Thruster 2-2-2-2-2-2-2

Voluminous vs. Dense

vo·lu·mi·nous
/vəˈlo͞omənəs/
Adjective
Occupying or containing much space; large in volume, in particular.
Synonyms: large – bulky – massive – ample – extensive – capacious

dense
/dens/
Adjective
Closely compacted in substance.
Synonyms
thick – compact – obtuse – close

Three days into the Get in the Zone challenge!  One thing we’ve heard from a few folks is – “this is so much carbohydrate, there’s NO WAY this is a moderate carb diet!” AND “I’ve been chewing broccoli for DAYS, help me!”

Gram for gram, the Zone allows fewer carbohydrates than the average person would eat in a day in our modern world.  Our modern day “foraging” has folks easily consuming massive quantities of breads, rice, pastas, sweets, cookies, cakes, you get the point.  And it doesn’t stop there, modern day carb overload has worked itself into Paleo food options with the overconsumption of dried fruit and websites dedicated to Paleo products that sport western diet mimicry and just as many carbs.

The reason people think there’s a TON of carbohydrates going down their pipe is that the quality of carbohydrates has been drastically increased by the structure of this challenge – Paleo foods plus potatoes and gluten-free grains.  Many people are trying to create their meal with all green vegetables which they quickly find out leads to one of two options: buy bigger dinner plates and commit three hours of each day to chewing or incorporate some denser forms of carbohydrate.

In the picture above we give you a visual of two 1 block carbohydrates.  Both the lettuce and the rice contain 9 grams of carbohydrate but obviously the lettuce is going to leave you a little more full.  Maybe too full as that is a TON of lettuce.

The key is to balance your carbohydrate sources between voluminous and dense carb options so you feel satiated and full without chewing for hours.  Who has time for that?