Elisa Zied is a registered dietitian and a New York State certified nutritionist. For more than a decade, Elisa counseled individuals and families to manage their weight and various health conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. She also helped clients create individually tailored and realistic nutrition and lifestyle programs to meet their unique needs during various life stages including pregnancy and lactation, childhood and adolescence, and menopause. Here are a few tips from Elisa to help you get fit for the new year:

1) Think Outside the Box. This year, make an effort to limit your intake of processed and packaged foods, especially those loaded with sodium, added fats, sugar, or other things we want to minimize in our diet. When you buy processed, packaged foods such as canned or frozen vegetables and beans, look for those with no or little added sodium. When buying condiments, look for low- or no-sodium options as well, and consider buying more no-sodium seasonings to add flavor and spice to meals. Limit snack and dessert-type foods which tend to be heavily processed, high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium, and skimp on nutrients that keep you healthy. Make fresh or minimally processed foods a big part of each meal or snack; having lots of fruit, vegetables, grains (especially whole grains), raw nuts and seeds, and legumes (beans and peas) will not only fill you up and provide fiber as well as a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, but the potassium many of these foods provide can blunt or offset some of the adverse effects too much sodium (from processed foods especially) can have on health.

2) Map Out Food and Fitness Plans for Yourself. If you know where you're going, you'll know when you've arrived. The more speciic you are in documenting your plans and intentions, whether it be for food shopping, cooking throughout the week, doing physical activity, or dining out, the more likely you are to be successful in your efforts to eat and be healthier, Be sure to plan ahead before you shop or eat food, and make appointments with yourself for physical activity and exercise. Having a clear plan (as well as a back up plan for when life undoubtedly gets in the way and throws off your schedule) is a great way to set yourself up for success and minimize your chances for making less-than-healthful food choices or get into situations (eg ordering out food instead of cooking) that may sabotage your healthy eating efforts.

3) Celebrate Your Successes...Even Small Ones. It's important to be optimistic and speak positively about food, fitness, & your body. Too many of us like to focus on we shouldn't eat, how hard exercise is, or what we don't like about ourselves, how lazy we are, or how big our thighs are. Being overly negative does not motivate us to make healthful changes in our lives, but only breeds more negativity (which can certainly keep us on the couch, unwilling to get up and make an effort to change behaviors that keep us in a rut). In 2010, try to catch yourself when you're being negative and try to turn whatever you're thinking or saying into something more positive. Look for the things you like about yourself and others, and try to be happy about your small accomplishments (like consuming more fiber-rich foods, walking an extra hour each week, or hitting the gym two or three times a week consistently (instead of never), eating breakfast every day, or avoiding late night noshing. You may find that your positive thoughts and feeling help you achieve and maintain more healthful habits and make you feel better about yourself....this is sure to help 2010 be a great year for you!

You can read more healthy tips from Elisa by visiting www.elisazied.com.