, or ones that will prepare food as you request.
• Take home half—ask for a doggy bag before you take your first bite.
• Split a dinner with a friend.
• Consider an a la carte or appetizer portion.
• Don't bother buttering good bread.
• Don't leave the bread on the table for nibbling. Have your server take it away.
• Eat a salad first.
• Request that sauces and dressings be served on the side if you want them, or eliminate sauces and dressings altogether.
• Use vinegar or lemon on salads and vegetables.
• Order chicken or fish that has been broiled, steamed, baked, or poached.
• Look for items cooked in their juices, marinade sauce, or marinated in juice or wine.
• Order vegetables steamed without butter or cream sauce.
• Request that no oil be used during preparation and that foods not be deep-fried.
• Order a baked potato instead of French fries or hash browns, and salad instead of cole slaw.
• If you want dessert, share it with someone.

Planning, shopping, and reading labels
Good nutrition begins before you take a bite. When you plan before shopping, you can save time, money, and get the foods your family needs for good health.

Before you go

• Plan some of the meals you will make.
• Look at what you have on hand in your healthy pantry.
• Plan to buy a variety of food from each of the food groups.
• Plan to buy foods that are lower in sodium, sugar, and fat.
• Make a list of what you need to buy in each food group—and stick to it when you're at the store.

In the store

• Read labels to choose foods low in fat, sugar, and sodium.
• Buy canned fruits packed in water, juice, or light syrup.
• Buy plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Choose pre-packaged mix foods that are lower in fat and sodium. Or lower the fat and sodium in mixes by leaving out the salt, using half the margarine, and using low-fat milk instead of whole milk.

Recommended Daily Amounts
Listed on the bottom of most labels is a section that's the same on all foods with nutrient labels. It shows the Recommended Daily Amount (RDA), in grams or milligrams, of each nutrient for different sample diets. The Percent Daily Value is based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet.

Calories		1,500	2,000	2,500
Total Fat	Less than	48 g	65 g	80 g
Saturated Fat	Less than	15 g	20 g	25 g
Cholesterol	Less than	300 mg	300 mg	300 mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400 mg	2,400 mg	2,400 mg
Potassium		3,500 mg	3,500 mg	3,500 mg
Carbohydrate		225 g	300 g	375 g
Dietary Fiber		18 g	25 g	30 g