Diet volumetric

Do you want to lose weight by 5-10% of your weight in a very short time, but do not exhaust yourself with hunger and do not deny yourself a favorite food? The solution is: a new direction in dietology - volumetric!

Nutrition professor, director of the laboratory of nutritional behavior at the University of Pennsylvania, a well-known nutritionist Barbara Rolls spent 20 years studying the saturation process and its impact on appetite and the development of obesity. Based on her research, she developed her own dietary technique - volumetrics (from English volume - volume). Dr. Rolls explains its effectiveness simply: "By choosing food that contains fewer calories per serving, you can increase the amount eaten, but at the same time reduce the total calorie intake."
Calorie Density
According to a study published by Barbara Rolls in 2011 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who consume snacks before eating, 25% of them, eat up 360 kcal less. That is, the more food we consume, the faster we curb the appetite and the fewer calories we get. And if after a meal we have a pleasant feeling of satiety, then the higher we have the chance to adhere to such a diet on an ongoing basis. In this case, it is absolutely not necessary to abandon your favorite dishes. Only you need to know the measure. This measure in volumetric is the indicator of calorie density, that is, the amount of calories that account for 100 g of product (kcal / g). Here is a simple example. In one cup of raisins 434 kcal are contained, and in a cup of grapes - only 104 kcal, that is raisin has a higher density of calories than grapes: 2.6 against 0.6. What does this mean in practice? Fresh berries can be eaten without any damage to the figure three times more than the dried ones.

Food elements
The density of calories of a product is affected by 3 factors: water, fiber, fat.

WATER is the main component. It gives the food volume and thus does not contain calories. For example, grapefruit consists of water by 90%, in a half of fruit (1 portion), only 39 kcal; carrots - by 88%, half a cup of carrots - it's only 25 kcal. The basis of volumetric is just a liquid and rich in moisture food: soups, fruits, vegetables.

CELL - not only gives food volume, but also slowly digested, which means it gives a fuller and longer saturation with a minimum of calories. As you know, fiber is rich in the same vegetables and fruits, as well as cereals.

Fats have the highest calorie density: 9 kcal per 1 g. This is twice as high as that of proteins and carbohydrates. For example, 1 teaspoon of butter contains as many calories as 2 cups of broccoli.

Use in everyday life indicator of calorie density is fairly easy. It can serve as a reference point for the selection of certain products. Food, whose energy value is much less than weight (the density of calories to 0.6), can be included in the diet without restrictions: this is the majority of vegetables and fruits. If the calorie density is from 0.6 to 1.5, that is, such foods can be, but in a reasonable amount, without overeating - this applies to cereals, lean meat, low-fat dairy products. Studies confirm that if you eat foods with a calorie density of not more than 60 kcal per 100 g (regardless of the size of portions), excess weight goes away. You can eat food with a calorie density of 60 to 150 kcal per 100 g and at the same time lose weight or maintain weight, depending on the level of physical activity and metabolic rate. But with products in which the calories are several times more than the mass of the portion (with a density of 150 kcal / 100 g): cheese, fatty meat, bread, sweets - you should be more careful. This "dense" food should be limited and compensated for by a large amount of food with a low calorie density. Also Dr. Rolls advises to monitor the total daily caloric intake of the diet. It depends on the age and should not exceed: in the 21-25 years 2 thousand kcal, in the 26-50 years - 1.8 thousand kcal, in 51 + - 1.6 thousand kcal.

Daily volumetric menu:
Rules of volumetric measurement
  1. Eat vegetables or fruits with any food intake. The more juicy, the better. Dr. Rolls assures: even if you increase the amount of food at the expense of vegetables three times, you will still lose weight! However, remember that without restrictions, vegetables can be consumed only without fats.
  2. Eat ... before eating. Start with a dish that will take a good place in the stomach: soup or salad. Soup can be vegetable, on a thin broth. Salad - for lunch and dinner vegetable, for breakfast - fruit.
  3. Enjoy the look of a full plate. In this case, the brain immediately receives a signal of pleasure, and where there is pleasure, there is no risk of overeating, says the creator of volumetric.
  4. Do not give up protein. Unlike water-saturated vegetables and fruits, proteins provide longer saturation. In addition, lean protein foods do not threaten the appearance of excess weight. In the role of high-grade protein in the diet can be milk with morning muesli, beans or tofu in salad, a piece of fish, turkey, beef for dinner or dinner.
Products with low calorie density: Products with high calorie density: How to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet: