MUFA anyone?

My friend Joanna has already lost at least 5 pounds on the "Flat Belly Diet." I borrowed the book to see what it's all about, and I've been really impressed. The rules are simple:

1. Eat four times a day, 400 calories each time
2. Don't go more than 4 hours in between eating
3. Eat a MUFA at every meal

What's a MUFA? It stands for mono-unsaturated fatty acid. The book cites tons of studies related to this type of fat, and the benefits they have. You've heard of the benefits of olive oil? (The healthiest people out there are those that live in the Greek islands, and they consume 100 cups of olive oil a year!) Well, it turns out that it's actually the MUFA in the olive oil that makes it so great. So, each of the four times you sit down to eat, ask yourself, "Do I have a MUFA on my plate?" Choose from healthy oils like olive or canola. Sprinkle on some nuts or sunflower seeds. Indulge in some avacado, natural peanut butter, or even dark chocolate!

I may not be following the food plan exactly, but I was already cutting calories before. I just needed to add some fat into my diet. Go figure!

Pink Salad?

One of my favorite ways to eat strawberries is what I call Pink Salad, which is a simple concoction of whipped cream mixed with a packet of strawberry jello, cottage cheese, and strawberries (and other canned fruit if desired). Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

Well, since I'm seriously watching my diet right now, whipped cream is off the menu. But did you know that an entire packet of sugar-free jello is only 20 calories? So I've been doing something that seems a little weird. I'll put 1/2 cup cottage cheese in a bowl, sprinkle it with a little strawberry jello powder (saving the rest of the packet), and mix in canned pears. Soooo good. Okay, so maybe not compared to brownies or cookies. But when I'm craving something sweet, this does the trick, plus I get a nice serving of dairy/protein alond with my fruit, and it helps fill my belly.

So now I'm curious...when you're on a diet, and you need a fix without breaking the calorie bank, what do you eat that's weird?