As I mentioned last time, my favorite strategy for feeling full sooner and longer is low density eating. Low density eating is found in both Dr. Rolls’ Volumetrics Eating Plan and the Pritkin Diet. It’s based on eating foods that are low in energy density, found by dividing the calories of the food into its weight in grams. To manage weight (and increase satiety), experts recommend emphasizing foods with low energy density (under 1.0), eating in moderation foods that have medium energy density (1.0 to 2.0), eating small portions of higher density foods (2.0 to 3.0) and minimizing the highest density foods (over 3.0).
asparagus 0.23
FF milk 0.35
carrots 0.43
orange juice 0.45
orange 0.47
apple 0.59
FF plain yogurt 0.63
wine 0.68
FF cottage cheese 0.70
grapes 0.70
peas 0.78
corn 0.79
banana 0.92
baked potato w/ skin 1.09
soft serve ice cream 1.26
spaghetti 1.41
egg 1.48
chicken breast, skinless 1.65
lean sirloin 2.02
sour cream 2.07
salmon 2.16
English muffin 2.35
plain bagel 2.75
raisins 3.00
swiss cheese 3.75
rice krispies 3.96
microwave low fat popcorn 4.17
milk chocolate 5.51
almonds 5.79
Notice that there are no “bad” foods on this list. With the exception of ice cream and sour cream, I can make a health claim about any food shown here. Almonds I eat every day, as part of my cholesterol management program. Popcorn is a great high fiber, high volume snack that is relatively low in calories if you manage how much margarine you use.
So what’s the message? To consider how much volume you and satisfaction you get for your calories. Compare grapes at 0.7 density to raisins (dried grapes) at 3.0 density. You can eat a lot more grapes for the same calories as raisins – a lot more. Consider cottage cheese at 0.7 density vs. Swiss cheese at 3.75. A one ounce serving of Swiss cheese provides 7 grams of protein and 105 calories while a ½ cup serving of cottage cheese offers 26 grams of protein for only 80 calories. The latter is likely to leave you much more satisfied for a longer time.
Let me know if you want to do your own calculations on your favorite food. I’d be happy to send you my spreadsheet.
Showing posts with label satiety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label satiety. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Feeling Full Sooner and Longer
Weight control is an issue for many folks today, and there are many factors involved. People often underestimate how much food they eat and do a poor job estimating many calories they’ve consumed. Restaurants are notorious for giving their customers more for their money by over-sizing the portions they serve. As a result, the quantity of food placed in front of a diner frequently has little to do with how much a reasonable serving would be. Can you see where I’m heading here?
When all of these facts are combined, it can be very difficult to manage portions unless we’re really aware of our level of satiety. Satiety, the feeling of fullness, is influenced by many things, including digestion, food composition, brain signals, chemical substances in the body, and how the food is eaten. And there is always the chance that the diner will ignore the sense of fullness and keep eating, because the food tastes good or meets a perceived emotional need. I hear this a lot from my weight loss clients.
Still, we have a better chance of managing our intake of food when we take steps to feel full sooner and longer. A common and simple approach is to eat more slowly, taking at least 20 minutes to eat a meal. It takes the brain 20 minutes to reach the message of satiety, so make that your bare minimum eating time. This will also allow you to savor every aspect of the food, enhancing your overall enjoyment.
Another strategy is to alter the content of your meals. Thirty minutes before you eat, drink 16 ounces of water. Start your meal with a high volume, low calorie food, such as a broth-based soup or tossed salad. Protein also tends to be more satisfying for many people than carbohydrates or fats, taking longer to digest. Studies show that these techniques enhance diners’ sense of fullness and result in fewer calories consumed later. (Source: UC Berkeley Wellness Letter October 2009)
My favorite weight control strategy is low density eating. I’ll tell you about that next time.
When all of these facts are combined, it can be very difficult to manage portions unless we’re really aware of our level of satiety. Satiety, the feeling of fullness, is influenced by many things, including digestion, food composition, brain signals, chemical substances in the body, and how the food is eaten. And there is always the chance that the diner will ignore the sense of fullness and keep eating, because the food tastes good or meets a perceived emotional need. I hear this a lot from my weight loss clients.
Still, we have a better chance of managing our intake of food when we take steps to feel full sooner and longer. A common and simple approach is to eat more slowly, taking at least 20 minutes to eat a meal. It takes the brain 20 minutes to reach the message of satiety, so make that your bare minimum eating time. This will also allow you to savor every aspect of the food, enhancing your overall enjoyment.
Another strategy is to alter the content of your meals. Thirty minutes before you eat, drink 16 ounces of water. Start your meal with a high volume, low calorie food, such as a broth-based soup or tossed salad. Protein also tends to be more satisfying for many people than carbohydrates or fats, taking longer to digest. Studies show that these techniques enhance diners’ sense of fullness and result in fewer calories consumed later. (Source: UC Berkeley Wellness Letter October 2009)
My favorite weight control strategy is low density eating. I’ll tell you about that next time.
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