6 Healthy Foods that Make You Stay Full

Are you constantly snacking? Science shows that the longer you go between meals, the healthier you will be.

However, simply trying to resist the urge to nibble continuously doesn’t work. You can’t just grit your teeth and hope to get by on willpower. Understanding the difference between hunger and ‘appetite’ can help.

Hunger is a growling, empty stomach. The easiest solution is to ignore it until it’s time to eat, so long you don’t start to feel irritable or weak. Appetite is harder to deal with. It’s when you ‘feel’ like eating, even though you are not technically hungry. We feel hungry for many reasons that food can’t fix. For example, we may be bored, lonely, sad or happy or any assortment of emotions…none of which will be solved with a bag of chips.

On the other hand, it may not be emotions or hormones driving your appetite, it might be something you missed doing in the past 24 hours, such as drinking enough water, eating enough blood sugar, balancing foods, or getting enough sleep.

These things cause disruptions in our hormones and make the drive to eat strong…very, very strong. Eating will create a short-term band-aid that will make you feel better momentarily, but unless you fix the root cause, you create a self-perpetuating cycle.

Now,  let’s assume you aren’t eating emotionally or because you haven’t had enough sleep, but you always get hungry in between meals. Try adding some of these highly satiating foods to your plate next time and see how much more free time you have now that you aren’t eating all the time!

To stay satiated throughout the day, it’s important to include a mix of protein, fiber, and fat. Here are 6 food that contain this magical trifecta.

1) Avocadoes: Not only are avocadoes loaded with healthy fats, but they are also quite high in protein and insoluble fiber. (Remember insoluble fiber? Our bowels loooove this kind of fiber, and therefore, so does our waistline!) These three components make avocadoes slow to digest and incredibly satiating.

2) Eggs: Include eggs in your breakfast, and you are 2/3 of the way there. Not only does the yolk contain healthy fat, but the white is also incredibly protein-rich. A not-so-small bonus is that eggs are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, making them incredibly healthy food. Pair your eggs with some fiber-rich foods like oatmeal or fiber-rich fruits or vegetables and you are guaranteed to be good until lunchtime.

3) Nuts and seeds: So many nuts to talk about, so little time! Nuts and seeds are literal power foods that fit in the palm of your hand. Full of healthy fat and a generous dose of protein and fiber, these are the perfect snack to get you until your next meal. Just enjoy them raw and unsalted to get the most benefit.

4) Fibre-rich fruits like apples: Fruits with peels on them and berries are high in fiber, which slows down digestion, but also makes your bowels pretty happy! Pair them with protein and fat-rich foods like eggs or nuts and seeds, and you have a perfect meal!

5) High-fiber vegetables: Generally, the darker the vegetable, the higher the fiber content. If you want your salad to be satiating, think carrots, beets, broccoli, kale, and collard greens over iceberg lettuce and cucumbers. Ps. These darker vegetables are also rich in phytonutrients which help make your skin look amazing! Pair your vegetables with some healthy olive oil dressing and some protein like chicken or fish and voila, a meal to last for hours.

6) Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is satiating because of its incredibly high protein content. If it’s low fat, which most Greek Yogurts are, it is missing the other two components, but that is easily fixed. Mix a tablespoon of chia seeds in your bowl, along with some fiber-rich raspberries, and what might have been a snack becomes the main course.

The bottom line is “hunger” is not always hunger and knowing the difference is the first step. Following through with  these healthy foods when your body truly needs food will make you feel full and happy and keep you at a weight that makes you look and feel fabulous at any age.

**Article by Christine Sachse. Christine is a Health Coach and Personal Trainer and the owner of Roseland Health and Fitness, a full-service Personal Training and wellness studio in Burlington, Ontario. To find out more, visit Christine’s website or follow her on IG or Facebook.