What Nutritionists Really Eat

Nutritionists Eat Bread

"At restaurants, I could eat an entire loaf of bread with butter slathered all over it. I always allow myself two pieces. Often the bread is so fresh that it doesn't need the butter, so I skip it."
-- Ellie Krieger, R.D., host of the cooking show Healthy Appetite on the Food Network

About twice a month, I trade my usual whole-grain cereal with fruit for scrambled eggs (one whole egg with one egg white).

...A big salad with tomatoes and bell peppers and canned tuna for protein. I have a whole-grain roll on the side.

My default dinner is grilled salmon with sautéed broccoli and steamed red potatoes tossed with olive oil and parsley.

My last meal was at a gourmet pizza restaurant. I had two slices of thin-crust mushroom pizza -- about the same size as a traditional slice.

Sautéing. I particularly like to sauté Swiss chard with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Potatoes -- baked, boiled or mashed. If you keep the butter and cream to a minimum, they're satisfying for few calories.

French fries. I probably have them twice a month, and I try to share.

Don't worry about being perfect. People think if they aren't "good" all the time, they might as well eat "bad," but you can slip up and still have a nutritious diet.

I love being active, which means I can maintain my weight without eating like a bird. I work out about three or four days a week. Usually, I take a rigorous yoga class and a Spinning class, strength-train and jog in Central Park.

Nutritionists Eat Cheesy Rice

"About twice a month, I'll cook risotto Milanese for my family. The dish calls for a lot of butter and Parmesan cheese, and it tastes fabulous."
-- Leslie Bonci, M.P.H., R.D., director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

...A cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt, sprinkled with almonds and blueberries or strawberries.

...A whole-wheat pita stuffed with hummus, feta cheese, baby carrots, grape tomatoes and sliced cucumbers. Afterward, I eat an apple or a pear.

A stir-fry made with frozen Oriental vegetables, plus shrimp, scallops or tofu.

Fat-free dressings -- I can't stand them!

When we're driving to the beach, we occasionally stop at Wendy's -- my pick of the fast-food chains. I have a main-course salad and half a baked potato.

...On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I usually have just one glass, but if we're eating out, I may have two.

Roast them. I drizzle olive oil on a foil-lined cookie sheet, place vegetables like asparagus, squash and bell peppers on the tray, add a little more oil along with salt and pepper and cook at 450 degrees for five minutes.

I adore carrot cake, but because of the calories I have it only occasionally, like on Thanksgiving.

I want to crunch on something, so I reach for biscotti or a hard sourdough pretzel.

...Fettuccine Alfredo. The calories (1,130 per serving at the Macaroni Grill) make the dish not worth it to me.

If a snack food has more than 200 calories a serving, I put it back on the shelf.

I run five times a week -- 30 minutes on weekdays, 60 minutes on the weekend. I also strength-train three times a week for 20 minutes. And I spend a lot of time walking our dog!

Nutritionists Eat Taco Bell

"I really like Taco Bell's bean burritos. They're more caloric than the ones I make at home, but since I eat at Taco Bell only once in a while I enjoy it guilt-free!"
-- Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., a nutritionist at Northwestern Memorial Wellness Institute in Chicago and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association

Oatmeal with a banana and a glass of light chocolate soy milk. I go out for brunch every weekend, though, and I usually get two scrambled eggs with fruit and an English muffin. I love brunch.

...An Amy's Organic frozen meal like the Black Bean and Vegetable Enchilada. I also microwave some extra broccoli and cauliflower.

Veggie burgers on whole-grain buns. I pile the burger with BBQ sauce and brocco-slaw (made from broccoli, carrots, cabbage and cauliflower) that I've mixed with a little low-fat honey-mustard salad dressing.

I stick to nonfried appetizers, broth-based soups, side dishes and salads with dressing on the side.

Five -- yikes! I make one big trip and four quick ones during the week, since I don't eat out much.

Coffee. I'm a card-carrying member of Starbucks.

Anxiety eating. When I'm tired at night and need to finish a project for work, all I want to do is eat. So I have a no-eating-at-the-computer rule. If I'm really hungry, I'll go to the kitchen for a low-fat yogurt or a 100-calorie bag of popcorn, or I'll sip a decaf coffee or tea.

I'll enjoy quite a few of my mom's cookies at her house, but I never take any home. How much damage can you do in one day?

Eat by the 25/25/50 rule. At every meal, aim to fill your plate with 50 percent vegetables, 25 percent whole grains and 25 percent lean protein, especially beans.

I don't give up my morning exercise, no matter what. I'm at the gym by 6 a.m. on weekdays, and I spend an hour doing a mixture of cardio and resistance training before work.

Nutritionists Eat Pizza

"I'm a vegetarian, and pizza is one of my favorite foods. I make my own: I whip up a recipe that's half whole-wheat and half regular crust and load it with vegetables and part-skim mozzarella. I cut myself a good-size slice after baking it."
-- Kathy McManus, R.D., director of the department of nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston

Whole-wheat toast spread with peanut butter, and some yogurt and fruit. About once a month I make whole-wheat waffles topped with fresh berries.

...A large green salad with veggies and some low-fat cottage cheese.

Whole-wheat pasta with marinara sauce, eggplant and part-skim mozzarella.

I hit an energy low at this time of day. I have a quarter cup of nuts or a Kashi TLC Chewy Granola Bar, which has 140 calories or less and lots of fiber and protein.

A homemade brownie.

Plan! If I have two holiday parties in a row, I'll decide in advance which one I'm going to eat dessert at and which one I'm not.

Look for cereals that contain five grams or more of fiber and five grams or fewer of sugar. Shredded Wheat cereals meet these criteria.

