Watch my video on tips for including nuts in your eating plan. They are a healthy food, but just because a little is good, more is not better. Leave a comment with ideas for ways of adding nuts to healthy foods for all to enjoy!

Have you ever felt that you were literally beckoned by a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos to buy them? Or if after eating a salad for lunch (dressing on the side, of course) do you reach for a Snickers at 3 p.m. because you were “so healthy” just a few hours ago?

You’re not alone. In fact, most Americans engage in some sort of mindless eating, each meal, every snack, each day.

Author and food psychologist, Brian Wansink Ph.D. talks about how blurry our perception has become in choosing what we eat, how much we eat and when we eat. In his book, Mindless Eating, Wansink helps undue a bit of the guilt that ensues after eating too much.

Portion distortion isn’t just exclusive to your dining destinations, be it fast food or otherwise. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that it’s spilled over into the recipe books, too!

The study looked at how classic recipes have changed during the past 70 years and found a nearly 40 percent increase in calories per serving for just about every recipe reviewed, about an extra 77 calories.

The study identified the trend in many cookbooks, but it focused on the iconic Joy of Cooking. It was first published in the ’30s and has been regularly updated, most recently in 2006.

Don’t think you are alone if you have found yourself at a vending machine at about 2:30 in the afternoon with a snack attack that brings out a weakness you never knew you had.   The next thing you know quarters are being inserted into the tiny slot and a bag of potato chips or chocolate bar comes tumbling down.

With the new Smart Portion Prep and Pack Tray you can now be prepared for these moments with six individual containers you can fill with your favorite treats from cut up carrot sticks to strawberries and even mixed nuts. You can prep your snacks ahead of time in healthy portion sizes and store in the fridge to take with you on the go or to even snack at home.

Portion control and knowing what a portion or serving size looks like is so essential for not only losing weight, but also maintaining your weight. Did you know that there are some basic ways that you can remember what a portion size looks like,  or be able to assess how many portions you are about to eat? Too often we eat without measuring, therefore we might think we are eating sensibly, but in actuality we are taking in double or even triple the serving size. Below is a fun and easy guide to refer to for identifying one serving!

Use these comparisons to keep your portions in check. (Nestle.com)

• A baseball or size of your fist- would be one serving of vegetables or fruit
• Tennis ball- measures to about ½ cup of food (for example, ½ cup ice cream)