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Eat Right, Stay Well
How to Eat More and Weigh Less Posted Mon, Mar 10, 2008, 9:51 am PDT
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It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Is it really possible to eat more and lose weight? A diet plan called Volumetrics suggests that this holy grail of the dieter is indeed possible.
Volumetrics is an eating plan developed by Dr. Barbara Rolls, a nutrition researcher at Penn State. Her discovery is that each day, in our efforts to feel satiated, we all eat about the same weight or amount of food. What this means is that if you choose to eat foods that are packed with calories (calorie dense), then you are going to gain weight.
Of course, the opposite is also true: If you consume the same volume or weight of less calorie-dense foods, you'll still feel full and satisfied and you'll also lose weight.
A food's energy density can be found by dividing the weight of the portion in grams by the calories in that portion. Look at your food labels: for example, one cup of Cheerios has 100 calories and weighs 28 grams. The energy density of a cup of Cheerios, then, is 100 ÷ 28 = 3.5.
Energy density is divided into four categories:
Very low energy density: 0 - 0.5
Low energy density: 0.6 -1.5
Medium energy density: 1.5 - 4.0
High energy density: 4.0 - 9.0
The goal of the Volumetrics plan is to eat less of — but not avoid altogether — the high energy-dense foods, while eating more of the very low and low energy-dense foods. That way, you can eat the same volume of food you always have (or even more), while maintaining or even losing weight.
Higher energy-dense foods include such items as chips, cookies, bagels, nuts, oils, and high-fat meats. Vegetables, fruits, skim milk, beans, and lean meats are all lower energy-dense foods.
Try calculating the energy density of some of your favorite foods to see if you can swap some less energy-dense items into your diet.


Diet-Friendly Comfort Foods Posted Thu, Mar 06, 2008, 12:06 pm PST
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So often we use food to comfort ourselves in response to emotions. But unfortunately, many favorites are loaded with calories, fat and sugar.

Here's a list of common comfort foods with lower-calorie swaps.

Pizza
Lose: two New York slices of Pizza (1,300 calories, 50 grams fat)
Choose: Lean Cuisine brick oven style pizza (320 calories, 9 grams fat)Or make your own pita pizza with vegetables (250 calories, 6 grams fat).
Ice Cream
Lose: one pint Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip ice cream (1,040 calories, 64 grams fat)
Choose: one cup Turkey Hill Low-Fat Moose Tracks ice cream (280 calories, 10 grams fat)
Chips
Lose: potato chips (one ounce = 160 calories, 11 grams fat)
Choose: soy crisps (once ounce = 110 calories, 3 grams fat - plus protein and fiber, bonus!)
Bread
Lose: two slices white bread with butter (260 calories, 10 grams fat)
Choose: Thomas' light English muffin with 2 tsp peanut butter (160 calories, 6 grams fat and 8 grams fiber)
Taco Bell
Lose: Nachos Bellgrande (770 calories, 44 grams fat)
Choose: Fresco Burrito Supreme with chicken (330 calories, 8 grams fat)
Burgers
Lose: bacon cheeseburger (1100 calories, 80 grams fat)
Choose: turkey burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup on half the Bun (334 calories, 13 grams fat)
Fries
Lose: large French fries (600 calories, 33 grams fat)
Choose: baked sweet potato fries (220 calories, 0 grams fat)
Chicken Wings
Lose: fried chicken wings with bleu cheese dressing (720 calories, 59 grams fat)
Choose: baked chicken tenderloins with hot sauce and low-cal bleu cheese dressing (120 calories, 1.5 grams fat)
Pasta
Lose: traditional macaroni and cheese (2 cups = 880 calories, 40 grams fat)
Choose: whole wheat elbow macaroni tossed with ½ cup tomato sauce and 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese (2 cups = 420 calories, 5 grams fat)
Cookies
Lose: two raw chocolate chip cookie dough squares (200 calories, 10 grams fat)
Choose: two South Beach Diet Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (100 calories, 5 grams fat)