Jorge Cruise, author of 'The 3-Hour Diet' recently shared some of his ideas about smarter meal choices with AOL Coaches. Here is an excerpt of that session:

Host: First, here are some simple suggestions from Jorge on choosing the right foods at those special events.

Jorge Cruise: At a barbeque or picnic, try one of these: you can do a hamburger with a bun and a salad; or you can do three ribs, corn and a green salad with low fat dressing; or you could do grilled chicken without the skin, rice and grilled veggies. At a wedding, try one of these: you could do grilled fish, rice and vegetables – but make sure to skip the heavy sauces and seasonings on the fish that could overwhelm it; you could also do chicken, pasta and a simple salad – make sure to keep the pasta at half of a cup per serving, though, get the salad dressing on the side and ask for a light option; when the cake is served at the wedding, try two bites and then hit the dance floor. And if you’re going to a party these are all good choices: bruschetta, small pieces of bread and lots of tomatoes – that’s a tasty treat; or you could do fresh vegetables and a low cal dip – focus on the veggies, you really can’t overdo those; or shrimp with cocktail sauce.

Host: Next, Jorge explains how reducing stress can be an important step in losing belly fat for good.

Jorge Cruise: The ‘New England Journal of Medicine’ published a wonderful study by the Department of Nutritional sciences in Toronto, Canada that specifically showed how eating every three hours helped reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. You see, high cortisol hormone levels are closely associated with abdominal fat. In the study it was shown that in less than two weeks individuals who ate frequent small meals, as opposed to three large meals containing the same amount of food, were able to reduce their cortisol levels by more than 17 percent. Truly amazing, isn’t it? And all of these benefits occurred in only two weeks. Just imagine what a lifetime of eating this way will do for you.

Host: Finally, here are some tips from Jorge on which fats you should and shouldn’t eat.

Jorge Cruise: There are so many types of fats. Saturated fats are the ones found in animal products such as steak, whole milk and eggs. Hydrogenated fats, also called trans-fats, are the ones found in many processed foods. I usually recommend that all of my clients minimize or avoid the use of these trans-fats for optimal health. Finally, there are essential fatty acids, also called omega fats. These omega fats are true gems when it comes to weight loss. Fats can help fuel your weight loss in three critical ways. First, the most important, omega fats help maintain lean muscle, and help to suppress your appetite and make you feel full on less food. Second, these omega fats can help you unlock stored body fat so your body can burn it for energy. Finally, omega fats boost your body’s metabolism so you’ll burn more calories all day long. No other fat on earth will do this. Although you are free to eat any fats you want, you’ll maximize your weight loss efforts if you primarily stick to omega fats. You’ll find omega fats in flax seed products, olive oil, soybeans and other seeds and nuts – especially almonds; even almond butter, olives, cold water fish -- such as salmon – and avocadoes and guacamole.