Filling Up on Fewer Calories

There’s no magic fix for being overweight—no diet pill, supplement, or crash diet. But one promising approach to weight loss has been to identify factors that promote satiety, the feeling of fullness.

If you feel full longer, you are less likely to overeat later, yet not feel deprived. In some cases, you may even be able to eat moreand still lose weight. Perhaps more important than any individual food or food component in increasing satiety is choosing foods that are low in “energy density.” First promoted by Dr. Barbara Rolls at Pennsylvania State University, the concept of energy density is the basis of her Volumetrics Eating Plan and has also been incorporated into other popular diets. According to Dr. Rolls, many studies show that lowering the energy density of a diet can lead to a decrease in food intake.

How it works

Since people tend to eat roughly the same amount of food a day, regardless of calories, eating foods that are low in energy density allows you to fill up on fewer calories. Consider grapes versus raisins. For the same 120 calories you can eat ¼ cup of raisins but more than a cup of grapes. You will probably feel more satisfied from the grapes. In general, the best way to lower the energy density of your diet is to eat more foods with a high water and fiber content (fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, and cooked whole grains) in place of low-moisture and/or high-fat foods (such as cheese, crackers, and chips). Incorporate more foods low in energy density in your recipes—add more vegetables to soups, stews, and pasta dishes; top pizzas with more vegetables and less cheese; fill sandwiches and wraps with lots of lettuce, cucumbers, and grated carrots.

Calculating energy density

To calculate the energy density of a food, divide the calories by the number of grams in a serving (listed on the nutrition label). For example, a food that has 100 calories and weighs 200 grams (about 7 ounces) has an energy density of 0.5.

How dense (or not) is your food? 

• Energy density of less than 1.0: Broth-based soups, most vegetables and fruits, applesauce, tofu, most beans, salsa, nonfat yogurt and cottage cheese, gelatin desserts. Eat these foods freely.

• 1.0 to 2.0: White fish, tuna (in water), sardines, shrimp, pasta, rice, veggie burgers, low-fat yogurt, poultry breast, sweet potatoes, lima beans, corn, frozen fruit bars/sorbet. Eat in moderation.

• 2.0 to 3.0: Bread, bagels, tortillas, frozen waffles, most breakfast cereals, meat, ice cream, dried fruit, jam. Eat small portions.

• More than 3.0: Most cheese, cake, cookies, chocolate, butter, margarine, oils, salad dressing, fried chips, nuts, bacon. Eat sparingly.