Congratulations! Your DiningStyle shows that you have an interest in making healthy choices. However, you may find that stress and your lack of time sometimes get in the way of your best intentions to eat better and exercise more. That's okay. It's about progress, not perfection. You could make great impacts in your health, body weight, and energy levels by making healthy eating a priority in your life. And you'll be surprised to know that eating healthier doesn't need to require any extra time. You just need to know some basics about healthy eating to pick the winners from the nutritional losers when you're dining out.

A few hints to help you get started include making sure that your meal, at least, includes either a fruit, vegetable, or low-fat dairy item. You should also try to load up on some healthy between-meal snacks like fruits and vegetables, so that you don't go more than three to four hours between eating. Believe us, eating infrequently only means that you'll overeat later.

Since you're likely to be extremely busy and may not have time for formal "exercise," try to sneak exercise into your daily activities by hand delivering messages or memos at work, take the stairs, park your car further away, and do isometric exercises at your desk. Go ahead, right now, suck in your stomach, and hold it while you read the rest of this paragraph. Then, exhale slowly and repeat 10–15 times during the day. To relax at work, also practice breathing exercises whenever you get stressed. It will help you focus and to calm yourself, and that, in turn, will impact your food choices.

Fourteen percent of the American adult population fall into this category.

• Average BMI of 28.7
• Mean age 39.7
• 39% male; 61% female
• Purchase 6.1 meals away from home each week
• Median Income $39,706
• 60% strongly agree that nutrition information should be available for menu items
• 53% strongly agree that they would order healthy if more appealing choices were available
• 71% strongly agree that half-portion entrees should be offered
• Lowest incidence of high cholesterol and blood pressure (15% each) of all segments
• Value is the top motivation for purchasing healthier away-from-home meals