8 Foods That Fill Your Stomach and Help You Lose Weight

Some diets for losing weight might make you feel famished, which is not what you want. While removing processed foods from your shopping cart, particularly those that are rich in empty calories, sugar, and harmful fats, is a terrific approach to lose weight and improve your health, what you put in your cart is equally crucial. For instance, foods strong in protein and fiber will make you feel full and prevent you from making poor decisions. Remember that portion control is still essential, advises Suwanee, Georgia-based nutritionist Keith Kantor, PhD. Even if the stuff you're eating is nutritious, overeating won't help you lose weight. Here are eight meals that can help you lose weight while also keeping you satisfied and tasting fantastic.

1. Consume beans to get enough fiber.

You should include beans in your grocery list for a variety of reasons. First of all, according to Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, author of Doctor's Detox Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss Prescription, beans are a fantastic source of fiber. Christine Gerbstadt further notes that foods rich in fiber will generally be satisfying. For instance, a half cup of black beans includes 7 g of fiber, or 28% of your daily intake. Red kidney beans include 8 g of fiber per cup, or 32% of your DV. Additionally, 6 g of fiber, or 24% of your DV, may be found in one-half cup of garbanzo beans.

Additionally, since fiber cannot be digested by human bodies, it aids in satiation without adding calories to meals, according to Kelly Kennedy, RD, staff nutritionist for Everyday Health. She continues, adding that fiber gives meals bulk and also takes longer to digest. A high-fiber, bean-rich meal boosted satiety and decreased appetite, according to a short research that was published in ISRN Obesity.

Kennedy adds that beans also increase the amount of the gut hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), which delays stomach emptying and may aid in appetite suppression. These advantages might all result in weight reduction. A high-fiber, bean-rich diet was shown to be just as successful at helping people lose weight as a low-carb diet, according to a research that was published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics in April 2014.

Ideas for Meal Preparation Kennedy advises that a bean-based stew or vegetable chili can satisfy your hunger without making you feel sluggish. She also appreciates the practicality of canned beans, which can be added to a rice meal or on top of a salad for additional protein and fiber by being rinsed (to lower the salt level).

2. Indulge in Salmon to Stay Fuller, Longer

Why should salmon be on your list of foods to eat to lose weight? Salmon is a fantastic source of protein, and among its many other health advantages, 3 ounces (oz) of wild Atlantic salmon offers roughly 22 grams of protein. Researchers from Purdue University discovered in a short study that was published in the journal Obesity that eating more protein at each meal made men who were attempting to lose weight feel fuller for longer. The individuals, who were placed on a low-calorie, high-protein diet, also reported experiencing less hunger pangs throughout the day and fewer late-night snack desires.

According to Dr. Gerbstadt, proteins are digested more slowly than fats or carbs, which makes them satisfying meals. Kennedy continues, salmon is one of the richest providers of the heart-healthy lipids known as omega-3 fatty acids.

Ideas for Meal Preparation Try baking or frying fish; Kennedy advises eating a 3-oz serving for night then flaking the remains over salad leaves for lunch the following day.

3. Have eggs for a breakfast that is high in protein.

Overweight men and women who ate two eggs for breakfast lost more weight than those who ate bagels during an eight-week research that was published in the International Journal of Obesity. According to Dr. Kantor, eggs may aid in weight reduction because they are rich in protein (one large egg contains roughly 6 g), which needs more energy to digest than carbohydrate, which makes up the majority of breakfast items like bagels, cereal, and muffins.

You may want to think about consuming more egg whites than yolks if you're concerned about having high cholesterol, but most likely you don't need to be. A tiny portion of the population is thought to "hyper-respond" to dietary cholesterol (the cholesterol found in food), according to Kennedy. The majority of individuals do not notice a substantial difference in their blood cholesterol levels after consuming meals high in cholesterol. The American Heart Association now advises that the majority of individuals consume seven yolks or less each week.

Ideas for Meal Preparation For a low-calorie protein, add hard-boiled eggs to your salad. Kennedy also suggests eating egg whites and cucumber slices with salt and pepper as a snack.

4. Eat Nuts to Suppress Your Appetite

The Mayo Clinic claims that nuts are a satisfying food because they are high in protein and fiber. According to a preliminary research presented at the 2018 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in Chicago, consuming one daily serving could also aid in weight loss. A other research that was published in the Journal of Proteome Research discovered that those who followed a 12-week diet that contained a handful of mixed nuts every day had greater levels of serotonin than those who didn't, a hormone that may reduce hunger.

