Volumizing: Making the Most of Your Meal

Would you believe, that this is about a cup of pasta? Well, it is. With another cup of diced tomato and about a cup and a half steamed broccoli.

As anyone knows, one cup of cooked pasta can seem like nothing. But add two cups of vegetables, and you now have a 3 cup feast. For full disclosure, I did embellish the meal a bit, by spraying it with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkling on a couple of tablespoons of grated parm. And that's it!

It also works with things like rice and even mac and cheese. Adding a handful of green peas and some canned mushrooms to cooked rice can volumize it, lowering the nutrient density, while providing satisfying meal volume. Adding some green peas or chopped bell pepper to mac and cheese will accomplish the same goal. And that is, to reduce calorie density.

Yes, volumizing is a kind of cheat. But it's a good cheat. We are often guided toward the way we eat, by our eyes and our perception of satiety. You know what I mean. Seeing a huge turkey on the table or seeing a giant steak is part of feeling satisfied. One of the issues with certain things such as mac and cheese, pasta or rice is that portions of these, while acceptable nutritionally, don't satisfy the eyes or the mind. They all seem too small. Volumizing cheats the volume up, while keeping calories reasonable.

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