NoSAS Diet
No Starving Always Satisfied
RATIONALE
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 35% of adults over the age of 20 years old are obese and 69% are overweight.1
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 87% of Americans do not meet fruit intake recommendations and 91% do not meet vegetable recommendations.2
- Studies have shown that people tend to eat the same weight of food irrespective of the amount of calories the food contains.3,
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- Eating foods that are low in energy density (calories/gram) can reduce a person’s caloric intake because foods that are high in energy density are crowded out; “Cues related to the amount of food consumed have a greater influence on short-term intake than does the amount of energy consumed.”12,
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- Fruits and vegetables have a relatively low energy density (largely due to their high fiber and water content).14
- Therefore, increased fruit and vegetable consumption has the potential benefit of reducing total energy consumption and producing weight loss without causing feelings of hunger.15,
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- General, non-specific recommendations of eating more fruits and vegetables have not been effective in the context of a dramatic rise in advertising/availability of highly palatable, cheap, convenient, and energy-dense foods.
- Fruits and vegetables simply cannot compete in terms of taste and convenience with energy-dense processed foods, and absent a highly disciplined approach most Americans do not eat adequate quantities.
- In addition, the vast majority of Americans will attempt dieting when trying to lose weight by restricting either types or quantities of foods invariably leading to hunger or cravings.
- For many, persistent hunger and cravings are not sustainable in the long term.
- The NoSAS diet flips the concept of dieting on its head: Instead of restricting food intake when dieting, participants force themselves to eat the recommended quantity of fruits and vegetables before meals.
- The quantity or quality of the food is not restricted after the fruits and vegetables; however, research suggests that participants will naturally restrict themselves because they will feel full.
- Eating the fruits and vegetables first is important for two reasons:
- Research suggests people eat less calories and feel equally satiated when they eat in this order.18,
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- Without imposing this restriction many people will eat the more palatable, energy dense foods first, thereby bypassing the crowding out effect.
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