Choose soups, vegetables

Surprisingly, the component of foods that has the biggest impact on how much food you eat is water. Water adds weight and volume to foods without adding calories--it lowers the calorie density of foods. Water-rich foods include vegetables, fruits and soups. Our studies show that eating a diet low in calorie density helps people eat fewer calories while still eating a satisfying amount of food.

Several of our studies have looked at the best ways to include low-calorie-dense foods in a meal. We found, for example, that eating a 100-calorie bowl of broth-based soup or a green salad at the start of a meal takes the edge off your hunger. Even with the extra course of soup or salad, you are likely to eat fewer total calories during the meal.

Eat for nutrition, as well as weight

A low-density meal is the ultimate value meal, one that gives you fewer calories and more nutrients in satisfying portions.

An analysis of what 7,356 U.S. adults reported eating, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition earlier this year, showed that those eating a diet low in calorie density--rich in vegetables, fruits and other high-water foods--ate fewer calories per day (425 less for men, 275 less for women). And by choosing these foods, they were able to eat bigger portions without breaking the calorie bank.

What's more, this type of eating pattern supplies more of important nutrients such as calcium, iron, potassium and vitamins A, C, B-6 and folate, as reported in the August issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

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