There are two ways to eat fewer calories. One is to eat smaller portions and the other to reduce the amount of calories in a particular dish. With Dr. Gourmet recipes I work at both of these approaches, enhancing the taste and satisfaction of a recipe by choosing lower calorie ingredients that maximize flavor. One example of this is paying careful attention to foods that have a high number of calories by weight. Foods that are calorie dense, like those having higher fat and or sugar content, are one of my first targets when working on a recipe. The other key to eating fewer calories is controlling portion size.

There has been research showing that eating larger portions of food and eating food that is more calorie dense causes weight gain. It appears from research that these two variables are independent of each other (meaning that either would have an effect if the other was not present).

The approach of controlling calorie density and portion size can help people lose weight. Barbara Roll and her colleagues designed an excellent study to test whether reducing the calories in food as well as portion size allowed for a greater reduction in calories than either on its own. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006; 83: 11-17)

Participants in the study ate one of four different menus for two days. Each session was separated by more than a week. In each of the sessions subjects were given all of their meals and snacks for two days. These menus varied between a standard level (100%) and a reduced level (75%) of both portion size and the density of calories.

A