What Is the Volumetric Diet?
Volumetrics is a plan for losing weight created by Dr. Barbara J. Rolls. The diet encourages eating nutrient-dense foods that are low in calories and high in water, such as fruits, vegetables, and soups which can make you more fuller and satisfied. And to limit calorie-dense foods like cookies, chocolates, nuts, seeds, and oils. The volumetrics diet follows more of an unstructured eating technique than one that restricts specific foods and severely limits the daily caloric intake. Unlike other diets, this diet is intended to promote healthy eating habits and should be considered a long-term lifestyle change rather than a short-term solution.
What Are the Foods to Eat and Avoid While Following the Volumetric Diet?
While following a volumetric diet, a person can eat anything but need to pay attention to energy density, that is, the number of calories in a certain quantity of food. Rather than banning any foods entirely, the volumetrics diet breaks food down into four categories based on their calorie density.
Category 1:
This category contains low-calorie density and should comprise the majority of the diet. They include:
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Fruits - Apples, oranges, berries, pears, bananas, grapefruit, and peaches.
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Non-starchy Vegetables - Tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, kale, cauliflower, and carrots.
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Soups - Broth-based soups like vegetable, chicken, lentil, and minestrone.
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Non-fat Dairy - Skimmed milk and non-fat yogurt.
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Beverages - Water and unsweetened black coffee and tea.
Category 2:
This category of foods has more caloric density than the first category and can be enjoyed in moderation. They also offer fiber, which leads to satiety. They include:
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Starchy Vegetables - Potatoes, corn, squash, and peas.
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Whole Grains - Brown rice, quinoa, couscous, buckwheat, barley, and farro.
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Lean Proteins - Skinless poultry, lean cuts of beef or pork, and whitefish.
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Legumes - Chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, and black beans.
Category 3:
Many commonly loved ingredients fall into this category, which should be eaten in less quantities than other categories. Foods in this category are considered medium calorie density. These foods include:
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Meat - Poultry with the skin, fatty fish, and high-fat cuts of beef and pork.
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Refined Carbohydrates - White rice, white bread, crackers, and white pasta.
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Full-fat Dairy - Whole milk, ice cream, cheese, and full-fat yogurt.
Category 4:
This final category is classified as having high energy density food. These foods contain lots of calories per serving and should be eaten very sparingly. They include:
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Nuts - Almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios.
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Seeds - Sesame seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds.
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Oils - Butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, margarine, and lard.
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Processed Foods - Cookies, chips, chocolates, and fast food.
What Are the Benefits of Following the Volumetric Diet?
The volumetric diet group consists of four categories, ranging from very low to high-calorie density food. In general, the number of calories is divided in a particular serving size by their weight in grams. Foods with high water content, such as apples, normally have a very low score in calorie density, while desserts and processed foods like cookies usually rank high.
A typical meal on the volumetrics diet should include foods from categories 1 and 2 to help round the plate. A small number of foods from category 3 and very limited portions from category 4 are recommended. A standard meal plan provides around 1,400 calories per day but can be altered to fit the calorie goals by increasing portion sizes or adding extra snacks. No foods are completely eliminated from the volumetrics diet. In fact, high-calorie density food can be included by modifying the portion sizes and adjusting the other meals.
The diet recommends at least 30 minutes to 60 minutes of exercise each day. The physical activity and food intake should be tracked in a journal to monitor the progress and identify areas that may need improvement.
What Are the Benefits of Following the Volumetric Diet?
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Provides Long-Term Healthy Eating - Recent research demonstrated that dietary management using the volumetrics diet principles can help in losing weight and obtain a sustainable eating pattern.
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Good Foods - A big advantage of volumetrics is the attention on learning how to eat water-rich foods and healthier foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
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No Crash Dieting - Volumetrics diet aims for sustainable rather than rapid weight loss. It promotes a safe and slow loss of 1 to 2 lbs a week.
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No Rigid Rules - This diet does not force you to quit chocolate or cheese instead, it helps in inculcating such foods in the diet in the most healthful way possible.
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Weight Loss - The volumetrics diet can help to reduce weight. A study that included more than 9,500 adults illustrated that when consuming low-density foods, waist circumference and body mass index is lowered.
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Safe in Comparison to Other Diets - Many diets restrict foods, whereas the volumetrics diet allows for eating all types of food. Researchers found that this particular manner of eating is safe and effective in producing a gentle transformation into a lifelong way of eating.
What Are the Disadvantages of the Volumetric Diet?
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Short-Term Satiety: Eating lots of low-calorie foods will help to feel full, but the effect may not last long because eating high-water foods creates a feeling of fullness at that point in time, but may make you hungry after a short time. Try to add protein with meals to help the feeling of satiety last longer.
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Time-intensive: The diet requires energy investments and time, which may make it unacceptable for some people. In addition to finding recipes, cooking food, and calculating calorie density may take a lot of time. This may make the diet inconvenient for those with a busy lifestyle, limited access to fresh produce, or a cramped kitchen. In fact, Dr. Roll's book should be purchased to calculate a meal's calorie density and track food intake effectively.
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Limits Healthy Fats: The diet also restricts certain foods that are rich in healthy fats like nuts, seeds, and oils. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are provided by these foods, which may limit inflammation and safeguard against chronic conditions like the heart.
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Emphasis More on Calories: The volumetrics diet is based on calorie density which limits high-calorie foods. This means that high-calorie nutritious rich foods like avocados, whole eggs, and nut butter are limited, while processed, low-calorie foods like diet ice cream are allowed due to their low-calorie density. Low-calorie foods are often packed with unhealthy ingredients like sugar to enhance their taste. When food has low calories it does not mean it is healthy.
Conclusion:
The volumetrics diet focuses on a low-calorie density and high-volume diet. This diet gives a feeling of fullness reducing hunger and craving and promoting weight loss. It may also improve the diet quality by increasing the intake of nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables. However, it restricts many healthy foods and has limited online resources, which may not be suitable for some people. So, before you start one, seek the help of a dietician.
