What Nutritionists Really Eat

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.