How are you doing with your new year's resolution to eat healthier? In my last column I mentioned ways and tips for eating less fat. Now I want to take it one step further and discuss ways of reducing calories, and also take a small trip into the human psyche of dieting.

It's amusing that the old saying goes "never trust a skinny chef," implying that the chef's food can't be very good if the creator of the food him/herself doesn't eat very much of it. A skinny chef rather, should be looked upon as one who can not only control their passion for food, but also knows how to make healthy food taste great. Not only am I conscious of what (and how much) I am putting into my body; I also have a home gym to help facilitate a balanced healthy lifestyle.

I will be the first to say that my job has the occupational hazard of constant food sampling, but I also believe that what goes in needs to be burned off.

Apparently, in order to lose one pound per week, we need to increase the number of calories burned by 500 per day, while keeping our diet maintained at the current level. This can also be interpreted as decreasing our intake by 500 calories, while keeping our exercising (or lack thereof) at the current level, for the same effect. The increase in your exercise level, however, is the better choice of the two as it will lead to better cardiovascular health and an increase in lean muscle tissue, among many other great benefits.

Regardless, a great way to reduce the number of calories you eat is to consume what are classified as negative calorie or zero calorie foods.

These can be described as foods that take just as much, or more, energy to consume as the number of calories in the food. Although there are no scientific studies to prove this to be true, these types of foods are definitely low in calories and also very nutritious. Some examples of these would be celery, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, garlic, and cucumbers. Of course what you put on these foods, or how you cook them, can add a lot of calories.

A good habit to get into is to read the ingredient lists of premade prepackaged foods. A recent trip to the grocery store to buy some "healthy" cereal revealed that there are a lot of choices that appear to be good for you on the outside, but upon reading the ingredient list, revealed that many were high in sugar. Even natural sugars, such as cane sugar, are still sugars and have many calories. One is better off buying rolled oats (not the instant variety) or 100 per cent shredded wheat and adding some fresh fruit, skim milk and maybe a zerocalorie sweetener such as Splenda or Stevia. Obviously if you are used to eating high sugar cereals, these options may not taste as good at first, but if you can find a way for your mind and taste buds to bask in the fact that you are eating much healthier, then this transition will be easier to swallow.

This being said, I believe the main reason why "diets" don't work is because as soon as people eliminate something from their regular eating routines, they want it more. It is human nature to always yearn for something the more we can't have it. I feel that it is so important to have one splurge meal per week. This way you won't feel like you are eliminating foods from your enjoyment forever. If you get a craving for something unhealthy, just say to yourself "I am going to have that for my splurge meal this week." Keep in mind that temptations may happen more often than not, so it is best to keep it to one splurge per week and plan to have that splurge at the end of the week, not only to congratulate yourself, but also you will have the chance to use it earlier if something unavoidable comes up. The more you set yourself up for success (having healthy food options available to you at all times for example), the better your outcome will be.

The battle is mostly mental. I don't diet-my occupation can't allow for that, so what I do instead is lifestyle: making a choice to eat healthy as much as possible because chances are I will live longer and have a better quality of life.