Jackie Newgent

Since eating more healthful foods and losing weight are popular new year’s resolutions, I decided to reach out to the experts for advice. Here, Patricia Bannan -- author of Eat Right When Time is Tight: 150 Slim-Down Strategies and No-Cook Food Fixes -- gives her stick-with-it-advice:

Think “veg out and fruit up.”

Five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day is optimal. Always carry portable fruit, like an apple, boxes of raisins, or a bag of dried banana chips in your purse. Opt for a vegetable-heavy dish, such as a salad or sandwich loaded with veggies, for lunch.

“Appe-size” the meals in which you tend to overeat.

Consider an appetizer, which tends to be lower in calories and takes time to eat, as an appetite speed-bump. Before your meal, sip broth-based soup, order a cup of hot herbal tea or enjoy a 100-calorie snack that includes protein, like a few tablespoons of hummus or 30 pistachios.

Energize in three to five.

That means strive for energy balance throughout the day by eating every three to five hours. Keep healthy snacks on hand or set a reminder on your phone to keep on schedule.

Laugh!

Stress cannot only make you sick; it can make you gain weight as well. Humor defuses stress and the stress hormones it produces. So surround yourself with light-hearted people, watch comedies or try to find the funny in your daily life.

Jackie Newgent is a registered dietitian, chef and award-winning author of The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook and Big Green Cookbook. She frequently appears as a culinary nutrition expert on television. Past appearances include ABC's "Good Morning America" and NBC's "Dateline"