I bet you’ve eaten a big meal only to discover that you’re hungry 40 minutes later! Am I right? So why is this? It’s most likely because you are not choosing the right foods with a high ‘satiety’ rating.
What does this mean? And what are these foods? Well, read on as I’ll explain the importance of high-satiety foods and give you a selection of my 4 best foods to help keep you fuller for longer!
What does ‘satiety’ even mean?
Well, it’s the feeling or state of being ‘sated’ which is satisfied when it comes to your appetite, basically meaning that you feel full.
There is a tremendous amount of choice in our modern world when it comes to our food and diets, and often too much to choose from.
And I think we know that often the tastiest foods are the ones that are most processed and with poor nutrient profiles. These highly processed products do satisfy our taste cravings, but I’m afraid that they don’t help you to meet your actual nutritional needs and hit that full feeling.
Your body is clever when your nutritional needs are not met. Your body keeps asking for more and will keep sending those hunger signals until you eventually give the body what it needs.
Not every processed food is fattening or bad for you, but having a high percentage of processed foods in your diet will likely lead to you eating more (as you’re not feeling full) which can therefore lead to inevitable weight gain.
So that’s why being and feeling satiated for the longest time possible after each meal is so important. Once you are full or satiated, you have met your nutritional needs, and your body has the resources to work with!
How can you be satiated?
Every sensation or signal in the body is closely related to the balance of certain hormones.
Leptin and ghrelin are the two predominant involved hormones, specific to appetite and satiety.
The macronutrients protein & fat are most effective in inducing the feeling of satiety.
This is the reason why it’s so important to ensure you reach your daily protein and fat requirements, as they will play an essential role in how hungry you feel throughout the day.
Remember that a hungry mind will take away your focus on productivity and any other important tasks you have.
Stay satiated!
Here are those 4 foods to satiate you
As promised, let’s have a look at the most satiating foods you can easily find in your local supermarket!
Beef – packs a protein punch
As I’ve already mentioned, protein and fats from whole food sources are amongst the most satiating nutrients you can give to your body.
Beef and other red meats have both nutrients in abundance, so including them in your nutrition plan is a winner!
If you always wake up hungry and the cereal and coffee breakfast full of sugar isn’t satiating, why not try a morning ribeye steak!
Believe me; it does work.
Nuts – not nutty at all!
Almonds, cashews other nuts like walnuts are so dense in energy that just a handful of them can keep you much fuller for longer.
Additionally, these yummy snacks are full of essential fatty acids and other micronutrients that certainly keep you fuller for longer but also will provide your body with the nutrients it needs.
Not nutty; it just makes sense!
Eggs – are essential!
If you want to establish a nutrition plan that is nutrient-dense enough to keep you full and healthy, eggs are the way to go.
Eggs are great as a standalone meal or can also be eaten as a side or addition to a larger meal.
There are lots of ways to eat them too, which adds to the variety of your menu too! You can eat them as an omelette, scrambled, poached or even over some rice in Korean style!
Potatoes – who knew?
Even though protein and fats are the most satiating macronutrients we can consume, in fact, the food with the HIGHEST satiety rating actually contains mostly carbohydrates…who knew?
So the humble potato is, in fact, one of the most satisfying foods we can eat!
Try for yourself – Cook up some red meat, maybe a beef casserole or piece of steak and add some potato mash, and you will be full for at least 3 hours. Try it!
And finally
One of the biggest focuses of your nutrition plan should be to make it satiating!
If you are feeling hungry and peckish all the time, you are not following the correct nutrition path, and hopefully, this article will help you along the way.
So, be sure to include these 4 foods in my article – beef, nuts, eggs and potatoes – and let me know how they improve your satiety and energy levels over the coming days and weeks!
