As the New Year dawns, resolutions are made and many people dedicate themselves to eating healthier and becoming more physically fit. The choices you make to reach these goals will have a positive impact not only on yourself, but also on those around you.

There is no secret to healthy eating. The key to tipping the scales in your favor is to eat a well-balanced variety of foods in moderation, and to balance calories with the energy you burn through physical activity. If you eat more than you expend, you gain weight. If you eat less (reduce calories) than you expend, you lose weight.

A healthy lifestyle is based on choices. Setting realistic goals on how to begin making new choices, which eventually become healthy habits, is based largely on personal preference. If you try to reduce the calories, saturated fat, and sugar in your diet AND promise to make sweeping changes in your physical activity level, you may be setting yourself up for failure.

It is better to make a series of small changes over a period of time, rather than many changes all at once. Set one small, realistic goal for yourself and then add a new challenge each week. Being realistic also means being able to "forgive yourself" if you occasionally make some mistakes in your food choices.

Part of a well-balanced and healthy diet is eating a variety of foods. Living in California, the variety and abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables are astounding. By keeping fruits and vegetables more visible and easily accessible, you will tend to eat them more often -- remember the old adage, "out of sight, out of mind"! Keep cleaned and cut produce at eye level in the refrigerator, or keep a bowl of fruit on the table for snacking.

Interesting combinations of flavors and colors found in fruits and vegetables make choices easier. Have you ever tried red grapes and chunks of pineapple, or red peppers and cucumbers?

Fast food has become a staple of the American diet, and it shows. To avoid the pitfalls of a fast food diet, substitute ready-to-eat packaged fresh vegetables or pre-made salads that are readily found at the local supermarket.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are nature's original fast food. In a hurry? Pick fruits and vegetables that require little peeling or preparation, like baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, grapes, an apple, a banana or a box of 100 percent fruit juice.

Moderation means keeping portion sizes reasonable and not overindulging. The recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards.

Eating regular meals is important to having moderation in a diet. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, and many times results in overeating. It is easy to forget about making healthy food choices when you are very hungry.

Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal!

Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your personal preference is for foods that are high in fat, sodium or sugar, the key is moderation in how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them.

A piece of birthday cake frosted with buttercream and made with eggs, sugar and butter -- eaten once a year on your birthday -- is acceptable, but to eat one every day would be indulg ing.

Remember that foods are not good or bad. Don't feel guilty if you love apple pie or potato chips. Eat them in moderation, choosing other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.

Take your time when eating, and eat only when you are hun gry. Take time to enjoy the aro ma, taste and texture of food while you are eating. Remember that it takes approximately 15 minutes for your stomach to sig nal your brain that you are full.

The importance of a balanced diet of a variety of foods eaten in moderation is underscored by the importance of physical activity as a part of an overall healthy lifestyle. Everyone can benefit from physical activity, and inactivity can actually ham per your efforts to attain a healthy lifestyle.

Regular physical activity sub stantially reduces the risk of dy ing of coronary heart disease, the nation's leading cause of death. There are 1440 minutes in every day, and 30 of them should be scheduled for some type of physical activity. Look for opportunities to be more ac tive -- every little bit helps!

Use a sensible approach to be ginning physical activity if you have been "inactive" for a while. Begin choosing activities you enjoy, as you will be more likely to stick with them. Con sider parking the car farther away from your destination and walking on short errands. Take the stairs instead of the eleva tor. Gradually build up the time spent doing physical activities by adding a few minutes every day or a new activity until you reach the minimum recom mended amount of activity of 30 minutes per day.

Lastly, make certain to reward and acknowledge your efforts for reaching your goal of becom ing more physically active, and creating the healthy lifestyle you desire in the New Year. You Can Do It!! Jeff Brown, CEC, FMP, CCE, is an assistant professor at The Collins School of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomo na. He teaches courses in com mercial food preparation. He can be reached at jnbrown@csu pomona.edu.