Volume Snacks: the Nutrition Hack You’re Missing

I’ve been tracking macros for quite a while now, and one thing I’ve learned is that food matters. I’m not just talking about quality, I‘m talking about quantity as well. This is where food volume comes into play.

Food volume is the amount of physical room that food takes up in your stomach. You can eat two meals that have similar calories and macros, but you feel much more full and satiated after one than the other. Why? Perhaps because one meal took up more physical space than the other.

I know that I need at least 3 slices of pizza to feel full. BUT if I paired one or two slices of pizza with a salad that had some lean protein in it, I might be able to feel more full for fewer calories and more nutrients. The leafy greens in the salad add more volume to the meal so that I feel emotionally satisfied by the pizza and physically satiated because of the food volume. Still tracking with me?

This especially applies to snacks. Perhaps you can make a small Greek yogurt bowl with 200g 0% fat yogurt, 15g of granola, 60g of berries (about 1/4 cup), and 8g of nut butter instead of buying a convenient protein bar. Food volume plays a huge role for people who have fat loss goals because you’re less likely to feel deprived and hungry all of the time. Eating in a caloric deficit is already difficult, so help yourself out with volume eating!

I’ve listed a few other ideas below to give you some inspiration for volume snacking. Enjoy!