Do you track your calories and always struggle to stay within your goals?
Find that you are hitting your max caloric intake too soon and you still feel starving?
You may need to take a look at your food QUALITY and how satiating your current diet is.
Satiation, or fullness, is an important physical factor when it comes to your diet. Two of the most important nutrients when it comes to satiety are:
- Fiber
- Protein
Both fiber and protein help tremendously when it comes to adding in quality, filling nutrients – without adding a lot of calories. While processed foods (usually low in fiber and protein) do the opposite.
For example, this Memorial Day, I went golfing with a friend. After the first 9 holes, we were hungry for some lunch. Unfortunately the grill girl decided she wanted to go home early, so no grilled food was available. So what was I left with?
- 1 Snickers Bar – 4 grams protein, 1 gram fiber – 250 cals
- 1 bag of BBQ kettle chips – 2 grams protein – 1 gram fiber – 210 cals
So I had 460 calories, with only 6 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber.
Needless to say, I was starving by the time I got home.
Compare this to a leftover filled lunch I had yesterday:
- 6 oz. Pork Tenderloin – 34 grams protein – 180 calories
- Mixed Red Potatoes and Carrots – 7 grams of fiber – 150 calories
This meal was ONLY 330 calories, but I was easily satisfied until dinner.
***This is a pretty low cal meal for me, but I had a big breakfast and wanted ice cream after dinner – the beauty of tracking and planning****
So back to the point…
If you struggle with feeling hungry after eating a meal, look at how much protein and fiber was in that meal. If it was a highly processed or a hodge podge meal, it likely was low in both.
Great sources to consider adding, but not limited to are:
Protein
- Chicken/Turkey
- Pork Tenderloin
- Beef tenderloin
- Fish/Seafood
- Egg Whites
- If in a pinch – protein powder
- Beef Jerky
Fiber
- Lentils/Beans (also a decent protein source)
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Artichokes
- Brussels Sprouts
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Avocado (higher in cals from fat – just be aware)
- Pears
- Barley
- Oats
Increasing your protein and fiber intake will only have positive health benefits for you as well, so you should probably just consider doing it no matter what 🙂
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Stay healthy my friends,