The volumetric diet puts the emphasis on food rather than deprivation. “The focus is 100 percent about feeling full,” says Chicago-based Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet and The Superfood Swap. “This diet tries to fill you up because, when given a choice, people choose to eat more.”

According to The Volumetric Diet, foods that contain more water, such as fruits and vegetables, are healthier because they have a lower energy density, or number of calories in a specific amount of food, than other options that have comparable satiety. Foods that are high in energy density include sugary and fatty foods, such as potato chips and cookies. “[Rolls] is saying that you can naturally quench your craving for these foods,” says Blatner.

Essentially, the claim that volumetry advocates make is that you can lose weight by eating fewer calories and still feel full.

What science says about the volumetric diet
Several studies have examined how the energy density of foods – or the relationship between the amount of energy (calories) a food provides and your weight – can affect weight loss and maintenance. For example, a carrot, which contains a lot of water, would have a low energy density, since it does not contain many calories for what it weighs.

A list of sample foods for the volumetric diet

The Volumetric Diet diet plan is not about telling you what you can and cannot eat, but is about teaching you how to eat and stay satisfied.

That said, the program recommends certain foods that are high in water content (low energy density), high fiber, and high in nutrient density, to help promote satiety. These foods include:

1- Fresh fruits (instead of dried fruits or juices, for example)
2- Fresh or frozen vegetables (try swapping some for half a serving of pasta in a pasta dish, for example)
3- Beans and legumes
4- Whole grains
5- High-fiber breakfast cereals
6- Low-fat fish
7- Poultry without skin
8- Lean meats
9- Minimum of added sugars
10- Water (instead of sugary drinks)

Example of a volumetric diet menu day
Breakfast
Oatmeal topped with apple slices, cinnamon and a little brown sugar.
Fat-free milk
½ grapefruit
Coffee
Lunch
Grilled chicken salad with chopped romaine lettuce, red bell pepper, a teaspoon of crumbled blue cheese, and chopped walnuts with light dressing.
Whole wheat pita bread.
Season’s fruit.
Snack
Whole grains with skim milk and fresh blueberries.
Dinner
Entrecote fajita with grilled green peppers and onions, salsa, shredded romaine lettuce, diced fresh tomato, corn, and fat-free sour cream on a tortilla.
Season’s fruit.