How are you doing with your new year's resolution to eat healthier? In my last column, I mentioned ways and tips for eating less fat. Now I want to take it one step farther and discuss ways of reducing calories, and also take a small trip into the human psyche of dieting.

It's amusing that the old saying goes, "Never trust a skinny chef," implying that the chef's food can't be very good if the creator of the food doesn't eat very much of it. Rather, a skinny chef should be looked upon as one who can not only control their passion for food, but also knows how to make healthy food taste great.

Not only am I conscious of what (and how much) I am putting into my body, I have a home gym to help facilitate a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

I will be the first to say that my job has the occupational hazard of constant food sampling, but I also believe that what goes in needs to be burned off.

Apparently, in order to lose one pound per week, we need to increase the number of calories burned by 500 per day, while keeping our diet maintained at the current level. Alternatively, this can be interpreted as the ability to decrease our intake by 500 calories, while keeping our exercising (or lack thereof) at the current level, for the same affect. The increase in your exercise level, however, is the better choice of the two, as it will lead to better cardiovascular health and an increase in lean muscle tissue, among many other great benefits.

Regardless, a great way to reduce the number of calories you eat is to consume "negative calorie" or "zero calorie" foods. These can be described as foods that take just as much, or more, energy to consume the food than the number of calories that are in the food. Although there are no hard-fact scientific studies to prove this to be true, these types of foods are definitely low in calories and also very nutritious. Some examples of these would be celery, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, garlic and cucumbers. Of course, what you put on these foods, or how you cook them, can add a lot of calories.

A good habit to get into is to read the ingredient lists of pre-made, pre-packaged foods. A recent trip to the grocery store to buy some "healthy" cereal revealed a lot of choices that appear to be good for you on the outside but, upon reading the ingredient list, are high in sugar. Even natural sugars, such as cane sugar, are still sugars, and have many calories. One is better off buying rolled oats (not the instant variety) or 100% shredded wheat, and adding some fresh fruit, skim milk and maybe a zero-calorie sweetener such as Splenda or Stevia. Obviously, if you are used to eating high-sugar cereals, these options may not taste as good at first, but if you can find a way for your mind and tastebuds to bask in the fact that you are eating much healthier, then this transition will be easier to swallow.

I believe the main reason "diets" don't work is because as soon as one eliminates something from their regular eating routine, they want it more. It is human nature to always yearn for something the more we can't have it. I feel that it is so important to have one "splurge" meal per week. This way, you won't feel like you are eliminating foods from your enjoyment forever.

Send your food/cooking questions to dez@chefdez.com.