Reduce
Energy Dense Foods and Lose Weight
Want to lose weight?
Focus on reducing the "energy density" of
your diet, says a report in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition.
In simple terms, that means eating foods that contain a
lot of water and relatively few calories per portion, such as fruits, vegetables,
and low-fat dairy products.
What is more, that approach can help you lose more weight
than if you do not eat those foods. And if you reduce the energy density of
your diet, you actually get to eat more, at least in volume, the study authors
say.
"The energy density of food refers to calories per gram," says
Dr. Barbara Rolls at Pennsylvania State University, and a coauthor of the study.
"Energy density goes from zero to nine," says
Dr. Rolls, adding that water has zero density while fat, which has 9 calories
per gram,
has a density of nine.
Fruits, vegetables, low-fat foods, and water-rich foods
such as soups all have low energy density, she says.
The simplified
weight loss tip that springs from the study: "Increase
the water content of foods you eat and decrease the fat content," notes Dr.
Rolls.
This premise is the heart of her dietary approach called
Volumetrics.
In the study, Dr. Rolls and her colleagues studied the effects
of a six-month intervention for diet and weight loss in 658 healthy adults.
They included men and women, average age 50. Their average body mass index
or BMI, a ratio of height relative to weight, was 33.6 - defined as obese.
One group got a single dietary counseling session; the other
two groups each got 18 sessions.
The participants
who were counseled were told to increase physical activity and reduce energy
intake or were told that advice plus advice
on a special diet called the Dietary Approaches
to Stop Hypertension (DASH). This diet emphasizes the consumption of
fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods.
All three groups lost weight. But then the researchers wanted
to see the exact effect of reducing energy density on weight loss. So they
combined all three groups and analyzed their weight loss in relation to how
much they reduced their energy density.
Those who had the most reduction in energy density lost
the most weight - nearly 13 pounds over six months - compared to those who
reduced their energy density the least - about five pounds.
"Those who ate the lowest energy density diet got to eat
300 grams more of food a day," says Dr. Rolls. That is 10.5 ounces more food
a day.
The study results make perfect sense, says Cathy Nonas,
R.D., at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Reducing energy density in your diet not only reduces overall
calories but boosts the nutritional value of the diet, notes Nonas.
The only downside? "That kind of food also tends to be the
most expensive," presenting a public health dilemma for health-care providers
trying to help people of all income levels achieve a healthy weight.
Nonas' suggestion
for reducing energy density: "Halve the
amount of pasta you eat and double or triple the vegetables. In a restaurant,
order extra vegetables." Or choose tomato soup as a first course.
Always consult your physician for more information.
|