However, due to their abundance in good fats, nuts and nut butters may rapidly accumulate calories, according to Kennedy. Despite the fact that this fat is beneficial for you and not detrimental for you, it's still crucial to watch your portion sizes while eating nuts. Kennedy advises limiting your daily dose to 1.5 ounces, or a modest handful of nuts. (The fat content varies from nut to nut; 1.5 oz of whole almonds, for instance, comprise roughly 21 g of fat.) If you discover that you aren't losing weight, reevaluate your nut intake to see if you need to make any changes. Kennedy suggests choosing nuts free of added oil, sugar, or salt since these ingredients might reduce the overall healthfulness of the nuts.

sage snacking advice Kennedy suggests eating a slice of whole-wheat bread with 1 spoonful of peanut or almond butter spread thinly on it for breakfast and steaming green beans with a sprinkling of slivered almonds for supper.

5. Pop Some Popcorn for an Unguilty Snack

According to Kennedy, your stomach lags behind your brain by around 20 minutes before digestive chemicals notify your brain that you are full. Popcorn ranks high on Gerbstadt's list of foods that may aid in weight loss in part because of this: Popcorn takes a while to consume, and the slower you eat, the more probable it is that you will feel full before you consume too much.

According to Kennedy, popcorn is a satisfying snack and a rich source of fiber. Since a serving of popcorn is often larger than 1 cup, the 1.2 g of fiber in 1 cup of air-popped popcorn builds up over time. Just 2.5 g of fiber, which is equal to around 2 cups of popcorn, is required for a product to be deemed an excellent source of fiber.

sage snacking advice Use a hot-air popper to reduce fat and calories, advises Gerbstadt. Kennedy advises either doing this or popping your corn in a little bit of oil on the stove.

6. Greek yogurt has more protein and less sugar, so choose it.

According to Kantor, Greek yogurt is another another leader on the list of healthy foods for weight reduction. Because it has more protein and less sugar than the majority of other yogurts, it's a fantastic option. One 7-oz container of plain, lowfat Greek yogurt has roughly 20 g of protein and 7 g of sugar, however the quantity of protein may vary from brand to brand (this sugar is naturally occurring from the lactose in the milk and not added sugar).

Greek yogurt has 230 milligrams of calcium every 7-oz container, making it a healthy source of calcium (about 18 percent of your DV). According to a research in the journal Diabetes Care, persons with type 2 diabetes who consume a diet high in dairy products benefit from faster weight loss.

Ideas for Meal Preparation Kennedy proposes using plain Greek yogurt without any added sugars to make a parfait of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast or dessert. You can also use Greek yogurt as the foundation for rich and creamy smoothies.

Choose chili peppers to increase your metabolism at number 7.

According to Kennedy, you burn more calories even while you're at rest the higher your metabolism. Numerous studies have shown that capsaicin, the fiery component of chilies and other peppers, may assist enhance metabolism. One such study was published in the journal Bioscience Reports in June 2017. (although no individual food has been proven to increase metabolism to the point of leading to weight loss, Kennedy notes). According to a short research in the British Journal of Nutrition, those who had capsaicin with their high-fat, high-carb breakfasts consumed less protein and fat at lunch and reported feeling fuller and less hungry.

Ideas for Meal Preparation Kennedy suggests adding chili peppers to your morning eggs, preparing a breakfast burrito or tacos with them, or preparing a bowl of scorching-hot chili with red beans for a quick lunch.

8. Consume More Water to Prevent Binge Eating

Even though it isn't technically a "food," water should be a mainstay on your list of foods for weight reduction. According to a 2014 research in the Journal of Natural Science, Biology, and Medicine, individuals who drank more water than normal experienced weight loss, a decrease in body fat percentage, and an appetite reduction. Another research that was published in the July-August 2016 edition of Annals of Family Medicine discovered a strong correlation between poor hydration and obesity as well as an increased body mass index (BMI).

Kantor advises drinking a glass of water before each meal and in between portions. Additionally, he advises taking a glass of plain water in between sips if you're consuming alcohol. According to Kantor, "Your intestines can only store so much volume." "Water will immediately fill you up and keep you from overindulging in foods and beverages that don't aid in weight reduction."

Additionally, some individuals overeat because they confuse hunger with thirst. According to Kennedy, the regions of the brain where the body evaluates hunger and thirst are situated near to one another. This makes it quite typical for someone to mistakenly believe they are hungry when they are really simply dehydrated. The greatest approach to ensure that any hunger symptoms are genuinely caused by hunger is to stay hydrated.

Get Your Daily Limit On Kennedy claims that individuals should generally drink a lot more water than they do. Your body is already dehydrated if you're thirsty. Age, gender, weight, and amount of exercise all affect how much fluid a person requires. Even if the advice to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses is simple to remember, it isn't the most precise. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (formerly the IOM) advises women to drink 2.7 liters of total water per day and males 3.7 liters per day. Both food and drinks include water.