Would you like to feel full and satisfied on fewer calories? This is not another weight loss gimmick like the “Wheat belly”, or “Grain brain” diet. Most diets fail because they ask you to eat smaller amounts of foods instead of changing the kinds of foods you eat. When you eat, the senses of fullness and satiety generally come from the volume of food consumed, not its calories. By choosing foods that are low in calories, but high in volume, you can eat more and feel fuller on fewer calories.
Let’s explore the concept of caloric density.
What is the caloric density of food? It is the number of calories in a given amount (volume) of food. For weight control you want to choose foods that are lower in calories, yet higher in volume. Foods that are high in fiber and water generally have fewer calories. Water and fiber do not contribute to calories. High fiber foods also take longer to digest, making you feel full longer on fewer calories.
So, what foods have low caloric density? Vegetables, fruits, whole (or unprocessed) grains, and legumes. Eat these foods for good weight control. 94% of a tomato’s weight is water. A medium raw carrot is about 90 % water and has only 25 calories. While fresh vegetables are ideal when they are in season, frozen vegetables maintain most of the nutritional value of fresh. Keep some in your freezer for times when you run out of fresh veggies. So no excuse not to eat your veggies!
Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits (without added sugars or syrup) are all low-calorie density foods. Be careful of fruit juices and dried fruits. They are concentrated in natural sugars and therefore have more calories per volume. You have to squeeze 3 to 4 oranges to get an 8-ounce cup of orange juice. It is easy to overeat on dried fruits because they won’t fill you up as much as fresh fruits. For instance, there are about 100 calories packed into ¼ cup of raisins, the same as in one full cup of grapes. Grapes would be the better option to choose for weight control because you get a relatively large amount of food for fewer calories.
What about a cheeseburger at lunch? That would leave you with a whopping 600+ calories, and it may not quench your hunger pangs. A healthier option would be to choose a meal of vegetable soup, a black bean burger sandwich, fresh fruit, and a cup of cooked veggies; all for the same calories.
In the morning when you are rushing out of the house on a doughnut, think about how for the same number of calories you could have had a bowl of oatmeal with some soy or nut milk, blueberries, and a slice of whole-wheat toast with peanut butter.
If you consume high calorie dense foods such as white bread, pasta, white rice, dried fruits, high fat plant foods like avocados and nuts; think of them as garnishes and eat them in small quantities.
When you have an urge to have a sweet ending to your meal, try fresh fruit as a tasty low-calorie alternative to a slice of pie. Think mango or cantaloupe…
Enjoy your low-calorie dense foods, they will keep your weight off and preserve your health!
Bozena Wentland, RD