The health benefits of a volumetric diet.
In Irish fashion news, we look at how a volumetric diet can lead to healthier living. One of the most common complaints of many diets is that restrictions leads to a lack of satisfaction.
When you restrict food or cut out certain food groups, your body is unlikely to feel satisfied. All bodies are worthy of love and especially of being well fed.
There may be times in your life where you want to lose weight. But it is important to find a plan that is not a crash diet and give your body the nutrients it needs to function.
Rather than focusing on short-term diets that give quick results, it is healthier for your longevity to focus on a moderate, long-term plan that works for you.
This is why diets like the Mediterranean or DASH have gained popularity recently. Due to their moderate approached to eating, they are easy to follow and stick to.
And the Volumetric Diet is another example of one that is less restrictive to eating healthier. If you want to know why the volumetric diet can help build healthy habits, keep on reading.
Why Volume Is The Key
In case you have not gathered from the name, the Volumetric diet is based on the idea that eating more food will leave you full and satisfied.
It focuses on eating large amounts of foods with low energy density and the smallest amount of foods with the highest density.
It’s a diet that does not restrict any food groups, which means that you do not have to live without your favourite foods. And it also makes this diet one that is considered safe. This is because you are not removing important nutrients or food groups.
What Are The Four Food Categories?
Category One: The foods in this category will be the lowest in energy density and have the most water in them.
The more water a food has, the more of it you can eat. Foods in this category are non-starchy vegetables, fruits and broth-based soups.
Category Two: This category has more caloric density than the first. However, it also has more fibre.
While the volumetric diet suggests not to eat as much of these foods, they should still make up a good bulk of your meal.
This will ensure you are getting proper nutrition. And they include whole grains, legumes, low-fat dairy and lean protein.
Category Three: Many loved foods fall into this category. Which you eat less than the second category but can still enjoy in moderation. These include dairy, processed meats and bread.
Category Four: Foods that you eat sparingly will not come as a surprise. They include fried foods, baked goods, alcohol and sweets.
The only foods that are in this category that are considered healthy are nuts and seeds. You can still eat them, just aim for smaller quantities than the foods in other groups.
How Often Can You Eat Throughout The Day?
This diet does not seek to limit the amount of meals you consume daily. It can be quite generous with how often you eat, with daily recommendations of three meals and two snacks.
Plus some dessert on some days. For each meal or snack, follow the category guidance. Eat the most volume in the first category and the least in the fourth.
Are There Calorie Limits?
The premise for calories with this diet is that if you reduce your intake by 500 or 1000 a day, you will lose one or two pounds a week.
This means that you can adjust the calories depending on what your diet goals are and what your body needs. You need to find a balance that ensures you are nourished properly.
Is There Any Science Behind This Diet?
The overarching message about healthy eating is consume more produce, whole grains and lean proteins and stay away from sugary and processed foods.
When you adopt a more balanced diet, you will feel energised and full while eating whatever foods you love in moderation. You will also be setting yourself up for success by sticking to new habits and in how strong you look and feel.
What Does A Typical Day Of Eating Look Like?
You can find a lot of info about the Volumetric diet and gain knowledge of its methodologies and the recipes that work best. It is a pretty simple and straightforward diet. But, to help you out, here are some ideas for a typical day of eating.
Breakfast: Porridge is a good choice with some fruit, or you can also try a veggie omelette.
Lunch: This could be something light and simple like a salad with chicken or a bowl or bean soup with a side salad.
Dinner: Try some poached fish with some brown rice and greens. Or some chicken with mixed grains. Or steak with a veggie medley.
Snack: Snacking is important for keeping your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day. Crackers or veggies with hummus are great snack options. You can also try some yoghurt with berries.
Dessert: For something sweet, you can go with fruit, fruit crumble, a protein bar or some sugar-free pudding.
It Is Important To Note That You Still Need Fat
As this diet focuses on eating a lot of food with the lowest density, you need to make sure that you are getting in your fats.
While fat is a dense in calories as your food gets, you might be tempted to forgo it in favour of more food. However, you need to make sure you are not reducing it dramatically from your diet.
Fat plays a vital role in how your body functions. And sufficient fat intake is crucial from your brain function to your skin’s hydration. So, be sure to incorporate healthy fats into your diet, like avocados or olive oil.
How To Start
To start on your Volumetric diet, you just need to restructure the quantities of the foods you eat. That’s it. You don’t have to attend any meetings or purchase any supplies. Just factor the basics of what you are eating in your next food shop and you are on your way.
Are There Healthy Habits To Help Tone Up?
When embarking on your weight loss journey, you want to ensure you are being safe, healthy and sustainable.
And we know that the diet industry is full of ineffective, unhealthy and sometimes dangerous fads that put our bodies in stressful situations. The following are some of the best sustainable tips that will help you tone up and burn excess fat.
Snack Wisely
Having a snack in between meals can help to prevent overeating. Snacks can help to keep your blood sugar levels stable and hormones that regulate your appetite in check.
But it is important that you choose a quality snack. Some snacks can give you the feeling of fullness until your next meal.
Others will only provide temporary sustenance. Snacks that are high in protein and fiber are far superior than sugary or fatty ones.
And they should tide you over until your next meal. Go for options like yoghurt and berries, or hard-boiled eggs. Or some hummus and veggies.
Try Some Weight Training
If you are looking to lose weight, strength training has a lot of benefits. Increased muscle tissue can help with insulin sensitivity and nutrient partitioning. This allows the food you take in to be used as fuel and help the body recover.
Weight training also gives you a metabolic boost by way of the after-burn or EPOC (Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption). This is where your body burns additional calories after your workout. Which is something that standard cardio does not do.
Increase Your Cardio
The good news is that the choices for cardio are plentiful. There is something out there for everyone. Engaging in a variety of exercises will keep things fresh and fun.
Not only that, but it can help to prevent overuse injuries. You can try power walking, running, cycling, swimming, roller blading or using a jump rope.
We would say to prioritise weight training over your cardio. This is because you can get cardio from simple activities. This could be your walking, playing with your kids, or even doing some shopping. You don’t have to go all out for every workout. Instead, save it for your weight training.
Get Enough Sleep
Try as you might, you will never be able to outwork a bad diet. If you are tired, there is a number of events that will not make you feel good or get a good workout the next day.
The association between poor sleep and weight gain has been well-documented for years. Some scientists believe that lack of sleep can contribute to disturbances in appetite-controlling hormones.
So, in other words, not sleeping can cause you to feel hungrier and eat more throughout the day. And when you are tired, you crave foods that are high in sugar, fat and are processed.
So, getting enough sleep for your body is crucial to a healthy and sustainable diet. Remember, before starting any type of diet, always consult your own GP or dietician
The health benefits of a volumetric diet. Irish fashion news. Irish fashion news.
