Foods that Satisfy Hunger

My biggest problem with trying to stay fit and keep off any extra pounds is my hunger pains. When I feel hungry, I want to run for the nearest donut. I decided there had to be a better way, and did a little research on the topic. Here is what I found:

What we need to know is which foods have the least amount of calories, but fill up our bellies so we can feel satisfied after a meal. Dr. Barbara Rolls and her colleagues at Penn State University say that "Foods that are high is water and relatively lower in calories-fruits, vegetables, broth based soups, skim and low-fat milk-tend to be more satisfying."

This means that if a person ate an appropriate salad or soup before a meal, they will become more full and eat less of their meal. I was skeptical (not believing that the salad would fill me up enough not to want my dinner), but I was totally wrong. I didn't even finish half of the chicken dinner I had prepared after I ate the salad.

There was a study done by a team at the University of Sydney, in Australia. They served 240 calorie meals to their participants and questioned them every 15 minutes to see how hungry they were. They than rated each food based on the responses from their participants. The food that satisfied hunger the most included popcorn, bran cereal, oatmeal, grain bread, whole-meal bread, brown pasta, potatoes, cheese, eggs, baked beans, beef, fish, grapes, apples, and oranges.

Their results were similar to that of Dr. Barbara Rolls. They state that it seems the more fiber, protein and water a food has, the higher it can satisfy a persons hunger.

Based on these results I made myself a plan for the day:
Breakfast
1 bowl of raisin bran (using fat free milk) and a banana.

Lunch
Salad with low fat dressing. I also took 4 ounces of chicken breast and added it to my salad instead of eating it separately.

Snack
1 container of yogurt

Dinner
Small salad again with the low fat dressing. 4 ounces of steak, 1/2 a baked potato, and some green beans.

I was amazingly surprised at the results. I don't even remember feeling hungry once. I know the hardest thing in following this kind of meal plan is the lack of bread. I love bread. Researchers do say that if you switch to whole grain breads you will feel more full than if you only eat white bread. So if you are skeptical like I was, I encourage you to give it a try.