Those who lost weight can tell you that it’s a journey. You need to eat best foods to keep you full with a high percentage of water and fiber, called low-energy-dense foods. This means that you will eat a big meal with lower calories and feel satiated.
Best Foods To Keep You Full And Make You Lose Weight
Let’s go over the best foods to keep you full and make you lose weight that should be part of your diet.
It’s okay to eat lean meat.
Unless you are vegan or vegetarian, you shouldn’t avoid lean beef and chicken breast. Eating meat is suitable for the weight loss diet because it has lots of protein. Researchers from Medical School in Seattle found that a high-protein diet increases satiety, decreasing body weight and fat mass.
However, it’s a big NO for processed meat full of additives and other substances that can lead to health problems, like diabetes and heart disease. The healthiest ways to prepare meat are grilling, slow cooking, broiling, and baking.
Go for full-fat yogurt.
Another type of food full of protein is dairy products. Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and skyr are low-fat and low-carb foods to keep you full for a while and help with weight loss.
When it comes to yogurt, it contains probiotic bacteria, which are suitable for your gut health. Make sure to read the labels before buying, though, since not all yogurts have these beneficial bacteria. Also, always buy full-fat yogurts since the low-fat variety is primarily high in sugar.
Add avocado to salads.
There’s a reason avocado is always on the list of weight-loss food. According to a 2013 study, those who had avocado meals felt fuller than those who didn’t by 23%.
This fruit has high quantities of healthy fats, water, fiber, and lots of nutrients. Vitamins K, C, E, B5, and B6 are some of the most present in avocado. It also has more potassium than bananas, a nutrient that is usually not ingested in proper quantities.
Eat your vegetables
Some vegetables are better than others when you are on the weight loss regimen. For example, kale, collards, spinach, and other leafy greens have fewer carbs and calories. Because of this and their high amounts of fiber, you can have big servings and not feel guilty.
Cruciferous vegetables are another excellent example of foods to keep you full for hours. Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower have more protein than other veggies, heaps of fiber, and nutrients.
Replace sweets with fruits
Most fruits are suitable for your weight loss program since they can replace sweets and other products with processed sugar. They contain natural sugar, antioxidants, various nutrients, and plenty of fiber, making them an excellent ally to shed pounds.
Grapefruit is one of the best fruits for losing weight because it can reduce insulin resistance and suppress appetite. Other notable fruits are berries, bananas, dates, oranges, pears, and apples with a high percentage of fiber.
Don’t avoid legumes
Legumes, like beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, and others, can make you gassy, bloated and cause other gastrointestinal issues. For this reason, a lot of people avoid them and miss their weight-loss potential.
If prepared right, these products can make you satiated for hours because these foods to keep you full bring loads of fiber and protein to the meals. For example, soaking them overnight in water to remove anti-nutrients, like lectins and tannins, may do the trick.
Be careful with nuts.
Avoiding nuts because of allergies is the only reason not to include this food group in your diet. They get a bad reputation for being fattening because they’re high in fat. But based on the study from the US Department of Foods and Nutrition, nuts may be suitable for weight loss by improving metabolic health.
They’re still caloric, so eat them moderately. It’s best to have them as part of your snack or not have them at all if you can’t stop yourself.
Switch to eating whole grains
Not all grains are bad for you. Whole grains are high in fiber and have a fair amount of protein, but they also have plenty of carbs, so those on low-carb diets should avoid them. Oats, quinoa, and brown rice are the most commonly used whole grains that will keep you full.
A word of caution, though. Foods that contain whole grains may not be a healthy choice. Junk foods often include them to attract consumers, but instead of being beneficial, they may lead to weight gain and contribute to specific health conditions.
Have a protein smoothie instead of a meal
If you are too busy to cook, replace one meal with WPI protein smoothies. This whey protein isolate is perfect for those who exercise since it helps muscle development and supports weight loss. You can have them in the morning instead of breakfast, mixed with low-calorie fruits and veggies.
To achieve the lowest calories with whey protein powder, you can prepare it as a shake. Just add a recommended amount to coconut water, plant-based milk, regular milk, or plain water.
