What to Know About the Volumetrics Diet and 10 Tips to Help You Follow It
Key takeaways:
The volumetrics diet encourages eating nutrient-rich foods like whole fruit and vegetables.
These nutrient-rich foods are often full of water, fiber, or protein, so they are filling without providing a lot of calories.
Following the volumetrics diet can be time-consuming, since it requires calculating the calories per gram in foods.
If you like seeing a full plate of food in front of you at mealtime, you might want to try eating the volumetrics way.
The volumetrics diet focuses on eating a larger volume of low-calorie foods that are high in nutrients and water. The idea is to make strategic choices, like picking a side of mixed vegetables instead of french fries. A side of veggies contains about a quarter of the calories of fries. But they have more satiating vitamins, minerals, and fiber. So you’re more likely to feel full faster than if you ate the higher-calorie option, which doesn’t have as much nutritional value.
How does the volumetrics diet work?
The volumetrics diet scores foods and drinks based on calories per gram. This encourages people to choose nutrient-rich foods over high-calorie foods.
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According to the system designed by Barbara Rolls, the author of “The Volumetrics Eating Plan,” each food gets a score from 0 to 9. (The lower the score, the more nutrients a food has.) To calculate a food’s score, divide the number of calories per serving by the number of grams in a serving. For some foods, you can get this information from the nutrition label. For foods without a label, you can find nutrition information online.
For example, raisins contain 299 calories per 100 grams. To calculate raisins’ score, divide 299 by 100, and you get 2.99. Grapes contain 67 calories per 100 grams, so they have a score of 0.67. Based on this, grapes are more nutrient-dense than raisins.
Based on their score, the volumetrics diet classifies foods into four categories:
Category one: calorie density less than 0.69
Category two: calorie density 0.7 to 1.5
Category three: calorie density 1.6 to 3.9
Category four: calorie density 4 to 9
Below is a chart with some examples of how common foods rank in the volumetrics diet.
| Food | Volumetrics score |
|---|---|
| Spinach | 0.27 |
| Low-fat (2%) milk | 0.42 |
| Hard-boiled egg | 1.56 |
| Pineapple | 2 |
| Pepperoni pizza | 2.57 |
| Hot dog | 3.1 |
| Almond butter | 6.45 |
| Butter | 7.18 |
| Olive oil | 8.8 |
The volumetrics diet doesn’t say you can’t eat calorie-dense foods. Although they tend to be high in sugar, saturated fat, and sodium, foods high in calories also include olive oil and nuts. Unlike most calorie-dense foods, olive oil and nuts provide essential fatty acids despite having higher scores than less nutritious foods. More on this later.
In this diet plan, each person sets their own daily target based on their body composition and goals. Those adhering to the diet are also encouraged to do regular physical activity.
What foods do you eat with the volumetrics diet?
As already mentioned, the volumetrics diet encourages choosing the most nutritious foods possible. This is in line with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
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Here are foods to focus on when following the volumetrics diet, along with tips on how to eat a higher volume of food while still consuming more nutrients and fewer calories:
Fresh fruits: Choose whole fruits over dried fruits and fruit juice.
Fresh or frozen vegetables: Try replacing refined grains with vegetables. For example, consider using cauliflower rice instead of white rice or combining a smaller portion of pasta with a dish full of vegetables.
Beans and legumes: Eat bean-based dips like hummus instead of ranch or cheese sauces. Incorporate beans and legumes into tacos or casseroles for more bulk.
Whole grains: Swap out refined grains — like white bread, tortillas, and rice — for whole-grain versions.
Fiber-rich breakfast cereals: Choose oatmeal and whole-grain cereals instead of refined versions. Look for “whole grain” as the first ingredient listed on labels.
Low-fat fish: Tilapia, sole, and cod are low-fat fish that are packed with protein.
Poultry without skin: Removing the skin from poultry reduces calories without sacrificing protein and nutrients.
Lean meat: Choosing lean cuts, like tenderloin and flank steak, will help you eat meat with a lower volumetrics score.
