The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet was developed by Barbara Rolls who is a nutrition professor at Penn State University. The diet consists of interpreting food’s energy density, and it is broken down into four categories. Category 1 includes low density foods such as fruits and vegetables that are low in starch, non fat milk, and soups with broth bases. Category 2 foods, also low density, include fruits and vegetables that are higher in starches, lean meats, beans, and grains. Category 3 foods are considered medium density, and include cheese, fried foods, ice cream, and pizza. Category 4 foods, which are high density, include potato chips, chocolate, oils, and cookies. The premise of the diet is to go heavy on category 1 and 2 foods, adding portioned size servings of category 3 foods, and minimizing the intake of category 4 foods.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that this diet is said to aid in weight loss due to the category 1 and 2 foods which promote a feeling of fullness, while ingesting fewer calories. It is also a diet that is considered heart healthy, because it is low in saturated fats, and high in fruits, grains, and vegetables that are known to ward off heart disease. In addition, it is considered a good diet to ward off type 2 diabetes, because the diet follows the optimum standard of suggesting the right foods, and eliminating the wrong foods from your diet.

The Ultimate Volumetrics diet, like any diet, has pros and cons. You can eat out with friends and family because you have choices, but you do have to like to cook in order to follow the diet at home. There are also no ingredients required in the diet that you won’t be able to find at your local grocer, but the cost may be a tad more if you are used to buying processed foods instead of fresh fruits and vegetables. The diet plan can also be customized for most anyone, including those on vegan, vegetarian, low salt, kosher, and halal diets.