The standard approach to weight loss is either reducing the number of calories that are consumed each day or burning off more calories than are consumed each day. A more advanced approach called the satiety index is now being used to reduce calorie intake by managing hunger.
Satiety Index
The satiety index, developed by Susanna Holt, PhD, compares popular foods that are portioned at 240 calories. It compares and ranks these foods against a slice of white bread thats ranks at 100 calories. Comparatively, oatmeal ranks at 209, a donut at 68, and French fries at 116.
The strategy of the satiety index then becomes to help people consume fewer calories and lose weight while eating appropriate meals without going hungry. The following diets are based around the principals of the satiety index and can help you drop your excess weight.
Flavor Point Diet
It is believed that many different flavors in one meal over stimulates the appetite center of the brain. The result is people tend to overeat before feeling that they are full. Sensory-specific satiety promotes a feeling of fullness. What this means is that we will stop eating if the flavors on our plates are limited.
Research has shown that different types of flavors stimulate separate appetite centers in the brain. When an appetite center becomes activated, a person will continue eating until that center is satisfied. If a number of centers are activated simultaneously, a person will continue eating until each center is satisfied.
Phase one of the flavor point diet has a flavor theme. Each day will focus on a specific food prepared in a variety of ways over the course of a week. The flavor theme continues throughout phase two, and by phase three flavors can be restricted without a plan.
Volumetric Diet
The premise of the volumetric diet plan is to eat balanced meals with most of the calories from high volume foods with low energy density. For example, ¼ cup of raisins and 1¾ cups of grapes both contain 110 calories, but a person is more likely to eat more than ¼ cup of raisins than 1¾ cups of grapes. This is because the grapes contain the water that is important in the volumetric’s approach.
The water source will be fruits and vegetables instead of drinking water. It has been shown that drinking water does not influence satiety but that the water in fruits and vegetables fill a person more quickly. Foods should be proportioned according to the Food Pyramid.
Satiety Index Food List
Food ranking on the satiety index is determined in part by the chemical composition of any given food. Those foods that satisfy longest contain more protein, fiber, or water. Foods such as beans and lentils make a person feel full for longer periods because the anti-nutrients they contain delay absorption. Read, “10 Awesome Superfoods for Weight Loss.”
Bulk also contributes to satisfaction. For instance, large amounts of popcorn can be eaten without taking in a large number of calories. Fruit ranks at the top of the satiety index, and carbohydrate and protein-rich foods also fare well.
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