Healthy Filling Foods for Weight Loss

No dieter wants to feel like one: hungry and deprived of calories, flavor, appealing texture, satiety, satisfaction and, yes, also a bit of sin. The solution is not necessarily to eat less, but to avoid foods that are "energy-dense"--those that, in small amounts, have a high calorie count. In short, focus on quality, not quantity. People should not "diet" but should adopt a "a lifestyle program that can improve your health and help you maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime," the Mayo Clinic says.

Weight-Loss Rx

• To lose weight, avoid eating energy-dense foods. These include ice cream, candy, cheese, butter and processed foods. Although no one can be expected to avoid them entirely, they should be eaten rarely and always in small amounts. Make them an occasional indulgence, not a major proportion of daily or weekly meals.

The Right "F-Word"

• Focus on fiber, not fat. Fruits and vegetables are prime examples of low-density (low-calorie) foods because they contain moe fiber and water than high-density foods. That's a dynamic combination, because water replaces calories and causes fiber to expand in the stomach, giving a feeling of fullness. Whole grains such as brown rice, rolled oats and whole wheat are also high in fiber, more nutritious than white rice and white bread, and longer to digest, delaying the return of hunger.

Delaying Tactic

• Start a meal with a bowl of broth-based soup and a salad rich not only in lettuce and tomatoes, but in celery, carrots spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, radishes, mushrooms, even peas and green beans. This quells hunger and the tendency to eat large amounts of energy-dense foods. Researchers reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that "advising individuals to eat portions of low-energy dense foods was a more successful weight-loss strategy than fat reduction coupled with restriction of portion sizes."

The Wrong "F-Word"

• Although the body requires fat to function, don't eat large amounts of this energy-dense dietary component. A teaspoon of fat contains about as many calories as two cups of raw broccoli, the Mayo Clinic points out. Avoid heart-unhealthy saturated fats.

"Good" Fat

• Eat foods that have monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil. A study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Irvine indicates that oleic acid, a component of olive oil, might help quell hunger, helping people to eat less and lose weight.

Protein

• Eat lean protein, which sends signals of satiety to the brain and increases metabolism through thermogenesis (production of body heat) to speed calorie-burning.