Today’s National Nutrition Month tip of the day is to embrace apps – appetizers, that is.

Sounds counterintuitive, but studies show that people who eat a low-calorie appetizer before a meal will eat fewer total calories during that meal (I love this fact sheet from the CDC). Good choices include broth-based soups (I love miso soup, but more traditional soups such as chicken noodle or minestrone are also great) or garden salads. Just skip the heavy dressings, croutons, bacon bits or tortilla strips and stick to raw veggies…maybe add a little fruit, nuts or seeds for added flavor and good fats.

Speaking of good fats and salads, some of the vitamins in vegetables are fat-soluble, meaning they get absorbed better when eaten with a little bit of fat. So don’t feel guilty if you toss a few pecans, almond slivers, avocadoes or olives onto your greens. You’re actually making it more healthy!

Later this month I’ll share quick and easy tips my family and I use to make sure each dinner starts with a healthy salad. Stay tuned!