Slimming Summer Foods

Summer is a great time to retrain ourselves to do a few important healthful things -- like eat more fruits and vegetables.

Another tip: eat slowly. This is a time when maybe we are less rushed with homework and soccer games and holiday shopping, etc. First of all, sit down, don't eat standing up. Sip water or ice tea between bites. Enjoy good conversation or good music. Put your fork down from time to time.

Get used to sensible serving sizes again. Maybe this is a time when you have a little less on your plate, so to speak, and you can pay a little more attention to serving sizes.

And pay attention to your hunger signals. I always say eat when you're hungry, stop when you're comfortable. It's easier to do this when we're not rushing our meals, when we're not stressed out. So, make summer a time when you are getting more in touch with true hunger and when your stomach is truly comfortable and not hungry any more. Wait 15 minutes or so before serving yourself seconds to give your brain time to catch up with your stomach, which is trying to tell your brain, hopefully, that it's had enough.

Summer also means searching for summer fruits I can only get in the summer, like cherries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and peaches -- a cornucopia of fabulous fruits. This is a great time to start serving fruits with breakfast, with pancakes and waffles and cereal and crepes.

It's also a great time to snack on these wonderful fruits and summer veggies. If you haven't yet gotten into the habit of having raw veggies with a light dressing as a snack food, now's the time to try it. Just put it out there on the counter or the table and watch it fly off the plate with your family around. Great veggies for this are jicama, sugar snap peas, zucchini, baby carrots and cucumber; that will get you started.

The other tip I just want to leave you with is try to have a couple of different veggies served at dinner or Sunday supper. There are many great options available at this time of year. And it's a great time to get in the habit of serving two types of vegetables with the main meal.