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8 Best Foods to Eat for Weight Loss
What Is the Volumetrics Diet?
For example, 5 cups of popcorn and 15 potato chips both have about 160 calories. You can have a lot more popcorn than chips for the same number of calories because popcorn has a lower energy density. You get more volume, hence the name volumetrics diet.
What Can You Eat on the Volumetrics Diet?
No foods are off-limits on the volumetrics diet, regardless of their caloric density. Instead, the focus is on eating more low-energy-density foods like fruits, vegetables, soup and salad and fewer high-energy-density foods like fried foods, cheese and desserts.
The volumetrics diet categories foods into four categories based on energy density.
Category 1: Very-Low-Energy-Density Foods (less than 0.6 calories per gram)
Examples of very-low-energy-density foods include chicken noodle soup, lentil soup, most fruits, nonfat yogurt, and nonstarchy vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus.
Category 2: Low-Energy-Density Foods (0.6-1.5 calories per gram)
Examples of low-energy-density foods include split pea soup, clam chowder, tofu, potatoes, beans, grapes, bananas, low-fat yogurt, bran cereal, whole-wheat pasta, light tuna, turkey breast, tomato pasta sauce.
Category 3: Medium-Energy-Density Foods (1.6-3.9 calories per gram)
Examples of medium-energy-density foods include hummus, avocados, feta, part-skim mozzarella, tortilla, pita, bread, chicken breast, egg, salmon, lean ground beef, ice cream, pretzels, light mayonnaise.
Category 4: High-Energy-Density Foods (4-9 calories per gram)
Examples of high-energy-density foods include butter, wheat crackers, bacon, desserts, chips, chocolate, peanut butter, nuts, jelly, full-fat sauces like ranch and mayonnaise and olive oil.
There’s no specific formula, guideline or amount of food from each category you have to follow. Rather, the idea is to track a few days of what you currently eat and then look for places in your diet where you can swap high-energy-density foods with lower-energy-density foods. Small swaps over time can create a calorie deficit that can help lead to weight loss while keeping you feeling full and satisfied.
Making half your plate fruits and vegetables is a simple way to create a meal of very-low-energy-density foods. Lean protein, low-fat foods and fiber- and water-rich foods are also emphasized. In her book, Rolls recommends starting meals with a veggie-packed dish like a soup or salad to help you fill up on fiber and water before consuming the rest of the meal.
In addition to dietary swaps, the volumetrics diet plan encourages physical activity, specifically working up to 10,000 steps per day, as well as tracking food and weight. Mindset and habit hacks are also included, like treating yourself with nonfood rewards.
Volumetrics Diet Pros and Cons
As with any weight-loss diet, there are both positive and negative things to consider if you are interested in the volumetrics diet. Here are some of the pros and cons of following the diet.
Pros
Another positive thing about the volumetrics diet is that there are some scientific studies about its efficacy. Olderresearchfound that reducing high-energy food intake (like fats), while simultaneously adding low-energy-density foods like fruits and vegetables, led to weight loss and increased satiety. However, more recent research is challenging these findings. Some studies suggest that other factors like thegut microbiomeand genetics might influence weight-loss results when following the volumetrics diet. More research is needed to clarify the efficacy of the volumetric diet for weight loss.
Cons
While there are some pros to the volumetrics diet, there are also several cons. Classifying foods into categories based on energy density can be challenging and time-consuming. Incorrectly calculating a food might lead to inaccurately following the diet. Also, being required to cook most meals at home might be time-consuming, expensive and not realistic for some people.
Sample Volumetrics Diet Meal Plan
The volumetrics diet plan allows for breakfast, lunch, dinner and two to three snacks. Dessert can also fit into this meal plan. Rolls' book includes four weeks of sample meals and menus that can be mixed and matched, as well as over 100 recipes that incorporate low-energy-density foods.
Here’s an example of a day of eating on the volumetrics diet plan.
Breakfast
Snack
Lunch
Dinner
So, Should You Try the Volumetrics Diet?
If you are looking to lose weight, the volumetrics diet is one option for a plan that might help you achieve your goals. With a focus on adding nutritious foods and feeling full, this diet might be more sustainable long-term that other more restrictive diets. There’s no calorie counting and all foods can fit with some planning, which might make the plan feel more flexible. That said, the diet can be time-consuming and require more cooking at home. It also has less structure than some other eating patterns. Aside from weight loss, adding more fiber-filled, water-rich fruits and vegetables to your diet can offer a slew of otherhealth benefits, including supporting a healthy gut and decreasing risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
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