Healthy eating habits start with small changes.

Eat more often. What? Yes, you heard me correctly. Research shows that when women eat small meals every three to four hours, they consume fewer calories and burn the calories off faster.

Sip water instead of soda. Every soda you drink each day, even if it is diet, increases your risk of being overweight by 65%. Drink water with lemon or lime instead. If you aren’t ready to completely give up soda, resolve to substitute water for one soda each day.

Power up on protein. Some studies show protein stimulates hormones that make you feel full. It also helps provide the energy you need to function each day. Make sure at least one third of each snack and meal is lean protein. Try adding beans to your salad, putting peanut butter on celery sticks, or eating a slice of low-fat cheese with an apple.

Grab a snack. Make fresh fruits and veggies as easy to grab for a snack as chips are. Place them at eye level in your refrigerator, pre-washed and pre-cut, or put them in a bowl on the kitchen table.

Up with whole grains! Browner foods like whole wheat pasta, bran cereal, brown rice, and whole wheat bread have more fiber than refined, processed white foods. Fiber helps you feel full and slows down the speed at which your body absorbs calories from other foods. To make small changes, add a spoonful of bran cereal to yogurt, make sandwiches with whole grain bread instead of white, and substitute whole-grain pasta for half of the noodles in your casserole.

Eat a rainbow. Choose a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables to benefit from multiple vitamins and minerals.

Make these small changes to make a big difference in your eating habits.