The Volumetrics Diet – A Short Overview

The Volumetrics diet was created by Barbara Rolls. The diet is not based on deprivation but is meant to help people find healthy foods that they can eat as much as they want but still lose weight.

The diet aim at making you feel full but is less in calories and can help one lose weight in a short period of time. According to Rolls, these are foods you will eat as much as you want, feel full but still achieve your weight loss goals.

What You Can Eat And What You Can’t Eat

Even though you can eat anything, greater attention must be paid to the energy density i.e the number of calories in the foods you eat. Foods with high energy density have a high number of calories but those with less have fewer calories.

Rolls volumetric foods are categorized into:

1. This category consists of fruits, non-starchy vegetables such as mushroom, tomatoes and broccoli.

2. Category 2 include portions of whole grain which may include brown rice, wheat pasta, legumes, lean proteins and low fat dairy.

3. This is category 3 that consists of small portions of foods such as deserts, fat-free baked snacks, higher fat meats, cheeses.

4. The forth category consist of fried foods, cookies, fats, nuts and candy which must be eaten sparingly.
The entire diet consists of three meals, a desert and two snacks which must be eaten every day.

Volumetric meals have high water content and include fruits and vegetables that will fill your stomach but which will not increase calories to your body. Drinking a lot of water is not sufficient because it will only satisfy your thirst but not your hunger. One is allowed to drink alcohol but this must be done in moderation because it contains a lot of calories

Does It Work?

Volumetric is a sensible diet recommended by nutritionists because of lower calories. It includes lots of vegetables, lower fat and fruits.

Rolls relied on her vast experience as a nutritionist to design the recipes. All the volumetric foods are based on research and work done in her lab.

It is a flexible plan that recognizes the fact that when you are full you will be able to make smart choices about the foods you eats. However, you must handle other reasons such as stress and boredom which make people eat a lot even when they are full.

To be successful with volumetric foods, you must remember to carefully select foods that are low in energy density. For instance one should only eat a sixth of cheeseburger. Unfortunately, following recipes may take time and it may not be easy to calculate energy density.

Plan for your grocery shopping and remember to include foods that are high in water content. Foods like soup, stew, casseroles and fruit based deserts are good. The recipes should cut down on oil, eggs, cream. Instead, you should use skim, eggs, whites, applesauce and yogurt. This plan is very flexible and is an ideal one for vegetarians and people who must restrict the level of salt and fats they take.

If you are on this diet, you must chose low-sodium foods but emphasize on vegetables and fruits sodium free frozen. You must also limit the meat and the dairy you eat. Perhaps the only ingredient you are free to use is kosher ingredients

Exercising

Exercising is key to any weight loss program. This is why you must add at least 150 steps of walking to your daily routine. You must target reaching 1,000 steps by the end of the first week but focus on attaining 10,000 steps per day.

The Cost Of The Diet

This diet does not consist of any exotic ingredients. Thus, the cost of the groceries is manageable. It gives one a financial wiggle room. One is free to choose a diet they prefer as long as it consists of vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. Anyone who cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in barley, wheat and rye can easily adapt to volumetric foods that serve their needs.

It has been observed that individuals who stick to this plan will be able to lose reasonable amount of weight within six weeks. Similarly, those on the diet make good progress on diabetes and improve their heart health considerably.

For more info about the Volumetrics Diet you can check the video below.

All the best!