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Try These Kitchen Tricks to Help You Trim Down

Ten savvy ways to keep your figure in check (11 Photos)

Ellie Krieger on Aug 18, 2011 at 2:12PM

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Try These Kitchen Tricks to Help You Trim Down

David Murray/Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images

Break Out Your Blender

In a recent study, people given meals containing vegetable purees ate about 350 fewer calories over the course of the day and were just as satisfied as those given the same foods without the purees. That’s because purees increase the volume of a dish without contributing many calories. Since people tend to habitually eat the same volume of food, diners ate the amount they were accustomed to. But because the puree-enhanced dishes were less dense, they automatically ate fewer calories. Purees also contributed fiber and water, which are well established as helping promote feelings of fullness and satiety. Those 350 calories saved each day could translate into a pound of fat lost after just 10 days. So, steam vegetables like carrots and squash, puree them, and stir them into muffin batters or pasta sauces. You will not only eat fewer calories, you'll also be getting healthful fiber to help your digestive system as well as immune-boosting nutrients like vitamins A and C.

Ellie Krieger is the host of Food Network’s Health Appetite and author of many cookbooks including So Easy: Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week.