January 08, 2018

Brought to you by Gelson's Registered Dietitian, Jessica Siegel.

Don’t go on yet another diet! Instead, change your eating style to achieve your weight goals. Use the Mediterranean Diet as your flexible framework for healthful eating, plan to have regular and structured meals, and at each meal include nutrient-dense foods that help you feel satisfied.

Here are some of my favorite foods that can help you control your weight and appetite when you incorporate them into balanced meals that contain carbohydrates from vegetables, starchy vegetables or minimally processed whole grains; protein from plant or animal sources; and healthful fats:

• Beans are one of the most healthful, convenient, delicious and satisfying protein sources you can eat. Carmelina Brand no added salt, preservative-free, and BPA-free beans make including this important plant protein easy and healthy. I add them to my salads and soups and my kids snack on their butter beans that I mix with black olives.

• Nuts and seeds have been shown to aid in weight control in a variety of ways. Flanigan Farms raw nuts and seeds are perfect for snacking and cooking. I keep their almonds in my desk to stave off hunger and maintain my energy.

• Napa Valley Naturals organic olive oil is a wonderful multi-purpose oil that should be your primary cooking oil. It is rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and antioxidants that have also been shown to aid in weight control and belly fat loss. Use it in place of other cooking oils, butter, margarine, and salad dressings.

• Wild Planet albacore tuna is the best quality, low-mercury tuna with incomparable flavor. It is higher in waist slimming, brain-boosting omega-3 fats than most other canned tunas because of the way it is cooked. Be sure to mash the omega-3-rich can juices into the tuna instead of draining.

I’ve created a delicious recipe for Tuna with White Beans and Herbs Toast that uses these distinctive ingredients to make an Italian-style open-faced sandwich.

Jessica Siegel, MPH, RD Registered Dietitian Gelson’s Markets Jessica has a bachelor of science in dietetics and a masters degree in public health from UC Berkeley. She writes a monthly newsletter about health & nutrition and develops healthy recipes available at gelsons.com.