One key to weight loss is to eat foods that fill you up without providing many calories (low caloric density). Foods that are likely to fill you without excessive calories usually are high in fiber or protein. Focus on these foods to lose weight. Lose weight with these five filling foods. These foods are either high in protein, or in case of the carbohydrates on the list, high in fiber.
Lose Weight with these Foods
- Baked potato
- Greek yogurt
Of the five foods on this list my favorite are eggs. Eggs are a source of complete protein containing all the essential amino acids. Plus, they are versatile as they can be prepared any number of ways. Eggs are filling. One study showed they people who ate eggs for breakfast consumed 330 fewer calories the entire day. That 330 fewer calories a day equates to 34 pounds for the course of the year (330 times 365 days divided by 3500 calories/pound).
Apples are high in pectin, a type of fiber. Fiber slows digestion while causing a sense of satiety or fullness. Like eggs people who eat apples consume fewer calories throughout the day. Two apples a day has been shown to lower cholesterol on par to the cholesterol lowering drugs called statins. It’s also possible to eat the entire apple, core included, if you eat it this way.
Generally we recommend avoid eating white starchy carbs because they have high glycemic indexes, but there are some exceptions. A baked potato with the skin on has a glycemic index of 69 which we consider high (recommend 55 or less), but it has a glycemic load of 19 which is acceptable (under 20 is acceptable). The glycemic load is more important than the glycemic index. Baked potatoes have a high satiety index leading to consumption of food for 2 hours after eating them.
Oatmeal has a borderline high glyemic index of 55 but a very heathly glycemic load of 13. Oatmeal has a high fiber content that slows digestion and delays the absorption of sugar while providing satiety.
Greek yogurt is a good source of protein containing twice the protein content as regular yogurt and less sugar. Researchers from Harvard studied the eating habits of 121,701 females in the Nurses Health Study. Their results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. They concluded that yogurt was the single best food for losing weight. A change in colonic bacteria may be partly responsible for the weight loss.
Need to lose weight? Substitute some of what you are eating with these food fillers!