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 Fill up without filling out |
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Reducing the calorie and fat content of traditional dishes can be achieved without cutting back on the serving size or compromising on taste. Find out how to lower the energy density of your meals below.
The light choices
Follow our top tips to lower the energy density of your diet:
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Generally, the drier the food the higher its energy density – opt for foods that contain plenty of water. This includes foods that absorb water as they cook, such as pasta and pulses
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Opt for wholegrains as they contain more fibre than refined grains such as white bread or pasta
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When eating out, choose soup or salad (with just a little dressing) as a starter – this will reduce the amount you eat for the rest of the meal
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Add vegetables or fruits to everything! Adding berries to your porridge or extra vegetables to a pasta dish will help to lower the energy density of your meals
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The skins on vegetables and fruits contain fibre, so leaving them on will help fill you up for longer
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Avoid adding extra fat or calories when cooking or serving – use healthy cooking techniques such as grilling, steaming or baking, or use non-stick pans that need very little oil
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Try to avoid energy dense snacks like crisps, biscuits and chocolate bars
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Tempting transformations
There are simple ways to transform less healthy dishes. Here are some examples:
 Prawn cocktail
A traditional British favourite, this starter is usually swimming in high-fat mayonnaise, with more sauce than prawns. We have lowered the energy density of our version by:
• replacing half the mayonnaise with fat-free Greek yoghurt
• using low-fat mayonnaise
• using large tiger prawns
• decreasing the amount of sauce by adding flavour with horseradish and lemon slices instead.
You can save 390 kcals and 45g fat
 Lasagne
Lasagne can be a great dinner, but with too much pasta, creamy sauce, cheese and beef it can be very high in fat and calories. We have lowered the energy density of our version by:
• using skimmed milk and wholemeal flour for the Béchamel sauce
• only using Béchamel sauce in one layer
• replacing half the mince with vegetable ragout
• using lean beef.
You can save 140 kcals and 15g fat
 After-dinner chocolates
A chocolate or two might seem like the perfect end to a meal, but they can be surprisingly energy dense. Our alternative, chocolate-dipped fruit, is a sweet treat that is much lower in energy density:
• Spear small pieces of fruit on cocktail sticks and dip them in melted dark chocolate
• Leave them to set on a piece of baking parchment
• Try seasonal fruit – berries, grapes, satsuma segments and cherries all work well.
Three chocolate-dipped strawberries compared with three chocolate truffles:
You can save 76 kcals and 10g fat
For more low energy-dense recipes, order one of our cookbooks or visit our recipe section.
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