You may have heard of the term ‘volume eating’ and how it can be extremely beneficial when intermittent fasting due to the calories in vs calorie out model (or maybe you haven’t). Never fear if you are in the ‘never heard of it’ camp… that is what we are here for, so keep on reading!
What is volume eating and why does it help with intermittent fasting?
Volume eating is the term given to the way of eating that incorporates high amounts (or volumes) of foods that are significantly lower in calories in your meals.
Intermittent fasting is one of a few ways to put yourself in a calorie deficit, which in simple terms, is when you consume fewer calories than you burn over the duration of the week with the main goal often being to lose weight and keep it off. Intermittent fasting requires you to eat fewer calories over a few days of the week or over a time period of your choosing, depending upon the method you decide upon. Here at SuperFastDiet, we have three methods to choose between to allow you to pick the right one to suit you and your lifestyle!
When on your fast days, cutting down on high-calorie foods is often a priority. This is so you can allow for a higher consumption of food over the day, helping you feel fuller and satisfied for longer. This is where volume eating comes in! Volume eating is the main way that you can cut down on the calories you eat without necessarily eating less food. How do we do this?
Shape and plan your meals to be bulked up with your favourite high volume, low-calorie foods. Trust us – there are plenty!
What are some examples of great high volume, low-calorie foods?
Generally speaking, it is the higher carbohydrate and higher fat foods that do tend to take up the larger proportion of calories in the foods and meals you consume. Think bread, high sugar pastries and cakes, cheese and wine. The main nutrients that you want to look for when lowering calories and volume eating are water (being calorie-free) and high fibre foods, as fibre is a much lower calorie carbohydrate type. Instead of higher-calorie foods, aim to bulk up your meals with larger amounts of lower-calorie foods. This means focusing on types of foods that are generally non-starchy (watery) vegetables such as capsicum and cucumber or high fibre carbohydrates, such as oats and quinoa.
Here are a few comparisons to show what we mean a little clearer!
1 cup of white rice is approx 220 calories, whereas 1 cup of cauliflower rice is just 4o calories. Exactly the same amount of volume, but you are saving yourself 180 calories in the process.
50g olive oil (which is just approximate 4 tablespoons) equals a whopping 440 calories, whereas 440 calories worth of non-starchy vegetables like zucchini, capsicum, mushrooms, tomatoes, brocolli would be about 1.5kg worth, being 30x the amount of the oil. Pretty impressive, right?
Here are some great food staples to have in your cupboard to help with volume eating on a fast day, keeping you fuller for longer:
Oats – 150 calories per serve
Yoghurt – 95 calories per serve of YoPro or 75 calories per serve of Two Good
Tuna Tin in Springwater – 68 calories per tin
Eggs – 70 calories per egg
No Added Salt Chickpeas – 47 calories per serve
Diced Tomatoes – 44 calories per serve
Spud Lite Potato – 123 calories per serve
Capsicum – 30 calories per 100g
Chicken Breast – 105 calories per 100g
Mushrooms – 20 calories per 100g
Blueberries – 84 calories per 100g
After more amazing tricks, tips and delicious recipes to get your SuperFastDiet journey going today? Simply join us today for our best deal yet!
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