How To Calculate Volumetrics

Barbara Rolls, a nutrition researcher at Penn State University, developed the Volumetrics diet plan after her research showed that people who ate low-calorie foods with a lot of water or fiber to fill them up ate less and lost weight while still feeling satisfied. The focus of Volumetrics is on eating foods with a low energy density, or a lower number of calories per unit of mass of the food. Foods, such as vegetable soup, take up a lot of volume on the plate and in your stomach, but they don't contain many calories. Knowing the energy density of various foods can help you make smart dining choices.

Step 1

Look up the number of calories in one serving of a food in your calorie-counting guide. You can use a printed booklet on an online guide. For packaged foods, consult the label to determine the number of calories in a serving. Pay attention to the serving size. If you routinely eat twice the amount shone, then you're consuming two servings, and you should use that amount of calories to figure the energy density of what you are actually consuming.

Step 2

Record the number of grams in a serving of food. Weigh the serving on a scale that shows grams, or note the number of grams in a serving as recorded on the package label. If the serving size is given in ounces instead of grams, multiply the ounces by 28.35 to determine the number to grams.

Step 3

Divide the number of calories in a serving by the number of grams in a serving. This gives you the energy density of the food. The lower the energy density of the food, the better for the Volumetrics diets. Low-energy dense foods, such as fresh fruit, salads and soups generally contain a lot of water. They don't have a lot of calories, but they will fill you up and satisfy your hunger. Foods, such as pastries and sausage, have high-energy densities. They pack a lot of calories into small portions.