Energy balance
Lowering dietary energy density (ED) significantly reduces total energy intake in both children and adults without requiring portion size reduction.
To reduce calories without feeling hungry, focus on lowering the energy density of your meals. This means increasing the proportion of water-rich foods (like vegetables) and decreasing energy-dense components (like fats and sugars). You can eat the same amount of food by weight, or even more, while consuming significantly fewer calories.
The meta-analysis of 38 included studies demonstrated that lowering ED considerably reduced energy intake – 223 kcal (95% CI: – 259.7, – 186.0) in comparison to the higher ED interventions.
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of 38 RCTs, though heterogeneity was high.
Source
Impact of energy density on energy intake in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Bea Klos et al. · European Journal of Nutrition · 2022
DOI 10.1007/s00394-022-03054-z
More from this paper
- Manipulating energy density does not significantly alter the total amount of food consumed (in grams), meaning volume intake remains constant.Good
- The reduction in energy intake from lower energy density meals is linearly related to the change in energy density, with stronger effects in adults than children and in entrée designs compared to preloads.Moderate
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