Foods with minimal added sugar: Treat yourself to desserts with lower volumetrics scores by choosing sweets made with fruit, nuts, or oats. You can also go with a smaller portion size or use low- or no-calorie natural sweeteners.
Water: The calories in sugary beverages can add up quickly. Opt for water and other sugar-free options over soda, juice, and coffeehouse specialties.
Pros and cons of the volumetrics diet
While there isn’t much research specifically on the volumetrics diet, there are both pros and cons to this style of eating. Here is what the research shows.
Pros of a low-calorie diet:
Healthier weight: Research shows that people who consume energy-dense foods, or high-calorie foods, are more likely to have a higher body weight and extra fat. And excess body fat is linked with a higher risk of cardiometabolic disease.
A reduced risk of breast cancer: One study showed that postmenopausal women who ate more energy-dense foods had a higher risk of breast cancer than women who followed lower-energy, or lower-calorie, diets.
Lower risk of diabetes: A long-term study that followed postmenopausal women found that women who consumed more calories had a 9% to 12% higher chance of developing Type 2 diabetes.
No restrictions: The volumetrics diet doesn’t require eating or avoiding any specific foods. This means each person can adapt the diet to fit their needs and preferences. That also makes it safe and sustainable to follow.
Cons of a high-volume diet:
Triggering to those with eating disorders: Diet tracking and calorie counting can be unhealthy for people who have a history of disordered eating.
Undervalues healthy fats: The unsaturated fat in olive oil and nuts contributes 9 calories per gram, making them category four foods. But these fats have considerable health benefits, including improving cholesterol levels.
Potentially time-consuming: Looking up nutrition information can be inconvenient — especially when eating away from home. One way to lower the time commitment is to think in general terms. For example, choose grapes over raisins and whole fruit over processed sweets.
Not effective for everyone: A small study involving people with obesity found that some participants following the volumetrics diet had a harder time losing weight. Although it’s not fully understood why, the diet’s lack of effectiveness for some people is linked to having high amounts of a bacteria called dialister.
Can you gain weight from volume eating?
The volumetrics diet is designed to prevent eating past fullness. It prioritizes eating nutrient-dense foods to help you feel full. Filling up on low-calorie foods lowers the chances of choosing less nutritious options and, in turn, may help prevent unwanted weight gain.
Is the volumetrics diet right for me?
There’s no one right way to eat for everyone. But if you are curious about the volumetrics diet, talk with your healthcare provider and a dietitian or nutritionist to find out if this way of eating could work for you.
Remember, you can tell if a diet is healthy for you if it:
Helps you meet your goals
Doesn’t feel overly complicated or restrictive and easily fits your lifestyle and budget
Prioritizes healthy diet basics, delivering protein, carbohydrates, and fat
Gives you enough energy
The bottom line
The volumetrics diet emphasizes eating low-calorie foods that are packed with nutrients like protein and fiber. No foods are off-limits. The idea is that prioritizing nutrient-rich foods helps fill you up and keeps you from reaching for as many calorie-dense foods that are linked to weight gain.
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References
American Heart Association. (2020). The skinny on fats.
Castaneda, R. (2023). Volumetrics diet. U.S. News & World Report.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (2020). Food sources of select nutrients.
Hahn, S. L., et al. (2021). Relationships between patterns of weight-related self-monitoring and eating disorder symptomology among undergraduate students. The International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Hartman, Y. J., et al. (2016). Dietary energy density and postmenopausal breast cancer incidence in the cancer prevention study II nutrition cohort. The Journal of Nutrition.
Hingle, M. D., et al. (2017). Association between dietary energy density and incident type 2 diabetes in the Women’s Health Initiative. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Njike, V. Y., et al. (2016). Snack food, satiety, and weight. Advances in Nutrition.
Pedrogo, D. A. M., et al. (2018). Gut microbial carbohydrate metabolism hinders weight loss in overweight adults undergoing lifestyle intervention with a volumetric diet. Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Rouhani, M. H., et al. (2016). Associations between dietary energy density and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Nutrition.
Tchernof, A., et al. (2013). Pathophysiology of human visceral obesity: An update. Physiological Reviews.
U. S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Foundation foods.
