No, this isn’t about ketchup! Isn’t it a great feeling to experience something really great because you had the self control to work hard, take your time, and follow through?

Learning self control as a child can help you be in control as an adult, says a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences, who followed over 1,000 children in New Zealand from birth to age 32. The study showed that self control is a skill that if developed as a child, will translate into adult life.

Adults who were in control as children were better able to see the worth in waiting versus making spontaneous short-term decisions in response to appealing stimuli.

In the realm of nutrition, this means adults need to provide an example to children and enforce moderation in eating patterns.  Although it can be more difficult, and not usually the most exciting route, short-term decisions are critical to long-term success of both adults and their children. That success is worth waiting for!

Whether this applies to eating out, emotional eating  or making overall poor food choices, the concept applies to most people, at least once in a while.

Easier said than done, right? In my experience with hundreds of clients, the most often successful intervention in improving family nutrition patterns is limiting the number of meals eaten out each week. Yes, it comes down to eating out less often.  Even when trying to make better food choices and eat smaller portions when ordering, clients have better results when they change the frequency. Control the short term decision of eating out in response to advertising, fatigue, stress, lack of planning and, of course, the begging kid factor.

Control this by setting limits. Reserve eating out for the evenings when you know there is no other choice. Other times, prepare sandwiches ahead of time — even the night before. Have snacks in the car, and have frozen “go-to’s” on hand for quick meals between activities.  Crock pot recipes, frozen fish (unbreaded), turkey burgers, tacos, pastas, soups and sandwiches, and make-ahead casseroles are great examples of quick and easy meals.

You might find that some of these options are just as quick as sitting in the drive through. Even if the nutrition profile on these items isn’t ideal, you are still practicing self control and enforcing healthy limits.

Here’s an example of a make-ahead recipe that goes quickly from freezer (or fridge) to oven.  Have some pretzels and hummus, fruit, a salad or steamed edamame while you wait for your meal.

Make-ahead salsa chicken

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
• 2 tsp taco seasoning
• Cooking spray
• 2/3 cup bottled salsa
• 2/3 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained
• ¼ cup fat-free sour cream

Combine chopped (bite sized) chicken and taco seasoning in bowl to coat.  Heat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook thoroughly.  Cool and place in 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Top with chiles, then salsa, then cheese.  Refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake in an oven preheated to 450 to heat through, about 20 minutes.  Alternately, freeze and defrost in refrigerator prior to cooking, or add 30 minutes to baking time if reheated from frozen.  Serve with any of the following, if desired:  rice, tortillas, sliced olives, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

Nutrition Facts:

• Serving size:  one-fourth of this prepared dish

• Calories:  200
• Fat:  3 grams
• Protein:  33 grams
• Carb:  9 grams
• Sodium:  575 mg