Complex Carbohydrates

• Complex carbohydrates are the whole grain form of traditional carbs such as bread, rice and pasta. They break down into glucose much more slowly than simple carbohydrates. Instead of a rapid rise and fall of your blood sugar levels, such as you get with white bread and white rice, complex carbs provide you with a gradual stream of energy during the day. Your cravings diminish and you feel full longer. Complex carbs are made with oatmeal, bran, cornmeal and maize. Replace regular breads, pasta and rice with whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta and brown rice when on a diet.

Fruits and Vegetables

• Five servings of fresh fruit and vegetables is a must when dieting because they're packed with nutrition in the form of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They give you energy, decrease bone loss, provide energy, protect against cancer and fill you up faster. Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables to keep your diet interesting. Go for dark, leafy veggies whenever possible. Think of the color of the fruit or vegetable and choose ones that are yellow, red, green, orange and purple. Keep fruit out on the counter so you remember to eat it. When making up your dinner plate, fill half of it with vegetables.

Lean Protein

• Lean protein is essential to any diet plan. Protein fills you up faster and keeps you satisfied longer than carbs, while helping your body burn fat. There are many sources of lean protein. The most common are chicken and turkey breast without the skin, lean beef like top round, egg whites, fish fillet such as sole, flounder, scrod and cod and shellfish like lobster, scallops, clams and shrimp. Canned tuna in water is also a great source. Vegetarians can get their lean protein through non-fat cottage cheese or beans, such as chick peas, black beans, kidney beans or lentils.