Eating healthy doesn't mean life without dessert, according to diet diva Carolyn O'Neil.

"Contemporary nutrition has an emphasis on delicious meets nutritious, eating healthy, but also eating pleasurably," O'Neil said in an interview. "It's not about making a list of what you can't eat. I really believe the more you know, the more you can eat."

O'Neil also spoke to a group of Georgia Tech alumnae at January's Women on Wednesdays networking meeting. With co-author and fellow "Dish Diva" Denise Webb, O'Neil wrote "The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!" a modern guide on good nutrition and healthy weight loss for women who are as likely to pull into the drive-through window for dinner as to pull out the pots and pans.

The renewed emphasis on nutrition's role in the diet and dieting allows a little room for formerly "forbidden" foods, said O'Neil, a registered dietician with a master's degree in nutrition and more than 20 years of experience as the food and nutrition reporter for CNN.

"Moderation is such a boring word. We call it cheating and it turns out it is the core principle for a really new and refreshing trend in non-diet diet books and that's what this is. It is about lifestyle. You have to learn how to splurge," she said. "It's kind of a good news, bad news situation, but people are relieved to know it is in fact that simple. Whether you are burning them or eating them, it is the energy balance that really matters. Whether you are eating carbs or fat or protein or rhubarb, no one has repealed the law of thermodynamics."

"The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!" is available at bookstores or through www.dishdivas.com.

HOW TO CHEAT ON YOUR DIET

1. Order Dessert First

Life is short, so order dessert first. This strategy helps you plan the rest of your meal around that sinfully rich dessert you really crave. OK, the waiter may look at you a little strange when you ask for the dessert menu first, but you need information on your destination before you can map out your meal.

2. Cover Your Tracks

A food diary or journal can help you keep track of your intake so you won't go over your daily calorie quota. Research shows the most successful dieters do it and do it daily.

3. Straighten Up and Fry Right

Did you know that foods that are fried right have fewer total fat and calories? Now these are the bad boys worth the heat! Choosing cooking oils with a high smoke point, such as peanut oil or safflower oil, allows foods to fry at a higher temperature and therefore cook faster and absorb less fat.

4. Be a Smart Snacker

You may crave the crunch of potato chips and dip or nacho chips piled high with refried beans and sour cream, but give your cravings a healthy makeover. Choose baked potato chips with a low-fat yogurt dip or nachos made with baked chips, black beans and salsa.

5. Savor Every Moment

If you're going to cheat, then relax and enjoy it! Choose really fine chocolates so you only need a few decadent bites. Or if it's a five-course gourmet meal you're luxuriating over, remember to put your fork down every so often and savor the flavors. It's quality, not quantity that counts.

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