Include soups in your diet
Soups are one of the best low-energy-density options since they are mostly water. Moreover, scientists from the Pennsylvania State University concluded that solid food turned into a soup with fewer calories. This is possible if you don’t use fattening ingredients during preparation, like cream, since that can considerably raise the caloric value.
Still, some ingredients are more than welcome, like kombu. This seaweed brings umami flavoring to the soup and no calories, so these are among the best foods to keep you full and make you lose weight.
Have fatty fish once in a while
Fatty fish is one of the healthiest options to have in your weight loss diet. It’s full of healthy fats, high-quality protein, and vital nutrients, like omega-3 fatty acids.
Some of the most notable fatty fish are salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, and sardines. They are an excellent option for those who don’t like lean meat or don’t feel comfortable eating it.
Don’t forget tuna
People who do strength training love to include tuna in their diet, and for a good reason. This lean fish is low in fat, barely has any calories, and offers loads of protein, the latter quite essential to build muscles. Not only will you feel satiated for a while, but you also have a tasty replacement for food full of carbs and fat.
While you can find fresh tuna on the seafood market and some stores, the easiest way is to buy it canned. Still, choose the fished canned in water and not oil since it has fewer calories.
Eat whole eggs, not only yolk or whites.
If you eat high amounts of eggs, it can raise the values of your bad cholesterol. That said, eating them in moderate amounts can be an excellent addition to your weight loss diet. Although egg whites are full of protein and without cholesterol, yolks have nutritional relevance, making them equally important.
A study conducted at the Saint Louis University demonstrated that whole eggs for breakfast can support weight loss. Compared to the bagel group, the egg group had a 61% higher reduction in BMI during the eight-week observation. Because the yolks are highly nutritional, you can get the majority of nutrients necessary when being on a calorie-restricted diet.
Don’t neglect potatoes.
While you may have heard that white potatoes contribute to weight gain, they may have the opposite effect. Based on the satiety index of common foods by the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Sydney, a boiled white potato has the highest score.
Equally efficient in suppressing the appetites are turnips and sweet potatoes, as well as other root vegetables. Cold boiled potatoes have lots of resistant starch, which can lower insulin response, increase the use of stored fat, and help with weight management.
Add chia seeds to your breakfast.
Chia seeds can not only contribute to gut health but also keep you full for a long time. This is because these seeds have plenty of fiber and expand in your stomach, making you feel satiated. Low in calories, high in protein, and with a massive amount of nutrients, chia seeds may help you lose weight.
If you are wondering how to use them, they are great in smoothies and salad dressings. To make the savory chia pudding, add a spoon of these seeds to milk, plant-based milk, or yogurt, and let it sit for a few hours.
Have one spoon of apple cider vinegar every day
The results from a Japanese study show that one or two spoons of vinegar can make you feel full and have eaten up to 275 calories per day. Making salad dressings with apple cider vinegar may help you eat less, especially if you have a high-carb meal. So, they are one of the best foods to keep you full or make you feel full.
You can mix one tablespoon of vinegar with half a glass of lukewarm water, and sip it slowly before the meal, as well. Still, if you have problems with stomach acid, avoid doing this and better use the vinegar for salads.
Eating hot peppers may keep you full.
Not everyone is a fan of hot peppers, but those who can tell you they are effective at keeping the cravings at bay. This is because they contain capsaicin, a substance that causes the burning sensation when consumed.
It also has a satiating effect and may stimulate more potent fat burning, as demonstrated in a 2011 study on subjects who usually don’t eat chili peppers. Unfortunately, this may not be the case with people who eat spicy food all the time due to their gained tolerance to capsaicin.
Replace your cooking fat with coconut oil
Coconut oil has calories, but only if you add it to your diet. Instead, you can replace the cooking fats you regularly use with coconut oil since that won’t change your caloric intake.
This oil has medium-chain triglycerides — fatty acids that can increase fullness and cause the body to burn more calories. You can have a spoonful before a meal or add it to tea or hot water to control your appetite, although this may cause some nausea.
In conclusion
Even though these are the best foods to keep you full, you still need to fit them into your diet correctly, so they can make you lose weight.
If you lose a lot of pounds in a short time, that may not be healthy for you. The key is to eat fewer calories but not be hungry all the time. Remember that losing weight is a process and not something that happens overnight.
Featured Photo by Ella Olsson from Pexels
Comments are closed.