Here are my fail proof filling foods that will stop you snacking throughout the day!
- Wholegrain Bread
- Oatmeal & Brown Rice
- Sweet Potato
- Beans
- Chicken and Turkey
- Cottage Cheese and Milk
- Peanut Butter
- Green Leafy Vegetables
- Apples and Avocados
- Salmon
Complex carbohydrates such as wholegrain bread, granary bread and seeded bread all help us to stay full for longer. While the whole grain has been rolled to aid the bread making process, the outer casing (fibre) and the protein (gluten) remain. It is these two components that take time to travel through the digestive system, thus delaying the feeling of hunger.
Recipe: Avocado and Ham Sandwich
White rice and instant porridge oats have the outer husks of the grains removed and are either processed to make a coarse oatmeal powder or polished to make an easy cook rice grain which passes through the digestive system very quickly. Now you know why you always feel hungry soon after a Chinese meal!
On the other hand, both oatmeal and brown rice contain the outer casings of the grain, which contains the fibre and most of the nutrients. Always opt for rolled porridge oats and wholegrain rice.
Recipe: Porridge with Cinnamon, Apples and Honey
When sweet potatoes are baked as wedges sprayed with olive oil or mashed with olive oil, they are a good source of healthy fat, fibre and carbohydrate which help balance sugar level and steadies the rate of digestion. Fuller for longer!
Recipe: Sweet Potato Wedges
Beans are a great tummy filler. They include lentils, soybean, black beans, haricot bean (which are the beans used for making tinned baked beans) and are all good sources of complex carbohydrates. Since they are all eaten with the outer coating which contain fibre, meals containing beans take some time to slowly digest, keeping you satisfied for a long number of hours.
Recipe: Spicy Bean Burritos
These lean white meats contain a high level of slow release protein and very little unhealthy saturated fat. A 75 gram portion of lean white protein takes approximately 2 - 2.5 hours hours to digest.
Recipe: Chicken and Prawn Laksa
This is another slow burner. These dairy products provide a steady slow release protein called casein, which will keep you full for longer. The recipe I have chosen includes beans as well, so it's a win win.
Recipe: Five Bean Cottage Cheese Salad
On your next trip to the shops, when you're wandering down the condiments aisle, spare a thought for peanut butter. There is is nestled in among the strawberry jam, Nutella and lemon curd. But peanut butter actually packs a large amount of nutrients into 1 tablespoon, which includes slow release protein, monounsaturated fat and dietary fibre. These all contribute to giving that healthy full up feeling. Why not try my satay chicken?
Recipe: Chicken Satay
It seems like there is never a time when green leafy vegetables fail to be the ideal food type! And yet again, here we are with the likes of spinach, cauliflower, cucumber, cabbage and broccoli keeping hunger at bay. This time it is not the array of minerals and vitamins that is contained in the vegetables, but the substantial water amount, that is at work keeping us full and healthy.
Recipe: Chicken, Broccoli and Sweet Chilli Stir Fry
Fruit has a high water content (albeit does hold fructose/simple sugars). Providing the fruits are eaten with the skins, they are a good source of fibre. Eating an apple as a snack in between meals satisfies the appetite for longer and balances the highs and lows of sugar, when it is more likely you'll reach for an unhealthy snack. Avocados also contain an oil which is of the slow release monounsaturated fatty acid variety, which helps keep tummies full for longer.
Recipe: Guacamole
Oily fish such as salmon contains omega-3 fatty acids and lean protein, which as an oil (fat) and protein combination is perfect for healthy eating as the components take longer to digest giving you a sense of fullness for longer.
Recipe: Salmon with Wilted Spinach and Sweet Chilli Lime Sauce