Eating well and feeling full is possible: this is how this dietary model based on the concept of caloric density works
Starting a diet is difficult, being consistent even more. It happens to many: following a more rigid and healthy diet without mistakes forces us in some cases to fight with the feeling of hunger. The direct consequence is the risk of quickly giving up on the diet to indulge in larger and more satisfying meals. This is why the volumetric diet exists, a food plan based on the caloric density of foods whose objective is precisely to guarantee a sense of satiety after each meal.
What is the volumetric diet?
As mentioned, the volumetric diet favors foods rich in nutrients but with few calories such as fruit, vegetables and cereals. These foods are especially rich in water, which helps you feel full faster. Going deeper, in the volumetric diet foods are divided into four categories based on caloric density:
– Very low density: includes fruit, yogurt or vegetables such as asparagus and broccoli
– Low density: in this category we find cereals, fish, legumes, potatoes
– Medium density: it is advisable to consume them only occasionally; includes milk, cheese, ice cream, non-wholemeal bread, fatty meats and fish
– High density: these are processed foods, rich in sugars and fats, such as sweets, chips, chocolate, dried fruit, and snacks of various kinds.
Volumetric diet: menu examples
What might a typical week be according to the volumetric diet criteria? The first meal of the day is breakfast. From Monday to Sunday you can alternate cereals with low-fat yogurt, wholemeal bread with low-fat cheese and green tea and a breakfast of wholemeal bread with sugar-free jam and skimmed milk. At lunch there are many alternatives: ranging from wholemeal pasta accompanied by vegetables (cooked and raw) to rice with seasonal vegetables (raw or cooked), passing through rice salads, salads with seasonal vegetables and cottage cheese and couscous. Alternate them as you like throughout the week. Finally, dinner: among the lean meats you can choose chicken and turkey to accompany with vegetable side dishes; then fish with potatoes and vegetables, tofu or even omelette. Alternatively, you can choose a vegetable puree accompanied by a little meat or a minestrone containing spelled and legumes. To you the choice.
Does the volumetric diet work?
Ultimately, can the volumetric diet be a solution for long-term weight loss? Being designed to ensure a sense of satiety, it is a dietary model that is sustainable over time and relatively easy to follow. Weight loss is not sudden but gradual: it is easier to maintain the progress achieved. It also allows you to change the menu often: “Food categories are not excluded as in other diets”, explains nutritionist Enrica Bovio to GreenMe. “There are no major contraindications. It can be adopted by everyone.”
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