What Nutritionists Really Eat

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.