By Diane Calevro

Healthy snacking helps you beat the bulge in two ways. First, it helps keep your metabolism up. Second, it prevents you from getting hungry throughout the day and overindulging at meals. According to a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers found that subjects who included a snack (around 200 calories) between balanced meals lost significant amounts of weight compared to baseline. On a questionnaire, the subjects reported less hunger and cravings between meals, helping them to avoid overeating.

Eating a balanced breakfast is another tactic that can help you avoid the call of unhealthy snacking. Prolonged periods without eating can make you crave fatty, high calorie foods over healthy, nutritious foods. According to a new study out of Imperial College London, researchers found that subjects who passed on breakfast showed actual brain activity that led to temptations for  fatty, high calorie foods later in the day.