12 Foods to Help You Stay Full Longer
When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to reduce your portions. However, feeling hungry is the main reason most diets fail within a week. Because of this, you may eat additional calories to get that full feeling. If this sounds like you, check out these 12 foods that help you stay full longer.
Foods that Help You Stay Full Longer
1. Apples
Apples are a great food to help you feel full longer.
Try to eat an apple about 30 minutes before your meal. The fiber and water content of the apple will fill you up, so you’ll eat less during the meal.
2. Avocados help you stay full
Eat half an avocado at breakfast time. This will help keep you full through the afternoon, according to a study published in the Nutrition Journal.
Women who ate half an avocado at breakfast time felt 22% more full and were 24% less likely to overeat.
3. Garbanzo beans and lentils help you stay full
Legumes such as garbanzo beans, lentils, and pinto beans are rich in protein and fiber, antioxidants, Vitamin B Complex and iron. Eating more of these will help you to control your appetite.
A recent report published in Obesity Magazine revealed that people stayed 31% more satisfied after eating a meal containing one of these foods.
4. Soup
In a study from Penn State, people who ate a meal low in calories along with a broth reduced their calorie intake by 20%.
Soups can help put your appetite at bay since they take up a lot of volume in the stomach without a lot of calories.
5. Pickles
Cucumbers and other pickled vegetables help strengthen the link between the intestines and the brain. Fermented foods also work as probiotics, which are healthy bacteria which aid in digestion.
Some experts believe that probiotics can reduce appetite and aid in weight loss, although that theory has yet to be proven.
6. Chile peppers help you stay full
The capsacin in chile peppers helps to fire up your metabolism. A recent study from the Maastricht University demonstrated that spicy foods can also help to control your appetite.
The study, which was published in Appetite magazine, found that by adding 1/4 teaspoon of chile pepper with each meal helps keep you full.
7. Dark chocolate
When you get a sweet tooth, eat some dark chocolate. Dark chocolate helps to reduce blood pressure and can protect your heart and brain.
This is also more filling than milk chocolate, while helping satisfy that craving for sweets.
8. Eggs help you stay full
Starting the day off with eggs can leave you satisfied till lunch time.
One study suggested that eating a breakfast of 300 calories – which contains 30 to 39 grams of protein – can reduce hunger between breakfast and lunch time. The study also revealed that eating a breakfast high in protein will help you eat less calories all day long.
9. Nuts
Nuts, seeds and dried fruits are another filling food that can help you eat less.
In a study from the British Journal of Nutrition, obese women mixed three tablespoons of peanut butter with cream of wheat and orange juice and felt full much longer after breakfast.
Nuts are a natural appetite suppressant. They’re rich in healthy fats, protein and fiber.
10. Oatmeal
Oat flour will keep you full longer, according to a study from the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
The subjects were served 250 calories of cereal, or 113 calories of oatmeal with milk. Those who ate the oatmeal stayed full for longer than those who ate the cereal.
Why the difference?
Oat flour is high in fiber and protein, and also has a high quantity of beta-glucose, sugars that give oatmeal its heart healthy properties.
Read: Mental Tricks to Help You Lose Weight
11. Water
Drinking water can help keep hunger at bay.
Why?
Symptoms of hunger are similar to those of dehydration. If you feel hungry, drink a glass of water then wait 10 minutes, and see if you’re still hungry. You’d be amazed at how easy it is to confuse thirst for hunger!
12. Buttermilk
The protein in buttermilk is the most filling protein. According to a study published in Appetite Magazine, people who drank buttermilk ate 18% less than those who drank a beverage full of carbohydrates.