People who take their health seriously and want to eat well to stay healthy may notice that they feel guilty when they do not eat perfectly. Constant worry about what and what not to eat actually takes away the pleasure of eating and causes people to feel anxious and discouraged about their eating habits. Even worse, it may make them give up on trying to eat well or give in to overeating.

A good food/bad food way of looking at eating causes problems when a person eats what is considered a “bad” food. In one study, when adults finished eating a high calorie salad, which they considered “good” food, they did not eat “bad” foods (ice cream and cookies) that were offered because they were full. When they were given a high calorie milk shake and then offered other “bad” foods, they accepted them, even though they were full, because they had already “blown it” in their thinking.

In contrast, toddlers who were given high calorie pudding ate less of the other foods offered than toddlers who were given regular pudding. At this age, they were still able to recognize and respond to fullness and not let good food/bad food thinking influence their eating.

If you are making rules about eating that you can't live up to, try a more realistic approach that allows you to eat well without having to be a perfect eater. Here are some ways to make good food decisions:

• Give yourself permission to eat food that satisfies you

• Focus on making good food choices but allow treat foods as well

• Don't make treat foods easily accessible; put them out of sight and out of reach

• Eat before you are starved

• Eat meals and snacks at predictable times as much as possible

• Take time to taste what you are eating; if it does not taste good, don't eat it

• Do not have forbidden foods; if you tell yourself you can't have something, you will be more likely to crave it and feel out of control when you eat it

• If you eat fast foods, check nutrition information to guide your choices

• Keep a file of fast and favorite meals to refer to when you are pressed for time

• Enjoy every bite of food that tastes good

• Do not allow food guilt to ruin a pleasant eating experience

• Plan strategies for challenging eating situations

• Forgive yourself for not being perfect

As a savvy senior citizen said at one of my healthy eating presentations: “Eat what you like. Just don't eat too much.” Those are words we all can live by!

Tip of the week:

Light microwave popcorn is a satisfying, whole grain snack food.

Christine Gutelius, MA, RD, CDN, is a nutrition resource educator with the Eat Smart NY program at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.

Mac and Cheese Makeover

Makes 6 cups

2 cups (8 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni

3 cups (6 ounces) frozen broccoli florets

1 cup shredded carrot (3-4 medium carrots)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons mustard

1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 3/4 cups low fat milk

1 1/2 cups reduced fat cheddar cheese (6 oz.)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add macaroni and cook 5 minutes. Add broccoli and carrots and cook 2-3 minutes or until macaroni is almost tender. Drain water off and return macaroni and vegetables to the pot. Stir in cornstarch, mustard and pepper. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and add cheeses. Stir until cheeses melt. Serve immediately.

Option: For a crusty topping, spread the finished hot macaroni and cheese in a shallow 2-quart baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Mix 1/2 cup bread crumbs with 2 tsp olive oil. Sprinkle over the macaroni. Broil until topping is lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes.

- Source: Adapted from Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter