1) Small Meals, Big Satisfaction

Research shows that eating several small meals and snacks every day helps you stay full and control your appetite. By eating filling foods in smaller quantities, you can ‘trick’ your hunger into a sensation of satisfaction. Another benefit? Eating less more times a day allows you to introduce more variety into your diet.

A delicious Dr. Praeger’s Spinach Pancake, with just 80 calories, 4 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber, is a great kitchen staple to have on hand when your craving for a snack sneaks up on you. In about 15 minutes, you’ll have a satisfying, nutritious mini-meal that will help keep hunger at bay.

2) Healthy Entertaining

Often times we equate entertaining-friendly foods with less-than-healthy choices, like chips, nachos and heavy dips. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Swap your chips and dip with something less fatty but still delicious—and use your creativity. Crostini with healthy toppings like tapenade or bean salad are a great example. Or use Dr. Praeger’s Potato Pancakes as the basis for countless healthy hors d’oeuvres, from crispy, sour cream-topped wedges to yummy bites smothered in heart-healthy guacamole. The best part? A Dr. Praeger's Potato Pancake contains only 100 calories, and packs three grams of filling fiber.

3) Chick Peas: Chock Full of Goodness

Did you know that legumes such as chick peas are rich in proteins, which give you energy to power through a busy day of work or travel? They’re also full of fiber, which is believed to help lower “bad” cholesterol and raise “good” cholesterol. This lends them far more positive health benefits than good taste alone. Chick peas are the main ingredient in Dr. Praeger’s Falafel Flats, making them a tasty, versatile and nutritious snack or meal component.

4) Plan for Healthy Eating

Ever wonder about those people who always seem to have healthy meals in the fridge or freezer? Chances are their secret weapon is organization. With a little advance planning, you’ll be surprised at how much healthier your food choices can be. Make a shopping list for the week, which includes ingredients for a large soup the whole family can eat for lunch and dinner. Have lots of healthy staples on hand, like cut-up veggies and whole-grain pita chips and hummus. And always make sure to have a selection of Dr. Praeger’s products in the freezer. Dr. Praeger’s Broccoli Pancakes, for example, with their irresistible combination of creamy potato, crunchy broccoli and a crisp exterior, are a versatile meal component you’ll want to use in a variety of recipes.

5) Take the Meatless Challenge!

More and more Americans are taking the meatless challenge, choosing one day of the week to cut animal products like beef or chicken from their diets. Not only does taking this step cut down on the intake of saturated fats, but it also allows us to introduce more healthy vegetables and grains into our meals. One easy, flavorful way to join the revolution? Incorporate Dr. Praeger’s Meatless Burgers into your cooking repertoire. By using them wherever a conventional beef burger is called for, you’ll get all the flavor with significantly less calories and saturated fat—and a whopping 25 grams of protein.

5) Eat With Your Eyes First

Eating is a multi-sensory experience, and that means that visual appeal is as important as taste and aroma. Serving meals that feature a variety of colors not only make for good-looking plates, but is also a great way to entice picky eaters to embrace healthy vegetables as a part of their diet. Plus, foods of different colors contain different nutrients, so eating a variety of colors means eating a complete diet. With their colorful mix of healthy vegetables including carrots, broccoli, zucchini, red peppers and spinach, Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie burgers are as pretty as they are tasty and nutritious.

6) Seek Wild Salmon

Wild salmon is widely believed to be more flavorful—and environmentally sustainable—than farmed salmon. Even better, wild salmon contains very high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to promote heart health, prevent inflammation and increase circulation. If you’re looking for easy ways to eat well and protect the environment, wild salmon is a good choice. And if you can’t make it to the fish counter, heat up a few Dr. Praeger’s Salmon Cakes for a fish sandwich, Caesar salad or wrap. They’re made exclusively with wild salmon.

7) Make Mealtime Mandatory

Studies have shown that children who eat regularly scheduled meals experience less weight gain and typically develop better nutrition habits. But whether you have a family or not, setting standard meal times and not skipping meals is a way to add balance to your life—not to mention improve health. Skipping meals is believed to slow the metabolism, which can result in physical and mental sluggishness. With today’s busy schedules, it is all too easy to skip meals or eat erratically. Having easy-to-prepare and healthy products like Dr. Praeger’s Chickenless Patties, Veggie Burgers, and Fish Fillets on hand will make it easier to stick to your meal schedule.

8) Spice is Nice

When you’re trying to watch fat intake, it’s good to incorporate a little spice into your diet. Spicy foods tease the palate, lending layers of flavor and satisfying our taste buds without added fat. And in recent years, we’ve discovered that spices like turmeric, mustard seed and chili powder are filled with healthy antioxidants, believed to promote heart health and fight the proliferation of harmful free radicals. In addition to being low in fat, rich in fiber (5 grams per burger!) and chock full of delicious veggies, Dr. Praeger’s Bombay Veggie Burgers pack a gentle, spicy heat, courtesy of a healthy dose of black pepper and cumin.

9) Eat Your Veggies

The nutritional power of vegetables is indisputable. When it comes to vitamins, nutrients and fresh flavor, nothing beats a crunchy, hand-chopped salad, steaming bowl of vegetable soup or a delicious stir-fry filled with the colors and flavors of the garden. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends 3 to 5 servings of vegetables per day. For times when getting five servings of fresh vegetables is a challenge, look to Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burgers for help. You can actually see—and taste—the fresh vegetables in every burger!