Ellie Krieger's Tips for a Luscious -- and Healthy -- Life

FROM THESTREET.COM: As a former model, Ellie Krieger knows all about the need to stay slim. But as a registered dietitian, she also knows how to do it right.

So, Krieger, host of the Food Network's (SSP) Healthy Appetite series and creator of an online weight-loss plan, has now come out with a cookbook that puts her ideas into practice.

In The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life, she eschews much of the fad-dieting methodologies, be they low-carb or low-fat, in favor of a practical, family-minded enjoy-your-food philosophy.

The trick? Adopting a new approach towards food so that a little flavor goes a long way and that a meal becomes an occasion.

We caught up with Krieger at the 2008 South Beach Wine & Food Festival, held last month in Miami Beach, to hear her message and break it down into five easy steps for our readers.

Step One 
Be present with your food: Krieger says to think quality, not quantity.

That means you can incorporate "forbidden" foods -- dense desserts, fried fare -- into your diet, so long as you avoid excess (the "filling a hole" syndrome, as she calls it).

But take it a step further: If you're going to indulge, make sure it's worth it. "How many inferior muffins have you come across at conference rooms that you eat anyway?" she asks. Instead, wait for the right muffin -- or better yet, make it yourself. (She's got a page in her book devoted to "building a better muffin.")