Calorie Density May Be Key to Weight Loss

The key to successful dieting may be eating foods low in calorie density — high in water and low in fat, according to U.S. researchers.

Foods that are high in water and low in fat, such as fruits, vegetables, soup, lean meat and low-fat dairy products, are low in calorie density and provide fewer calories per bite, according to Dr. Julia A. Ello-Martin, who conducted the study as part of her doctoral dissertation at Pennsylvania State University.

Eating a diet that is low in calorie density allows people to eat satisfying portions of food, and this may decrease feelings of hunger and deprivation while reducing calories, Ello-Martin said in a statement.

We have now shown that choosing foods that are low in calorie density helps in losing weight, without the restrictive messages of other weight loss diets.

Women who added water-rich foods to their diets lost more weight during the first six months of the study than those who only reduced fat in their diets — 19.6 pounds compared to 14.7 pounds, according to the study appearing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.