I run six miles on my treadmill from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. while watching the news. Working out gives me more flexibility to eat what I want, since I'm burning 500 calories every morning.

Nutritionists Eat Bagels

"About once a week, I'll treat myself to a plain bagel from Ess-a-Bagel (a famous New York City bagel shop) with peanut butter on it. It's not as nutritious as my usual morning meal because it's made with white flour and doesn't have as much fiber or vitamins. But it's delicious!"
-- Lisa Young, Ph.D., R.D., an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University and author of The Portion Teller

Oatmeal with a little brown sugar, a cup of organic low-fat yogurt with blueberries and flaxseed and a small glass of grapefruit juice.

A slice of veggie pizza, which I get every other week. Otherwise, I have a wrap with hummus and vegetables or a salad with grilled tuna, salmon or veggie burger.

I bake chicken that I've coated with garlic powder, paprika and barbeque sauce and eat it with sautéed broccoli and a baked sweet potato.

I usually order fish with a sauce that I couldn't make at home. Recently, I had pan-seared red snapper in a red sauce with rice pilaf, sautéed vegetables and a Bloody Mary.

I don't eat dinner until after 7:30, so I need a snack to help me last. I rely on fresh fruit cups, whole-wheat crackers spread with peanut butter, and frozen yogurt with peanuts.

Barbecue soy crisps and a V8 juice.

Berries. I like to microwave frozen ones until they're hot and saucy and pour them over low-fat yogurt.

Peanut butter, particularly peanut butter ice cream. I'll have a scoop twice a month.

If I eat a big meal one day, I eat less the next. If I have a big lunch, I'll have a small dinner. And at a buffet, I do only one lap.

Apple crisp. I order it once a week and share it.

Mayonnaise. There's nothing I like less.

I swim for 30 minutes at least three times a week, take yoga classes and walk as much as possible.

Nutritionists Eat Chocolate

"I buy a box of high-quality mixed chocolates and have one piece after dinner every night. Because I allow myself this treat, I don't go overboard, and I can stop at one."
-- Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., a professor of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University and author of Volumetrics

Oatmeal with skim milk, sprinkled with oat bran. About once a week, I'll make whole-wheat toast with marmalade.

A sandwich I've brought from home, like turkey with mustard and veggies on multigrain bread. I'll also have a yogurt and a piece of fruit, like a clementine.

Whole-wheat penne pasta with whatever vegetables I have on hand, such as asparagus and broccoli, topped with a sautéed chicken breast and tomato sauce. When buying pasta, look for whole wheat to be listed as the first ingredient and the only grain listed. The kind I get has seven grams of fiber in a two-ounce serving.

It makes me feel like I'm dining.

I order a grilled chicken sandwich with mustard, lettuce, tomato and no mayonnaise at whatever fast-food chain is in the terminal.

When I come home from work, I'm tired and easily tempted by high-calorie foods. So I don't keep savory snacks like potato chips in my house because I know I'll eat them until they're gone. Instead, I have hummus with carrots and some olives before dinner. The olives feel decadent and they're full of heart-healthy fats.

I try to be even more aware of the scale in my head that's always balancing calories against pleasure. I'll happily eat a small portion of a high-calorie food if it's something I love. But if the food is just so-so, then I won't waste the calories.

Follow the Volumetrics mantra, which is to have a large salad or a broth-based soup before a meal. Our data shows that doing so controls hunger and helps you eat fewer calories overall.

I swim at home for 30 minutes every morning. I get my best ideas for work during this time.

7 Food Rules Nutritionists Use

1. They love to eat. "Enjoy every bite of food that goes into your mouth," says Leslie Bonci, M.P.H., R.D. "Food should be pleasurable. When it is, you won't feel the need to compensate by overeating later."
2. They hate low-fat salad dressing. These diet experts would rather have a small drizzle of the good stuff than a bigger serving of fake dressing.
3. They drink wine. For most, it's a personal preference -- they like the taste of wine better than beer or hard liquor. "I have half a glass of white wine almost every night with dinner," says Ellie Krieger, R.D. "It completes the meal."
4. They choose fish over red meat. From sushi to snapper, our food pros love the flavor for fewer calories that fish delivers, whether it's grilled, baked or pan seared.
5. They eat a variety of vegetables. Not because they have to, but because they want to. The key: Experiment with new veggies like kale and squash in the winter, and try sautéing and roasting them to enhance the flavor.
6. They're not carb-phobes. Yes, they eat bread and pasta, but they do like to see whole-wheat flour listed as the first ingredient. Look for pastas with six grams of fiber per serving and breads with three grams of fiber per serving, our nutritionists advise.
7. They exercise most days of the week. "In order to balance what I eat, I exercise for an hour every morning," says Kathy McManus, R.D.

Top 10 Things Our Pros Keep in Their Kitchens

1. Low-fat yogurt This filling breakfast and snack was on everyone's list.
2. Low-fat milk To add to high-fiber cereal or oatmeal or to drink.
3. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar For sautéing vegetables, cooking lean meat like chicken and fish and drizzling on salads.
4. Nuts "I love Planter's 170-calorie almond packs because I can have a whole pack without overeating," says Dawn Blatner, R.D.
5. Fruit for snacking, such as Granny Smith apples, pears and frozen blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.
6. Salad greens Just add dressing and some protein and veggies and you've got lunch.
7. Baby carrots and hummus The perfect pre-dinner snack, says Ellie Krieger, R.D.
8. Whole-grain bread Adds fiber to your sandwich or toast.
9. Tomatoes in a can or jar, such as marinara sauce, salsa or stewed tomatoes, says Leslie Bonci, M.P.H., R.D.
10. Frozen vegetables, like green beans, snow peas and bags of mixed vegetables. "They're cut, clean and ready to cook," says Blatner.

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, December 2006.