Cut Your Diet's 'Energy Density' and Lose Weight

(Page 2)

"Those who ate the lowest energy density diet got to eat 300 grams more of food a day," Rolls said. That's 10.5 ounces more food a day.

The findings are published in the May issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study results make perfect sense, said Cathy Nonas, director of diabetes and obesity programs at North General Hospital, and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, both in New York.

Reducing energy density in your diet not only reduces overall calories but boosts the nutritional value of the diet, Nonas said. The only downside? "That kind of food also tends to be the most expensive," presenting a public health dilemma for health-care providers trying to help people of all income levels achieve a healthy weight.

Nonas' suggestion for reducing energy density: "Halve the amount of pasta you eat and double or triple the vegetables. In a restaurant, order extra vegetables." Or choose tomato soup as a first course.

Reducing energy density is one of the suggestions in the federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, both Rolls and Nonas noted.

More information

To learn more about proper dietary guidelines, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture.