With Father's Day around the corner, June is also Men's Health Month!  Celebrate the favorite men in your life by nourishing their minds and bodies with good food. If you think only women are concerned with their waistlines, think again.  Overweight men are more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease and cancer than their trim waisted buddies.  In addition, obese men have lower self esteem and higher rates of depression.  Below are some tips for waist management.

Bite this:

Breakfast. No more excuses of "no time to eat".  Aim to have something for breakfast within 2 hours of waking to kick start your metabolism.  Try light string cheese and whole grain crackers, a peanut butter sandwich or yogurt and fruit in the morning.Nuts. Nuts of all kids provide a healthy dose of MUFAS (mono-unsaturated fatty acids), which have been found to reduce cholesterol and belly fat.  Replace chips and pretzels with a small handful of nuts twice a day.Beans. Beans are loaded with appetite suppressing fiber and protein- a secret combo to fighting weight gain.  Toss some black beans or kidney beans in your salad or next batch of soup.Fruit. June is one of the best times of the year to enjoy fruit.  High in water, vitamin C, potassium and fiber- enjoy berries, melon, kiwi and other seasonal fruit in place of high fat treats like pie or ice cream this time of year.Yogurt. Real (thin) men eat yogurt.  A Tennessee study found that obese subjects that ate 3 servings of fat free yogurt as part of a calorie-controlled diet lost 22% more weight and 61% more fat than dieters that simply cut calories and didn't include as much calcium.  Try yogurt in smoothies or as a between meal snack.

Not that:

Alcohol. They don't call it a beer belly for nothing.  Excessive alcohol intake (over 2 drinks/day), can lead to weight gain, especially around your middle.  Try some club soda with a twist of lime or a mocktail of diet tonic water or seltzer and lime.Junk food. There's a reason potato chips, cookies, candy bars and donuts aren't included in most diet plans.  This is not healthy food.  One Snickers a week won't tip the scales, but consume junk food day in and day out and your waistline will suffer over time.Pretzels. That's right- you read that correctly.  Pretzels= little sticks of white flour coated in flecks of salt.  They may be low fat, but their high glycemic index will raise your blood sugar, then drop it like a hot potato- causing you to keep eating.Muffins. English muffins (whole wheat or multi-grain) are lovely.  But most cupcake shaped muffins are just that- a cupcake in disguise.  Many muffins contain over 450 calories and loads of fat.  Don't fool yourself into thinking they are health food!Bagels. Most bagels are made with white flour, which gets digested quickly and won't keep you full over time.  Cream cheese is a nutritional nothing, even if it's low fat.  By all means, skip the doughnut- the cinnamon crusted bagel that's more dessert than bagel. It is really pastry in disguise.