UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Volumetrics diet -- created by Barbara Rolls, professor of nutritional sciences and Helen A. Guthrie Chair in Nutrition at Penn State -- has been ranked No. 6 out of 32 diets in the Best Diets Overall category of the U.S. News & World Report's Best Diets 2014. The government-endorsed Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) received the top spot in the Best Diets Overall category.
According to U.S. News, "Volumetrics outperformed its competitors in many categories. It earned particularly high marks for being safe and nutritious, and experts said it could have a positive effect on heart health and diabetes."
In addition to ranking highly in the category Best Diets Overall, Volumetrics also ranked No. 4 in the category Best Diets for Healthy Eating, No. 5 in the category Best Weight-Loss Diets, No. 5 in the category Easiest Diets to Follow, No. 8 in the category Best Diabetes Diets and No. 11 in the category Best Heart-Healthy Diets.
Volumetrics is based on Rolls' decades of research on diet and nutrition, which shows that lowering the calorie density -- or calories per bite -- of food can help people feel full while eating fewer calories. For example, in one study, she and her colleagues found that participants ate 800 calories fewer per day and never missed them when they used Volumetrics principles to reduce calories per bite by 30 percent and serving size by 25 percent.
"There is no magic way to get around the fact that to lose weight you must reduce the calories you consume to below the number you burn," said Rolls. "However, cutting calories doesn't have to leave you feeling hungry. You can carefully choose the foods you eat so that you feel full and satisfied on fewer calories."
Rolls has published three books focusing on Volumetrics principles. The first, titled "The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan," published in 2000. The second, titled "The Volumetrics Eating Plan," published in 2005. The third, titled "The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet," published in 2012.
The Best Diets 2014 rankings were made by a panel of health experts, including nutritionists and physicians specializing in diabetes, heart health and weight loss. These experts scored each diet for short- and long-term weight loss, ease of compliance, safety and nutrition.
"Best Diets 2014 is designed to help consumers identify a diet that suits their specific needs, whether they are trying to lose weight, control a chronic disease or achieve a healthier lifestyle overall," said Angela Haupt, health and wellness editor for U.S. News. "We assembled top experts and developed the tools and rankings to provide a resource for the thousands of Americans struggling to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle."
To learn more about U.S. News and World Report's Best Diets 2014, go to: http://health.usnews.com/best-diet.