A Guide to Foods That Will Keep You Full and Satiated

#health_above_all_nutrition

It’s 10:00 am and your stomach is grumbling. You’re thinking to yourself, “how could I be this hungry? I just had breakfast.”

If this sounds all too familiar, you could be filling up on foods that are just not so filling. Foods have varying satiety levels, which can help explain why some foods hold you for hours and some don’t. When you understand this, you can begin to choose foods that help you to stay fuller longer. Why is that important? The more filling a food is, the more likely you are to reduce portion size and lessen snacking between meals, the fewer overall calories you may consume.

As a general rule, the more highly processed a food, the lower the satiety level. Some examples of highly processed foods include sugary beverages, baked goods like muffins or doughnuts, and corn chips and some cold cereals. On the other hand, foods like vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits, flax, hemp, and chia are examples of higher fiber, higher satiety foods.

So, a good rule of thumb is to use my 90/10 rule which encourages 90% of your daily intake should be whole foods or minimally processed foods, but there’s still room for 10% of your daily intake to be “fun foods.” I truly do believe all foods fit.

Here’s an example:

• Breakfast- Oatmeal mixed with your choice of nut butter, blueberries, and raspberries, sprinkled with a serving of Carrington Farms’ Flax/Hemp seeds
• Lunch- Whole grain avocado toast with scrambled eggs and a mixed green salad and fruit
• Dinner- Grilled salmon with roasted brussels sprouts and a side of Carrington Farms’ ground lupin bean with grated parmesan cheese and everything but the bagel spice.
• Dessert- your favorite brownie or cookie topped with a dollop of ice cream or any other fun food of choice.

Foods are one of life’s greatest pleasures. Enjoy what you’re eating and choose wisely with foods that taste good, satisfy and keep you full. Oh, yea, and don’t forget dessert!