Filling Foods - Get Fuller With Less Calories

I first heard of this concept of "filling foods" years ago when I did Weight Watchers. Actually, when I first started doing WW, that wasn't a formal practice or idea of theirs it was just points - black and white.  The filling foods idea came along later when I think the folks at WW realized people were focusing so much on the points and not necessarily eating foods that are healthy, nutritious and filling.

It's funny to look back on it now because I was practicing the idea of filling foods before I knew it was a "thing".  I did WW maybe around 9 or so years ago and successfully lost 20 lbs.  I could go off on a whole tangent about WW, but that's a story for another day and yes, I gained all the weight back (and lost it again!).  I will say though one of the great outcomes of doing WW is it forces you to make decisions about your food.  We all need to do that everyday and I think ultimately that's where I started to learn how to balance what I ate.  Anyway, I thought eating a WW frozen dinner was what I should be eating at that time.  Problem is, a WW dinner alone didn't fill me.  So, I started adding frozen broccoli or spinach to my frozen box of pasta.  It definitely helped fill me up more, which was beneficial so I didn't want to eat more AND kept my points down.

All calories are not created equal!

Now I don't count points... I really don't even count calories, though I have a general idea of what I'm eating after years of doing both.  The real goal with filling foods is to eat foods that take up more space in your stomach with little caloric impact (see above diagram).

Here's some real life examples...

You can eat a 100 calorie pack of cookies OR you can have 2T of hummus with a giant bowl of veggies and a couple of crackers.  One of course has ZERO health benefits, won't fill you up and you'll likely be eating another 100 calorie pack in an hour.  Or the other not only has protein (hummus) but the veggies are loaded with vitamins and nutrients AND will keep you fuller longer.  This food is bigger so taking up more space on your stomach leaving you less hungry - genius, right?

Not filling, no nutritional value

Filling AND nutritious!

Another example, breakfast version... one donut vs. a plateful of eggs, toast, avocado (healthy fat) and fruit. Guarantee you, the eggs will fill you up more and keep you fuller longer.

1 chocolate glazed donut = 370 calories, 24 g fat, 390 mg sodium, 17 g sugar

Approx 300 calories with protein, carbs, greens and fruit! YUM

Other filling foods:

• green vegetables - broccoli, zucchini, celery, asparagus, cucumbers
• fruit - especially, apples - add them to salads and sandwiches too
• beans
• soup
• greek yogurt
• eggs
• whole grains - barley, quinoa, whole wheat cous cous, buckwheat, bulger

Once you start thinking in a filling foods mindset, you'll be amazed at the way your eating can change. I try to sneak fruits and veggies into everything I eat. Usually half my plate a dinner is filled with greens - I just grab whatever is in my fridge and add it onto the plate with whatever else I'm eating. The bottom line is, we want to set ourselves up for success... if you're not eating enough, you're not going to feel satisfied, then you'll feel defeated and probably just give up and eat junk because you're telling yourself you're a big fat failure. Yes, I've been there, done that. So, let's not do that and instead be realistic, eat real food and make good decisions and remind ourselves health and wellbeing is not all or nothing, it's taking small steps everyday in the right direction.

What are some ways that you bulk up your plate?

As always, don't forget to treat yourself well and eat good food!

Love, Lizzie