Altering your kitchen habits can be enough to give your diet a boost. Try these eight ways to cook yourself trimmer...
1. Use a measuring jug
Portion control is key to keeping your weight down - if you cook more, you eat more. Scales can seem a hassle, so use a jug instead to measure out rice, pasta, couscous, olive oil - anything where you're likely to overestimate how much you need. If you're trying to lose weight, measure rice or pasta up to about 110ml on your jug.
Make friends with carbs! Try a low-fat potato recipe
2. Pop it in the microwave
It's the easiest way to cook fish, a slim girl's staple food. Simply pop it in a microwavable dish with a splash of milk and a small knob of butter, cover and cook for four minutes for a fast, healthy supper. The microwave is also the best way to cook vegetables to preserve nutrients and allows you to bake a potato or whip up a bowl of breakfast porridge in minutes.
Why porridge makes the perfect breakfast
3. Slam it on the juicer
You don't need a costly machine to get the health benefits of fresh juice. A simple citrus juicer will give you freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast (higher in vitamin C and fibre than packet juice), plus lemon or lime juice to use in marinades, salad dressings or sauces to add extra flavour without extra calories.
The 7-day juice detox
4. Blitz it in the food processor
Use to blend healthy soups to a creamy consistency, chop veg for stir-fries (the less effort, the more veg you're likely to add) and for homemade lower-fat versions of high-fat foods, such as pesto and hummus. A mini-processor is a cheap, storage-friendly option if you cook for just one or two.
Blitz up your own healthy dips
5. Pop it in a plastic box
Carry your leftovers to work for yummy, low-cost lunches on the go, or pack up healthy freezer meals to cover those 'I haven't got any food in, I'll have to get a takeaway' moments.
Low-calorie lunch ideas
6. Stick it in the slow cooker
Make great low-fat, nutrient-rich stews. Just add your ingredients in the morning (lots of water, veg, meat or fish) and come home to a delicious healthy supper.
Goulash and dumplings made healthy
7. Invest in a good knife set
You need sharp knives for trimming fat off meat, removing skin from poultry and chopping up fruit, vegetables and herbs quickly and efficiently. Sharpen them regularly - if a knife doesn't slice cleanly through a tomato it needs sharpening.
A whole week of tasty salad inspiration
8. Slip it in a bamboo steamer
We all know steaming is one of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables, but metal steamers can leave them a little bland. Infuse extra flavour by adding some herbs and spices to the water or broth in the pan under your bamboo steamer.
Spot the healthy options when you're eating Thai
