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Diet Foods That Fill You Up

When dieting, the longer you can feel full, the better chance that your diet can succeed. Satiety simply refers to how full you feel after eating a particular food. Certain foods and food types drastically increase the duration and magnitude of satiety, decreasing hunger pangs and reducing the probability of inadvertent "cheat meals" while dieting.

  1. Satiety Index

    • When looking for the foods that help you feel full, consider utilizing the "satiety index." Researchers evaluated a number of foods, comparing them with white bread as a base value of 100 percent. Thus, any food listed as having a value higher than 100 percent is that much more filling than white bread, while any food listed at under 100 percent will leave you that much hungrier.

    Oatmeal

    • On the satiety index, oatmeal is one of the most filling foods you can consume. It has a rating of 209 percent--over twice that of white bread. Thus, to start your day off right, consider starting it with a bowl or two of plain oatmeal. Oatmeal will provide your body with plenty of slow-digesting, natural carbohydrates, taking you toward your dieting goals without adversely affecting your blood-sugar levels.

    Fruits

    • Apples, oranges, and grapes also are listed high up on the satiety index. Their overall values ranged from 202 percent (for apples) to 162 percent (for grapes). Thus, increasing your fruit intake by consuming a piece or two of fruit between meals is a good way to curb hunger while providing your body with needed vitamins and nutrients.

    High Protein Foods

    • High protein foods are also relatively high on the satiety index. Beef, eggs, fish, beans, and cheese rated between 225 percent (for ling fish) and 146 percent (for cheese). High protein foods also have the advantage of increasing your metabolism by virtue of the thermic effect of foods, which states that it costs your body calories to digest food, with proteins having the highest "cost" of digestion. Thus, protein-rich foods should form the bulk of your meals.

    Other Carbs

    • When it comes to additional carbohydrates, the most-filling food was boiled potatoes, at an overall rating of 323 percent. However, regular potatoes can spike insulin, as they have a relatively high glycemic index score. Thus, you might want to stick to consumption of the second- and third-place foods: brown (whole grain) pastas and wholemeal (whole wheat) bread. These are healthy carbs that can keep you feeling full the longest.

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