Dr. Barbara Rolls is a veteran nutrition scientist and author of the nationally acclaimed books, The Volumetrics Weight Control Plan (HarperCollins, 2000), and The Volumetrics Eating Plan (Harper, 2007), both New York Times bestsellers, and rated the #1 diet plan by Consumer Reports in 2007. She is the endowed Guthrie Chair in Nutritional Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University where she heads the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior, described by US News & World Report as a “quirky culinary empire.” Here she and her staff “cook up” novel studies to help understand what influences people's food intake and food choices as well as their body weight. Dr. Rolls’s research has been published in numerous scientific journals and the “feeling full on fewer calories” principles of her “Volumetrics” books have been featured in a wide variety of health, fitness, and family magazines and websites. Dr. Rolls frequently appears on television and has been a guest on the Today Show, 20/20, CNN, as well as CBS, ABC, and Fox Evening News. She is a contributing columnist to MSNBC.com.

Guest Blogger Barbara Rolls--

The sun is not up yet, but my lab’s kitchen is already a whirlwind of activity. My staff and students are preparing breakfast for the participants in our latest study. Every detail of our experimental meals is carefully planned, measured, and monitored—and the foods taste terrific! Currently we are trying to find simple strategies to help people eat more vegetables. Most of us eat only a fraction of the recommended amounts, yet vegetables are critical for both optimal health and weight management.

We are focusing on veggies now because our previous studies show that by eating them “strategically” you can feel full on fewer calories. If you eat lots of vegetables at the start of a meal, either as a large salad or a broth-based soup, you will fill up and eat fewer calories later. Tucking veggies into your favorite main course or snack will also help you feel full and reduce the calories you eat. Feeling full with fewer calories is the key to “Volumetrics.”

Volumetrics is based on the science of satiety--the feeling of fullness and satisfaction that develops during and after a meal. Avoiding hunger and feeling satisfied will help you to stick with your weight management plan. Much of the research on satiety focuses on its underlying biology, such as changes in hormones, and signals in the stomach, gut, and brain. Such studies should lead to new treatments for obesity. But right now let’s focus on how to choose foods that will enhance satiety.

Popular diets flip-flop between urging you to cut fat or to cut carbs, while others stress increasing your protein intake. The fact is that you can lose weight on any diet if you decrease the calories you are eating below your body’s needs. Our research shows how to do that without feeling hungry. One of the simplest and healthiest ways to reduce the calories you are eating is simply to add water to foods. No, I am not suggesting that you eat soggy crackers! You need to find ways to add water-rich vegetables and fruits to your diet wherever you can. Water adds weight or volume to foods, but no calories—it lowers the calorie density. If you add water to foods, you can eat more food for the same number of calories. For example, if you choose to eat grapes rather than raisins, you will get a portion that is 7 to 8 times bigger for the same calories. We have found in a number of studies that when people add water-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables to their diet, they spontaneously eat fewer calories without feeling hungry.

Many popular diets focus on the foods you have to give up. Our research shows that focusing on what you can eat —that is choosing more vegetables and fruits--leads to significant weight loss while controlling hunger. Volumetrics does not “reinvent” nutrition; it shows you how to eat for optimal nutrition and weight management. As a professor of nutrition, my goal is to help you maintain a healthy weight and to enjoy the best balance of nutrients for your overall health. Check out both The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan and The Volumetrics Eating Plan and stay tuned for our latest studies on eating behavior. The Eating Lab here at Penn State is keeping busy searching for new and effective strategies to help you feel full on fewer calories.

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Update on Feb 28, 2008 by At Basil & Spice

Sphered At Time!