National Nutrition Month is over, but we will wrap up with our last topic!

A stumbling block to a healthful diet is deprivation. People think that it is all or nothing and that there are “good foods” and “bad foods.” One key to sticking to your plan is tricking yourself with treats so to speak. This doesn’t mean eating a piece of candy every time you need a little motivation, but it does mean giving yourself desserts, snacks and other rewards!

Sweet Treats

Don’t worry about giving into your sweet tooth, instead plan ahead and have healthier dessert options in your refrigerator and pantry. Make a fruit and yogurt parfait, peach pie smoothie, or a tropical fruit pizza. Other options are having individual ice cream bars, popsicles, or ice cream cups on hand so you can control the portions and you know how many calories you are eating.

Safe Snacking

If you are feeling the urge to snack in the afternoon, go ahead! Making healthy changes  doesn’t mean you have to be hungry! Again the idea is to plan ahead so you aren’t running  to the vending machine at 3 pm and your only choices are chips or a candy bar. Keep  nutritious snacks on hand like nuts, seeds, or dried fruit. Bring some celery and carrots  with hummus, or some crackers with peanut butter. Aim for about two 100-150 calorie  snacks if you are eating three solid meals a day.

Reach for Rewards

Treats don’t always have to mean food. Set goals for yourself and when you accomplish them reward yourself! If you are aiming to lose weight, reward yourself at your half-way point with some new work out clothes, and when you reach that goal those new jeans you never thought you could buy! Whatever motivates you, shoes, dvds, music, give yourself prizes when you eat healthy for a week, or try four new foods each month.

The trick to sticking with healthy eating is finding what motivates you, of course within moderation. Planning ahead for desserts and snacks will leave you satisfied but not feeling guilty, and those new shoes you’ve been eyeing are calorie free! So if you have a sweet tooth like me, need an afternoon snack to keep you going, or like setting goals and reaching them, find the treat that works for you!

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Lauren Futrell Dunaway, MPH, RD, graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Dietetics.  She then completed her dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After becoming a Registered Dietitian, she began to pursue a Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Lauren currently works at the Tulane Prevention Research Center as a program manager for their core research project focusing on the built environment and how it affects obesity.