MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Let others satisfy their lunchtime hunger with greasy burgers, salt-laden fries and sugary sodas. For Connecticut resident Nancy Johnson, a garden salad and Cajun-style vegetarian soybean dish fit the bill nicely.

She’s not alone, at least in the Northeast, according to a new state-by-state obesity study released Tuesday by Trust for America’s Health.

Despite New England’s diverse culinary temptations – among them butter-drenched and breaded seafood, Boston cream pies, Samuel Adams beer, creamy clam chowder, lobster rolls dripping with mayonnaise and chocolate frappes – the region’s residents are some of the leanest in the nation.

“We do prefer good, healthy food, but we’re not fanatics,” said Johnson, of Durham, Conn., as she and a friend waited for their lunches Tuesday at It’s Only Natural vegetarian restaurant.

Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Connecticut were among just seven states with average obesity rates under 20 percent, according to the report. Massachusetts had the second-lowest obesity rate in the country, behind only Colorado.

Maine had an obesity rate of 22 percent, making it the 34th most obese state. New Hampshire was 36th with a 21.7 percent obesity rate.

In a region noted for steady habits and moderation, several New England diners and restaurateurs said Tuesday that their secret is indulging only occasionally in the fattening, unhealthy foods blamed for the nation’s obesity epidemic.

“We could spoil ourselves and one night go out and have, say, a seafood roll or a clam platter,” said Joe Milano, owner of Boston’s Union Oyster House, which serves gallons of creamy clam chowder each day. “You’re certainly not going to eat that way every night.”

But while New Englanders might be less obese than residents of other parts of the country, Yale University professor Kelly Brownell warns that the nationwide obesity epidemic is “different degrees of terrible.”

“It’s awful everywhere. It’s a little less awful in some places and a little more awful in others, but it’s awful everywhere,” said Brownell, director of Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Poverty and educational disparities are among the factors that can help make people obese, while access to good health care, safe places for physical activity and low-cost healthy food can make staying slim easier.

New England, with a wealthier population than some other parts of the nation, is helped by its relative affluence and residents’ ability to afford fresh fruits and vegetables, health clubs and other preventative health measures. Regional differences in cuisine, weather and social norms about weight also are factors, although none have the same impact as poverty, Brownell said.

To some New Englanders, the new study’s findings were no surprise. Some said their devotion to exercise and love of the outdoors helps offset their indulgences.

“People in New England are more active, they do more outside,” said Kevin O’Hara of Montpelier, Vt., as he enjoyed a triple caramel chunk ice cream cone at a Ben & Jerry’s store in that city Tuesday.

In downtown Providence, R.I., Dunkin’ Donuts patron Brian Homsi speculated that the city’s pedestrian-friendly design makes it more welcoming to walkers, providing exercise to those who already are health-conscious.

“I think for the most part a lot of my friends are relatively in shape and not obese,” Homsi said.

The Trust for America’s Health report’s estimate of obesity rates is based on a three-year average, 2003-2005. The data comes from an annual random sampling of adults via the telephone. The information is designed to help the government measure behavioral risks among adults.

The government equates obesity with a body mass index, or BMI, of at least 30. Someone who is 5-feet-4 would have to weigh 175 pounds to reach that threshold.