We all want to lose weight and feel healthier, plus enjoy the many benefits of being lighter. Unfortunately, diet-based foods tend to leave us hungry afterwards; leaving us craving fattening foods or sugar rich treats. What if it was possible to eat healthily, yet a few hours from now feel full and satisfied? With the right diet and choosing the correct foods we can achieve a healthy diet with the satisfaction of a full stomach for hours to come.
List of The Best Filling, Low-Calorie Foods
Legumes
Whether you toss them in your salads, add them to your wraps, or make a nice mean chili out of them; beans are not only filling but they’re power packed with protein, antioxidants, and contain a great source of complex carbs. High fiber beans such as red kidney beans help your colon and digestive system, while at the same time make you feel full for longer periods of time.
Watermelons
Nothing beats a freshly cut watermelon on a hot summer’s day. They refresh you, energize you, and treat your sweet tooth. In case if you’re wondering how watermelons will make you feel full – it is because of their high water-content! This allows your body to hydrate and feel full without ingesting high calorie foods. Another miracle about watermelons is that only 2 cups of watermelons contains just 100 calories! It also provides over half of your recommended daily value of vitamin C.
Tofu
Every 300g of Tofu contains only 120 calories. It’s rich in protein and calcium too! Vegetarians eat it as a source for their protein needs. It’s worthy to note that Tofu has a very low Glycemic Index. What’s impressive is it has no sugar content, almost no fat content, and it has many health benefits! Studies have shown that Tofu can help lower cholesterol, slow down aging, and even lowers the risk of cancer! And believe me, tofu is truly a stomach filler – just eat a pack or 2 and you will feel full quickly. Definitely a must-have if you wish to lose weight. Do take note that it is best to eat Tofu steamed or boiled. Do NOT fry them as they can absorb a lot of cooking oil making it very unhealthy in the end.
Japanese Sweet Potatoes
If Tofu is King, then Japanese Sweet Potato is the Queen. Every 130g of this sweet potato have only about 110 calories. Now before you start thinking Tofu has a lower calorie count there’s something you should know: Japanese Sweet Potato is a better filler than Tofu. Just 2 medium pieces of it (only 220 calories in total) will make you feel full. It has a low Glycemic Index, and it tastes sweet! Here’s the best part: Japanese Sweet Potatoes are highly nutritious with huge health benefits. And the bonus? All you have to do to cook them is just boil them.
Tips For Cutting Down on Calories
We are not always in the comfort of our homes where our healthy lifestyles are easy to maintain. Often, we find ourselves at restaurants or other eateries that can ruin our diets and healthy lifestyle choices. Let’s take a look at what you can do to fill up at the dinner table without eating excess, unnecessary calories.
- Avoid carbohydrates! Most carbohydrates aren’t just high in calories; they can make you hungrier and crave for more (especially refined carbohydrates like chips or snacks). A bowl of rice or a small plate of pasta has about 300 calories! A bowl of soup would be a better choice. Anytime you ingest liquid that is low in calories and fat you fill yourself up without packing on carbs. Stick to chicken, broth, or bean based soups. Soup with meat chunks are great too as they will keep you full even longer.
- Stay away from deep fried foods since most deep by fried foods only contain oil which will leave you hungry later on, yet add fat around the waistline. Drink plenty of water with your meal. This has been shown to cause you to fill up faster and reduce your appetite. Or have a glass of water before having your meals and it will help you eat less.
- Protein foods help you stay full longer than carbohydrate foods. And by protein foods, we don’t necessarily mean meat products; vegetables like spinach are high in protein too (and don’t forget Tofu!).
By eating foods that are not only light in calories but make you feel full for longer periods of time, you can take advantage of the multiple health benefits; including weight loss. Add this with any of the following list of fat burning foods and you have yourself a powerful combination of highly nutritious, healthy, and filling food that can help you cut down on your daily calorie intake!
The post Best Filling, Low-Calorie Foods! appeared first on Exodus International.