What are the lowest calorie foods that will stick to your ribs the longest? For a couple of days now, I’ve been feeling like I’m starving about 3 hours after supper. I haven’t varied my supper time or the types of food I’ve been eating and have just suddenly gotten this super hungry feeling later on. For example, tonight I had oatmeal around six; then some toast around 10:30. Still having the rumbly tummy feeling, I had some oyster crackers around 1 am. I’m a pescatarian. Any suggestions?
A nice combo of protein and healthy fats does it for me. Scrambled eggs with a little cheese and salsa (do pescatarians eat eggs?). Handful of almonds and a string cheese, maybe. I love to take a whole wheat tortilla, spread it with 2 tbs of natural peanut butter and nuke it for 20 seconds. Then, wrap it around a really ripe banana - yum!
For me, eating a triple whammy of oatmeal + toast + crackers would make me feel hungrier (it might be okay if I put peanut butter on the toast). As a rule, I tend to limit my “empty” carb intake (toast, crackers, etc). Beans, sweet potatoes, quinoa - those don’t tend to set off my munchies like white carby stuff (bagels, crackers, pretzels, chips, cookies, cold cereal, packaged baked goods are all on my no fly list).
Yup, what Glory said. Carbs are sugar, and have a dramatic effect on your blood sugar level. Your goal is to eat food that will burn slowly and steadily, and that means protein and fat. I don’t know what you eat (besides no meat), but I find that a couple of cubes of cheese is a satisfying snack, or apple slices dipped into peanut butter, or some nuts, or sliced vegetables with some low-fat spreadable cheese. Carbs will spike your blood sugar and then give you a blood sugar low that makes you draggy and hungry again – and craving the carby foods that gave you the spiking in the first place.
Carbs rarely fill me up. It seems like oatmeal sticks the longest but bread and crackers (especially if they’re bleached flour) barely make a dent.
When I need something just to take the edge off, I go for protien and/or fat. A handful of almonds (loving the wasabi-soy flavor!) has been my go-to for a while. Or cheese, or a big carrot that I dip in hummus. When I’m ultra lazy and just need something before bed, I’ll grab a spoonful of peanut butter. It can be higher in calories but it definitely keeps the hunger at bay for a good, long time.
Something with fiber can be okay, too. I’ll grab an orange or an apple. Sometimes the occassional banana. With all the foods it’s best to keep in mind that less processed = better. Your body takes time breaking down the raw carrot, longer than already cooked carrots, which can keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Oyster crackers would be among worst things to eat.
You want something with a low glycemic index, which means it breaks down more slowly while being digested, releasing glucose into the bloodstream more slowly.
For me the list is limited to the following:
Egg whites (lowest in calories, very filling)
Greek Yogurt (either fat free or 2%)
A glass of kefir
There’s also skyr but it’s a cottage industry in the US at the moment so I find it expensive-but there are plenty of greek yogurt manufacturers now.
I just finished the first phase of the South Beach diet (going down a dress size in the process) and learned to eat both of these plain (no more ketchup, no more fruits!). Greek yogurt plain is tastier if you up the fat content a bit. I put some savory lassi spices in my kefir and call it a day.
By the way, I found that keeping my evening meal protein focused staved off any starving sensations.
More protein. You’re carb heavy.
Have two hardboiled eggs, yellows optional.
Or greek yogurt, plain sweetened with berries or Truvia. ETA: Cheap greek yogurt at Target or Trader Joe’s house brand in a big tub.
Or low fat cottage cheese.
Or two rounds of Babybel cheese.
I can drink a mug of coffee and eat a 100 calorie 18 gram of protein greek yogurt and be good for hours.
I’m not sure what your goal is with low-cal foods (I suspect weight loss), but don’t discount fats; we need 30% of our diet to be made up of healthy fats for our bodies to run properly, and foods with fat in them will also help you feel full and stay full longer. What you’ve described is a very unbalanced diet, with only carbs and no fat and protein.
Lentils are good. They’re low-calorie, high protein and have fibre too. Also they’re delicious, and lentil soup is very easy to make.
I like to have a string cheese as a snack when I’m hungry. For 80 calories it really seems to satiate me, and it’s kind of fun and easy to eat slowly.
Actually, better- you want something with a high satiety rating.
Baked or boiled potatoes.
I eat a pretty low-carb diet, which also keeps my calorie intake low. For snacks, I keep around (or make):
Cashews/pecans/almonds
Hard boiled eggs
Smoked salmon
Avocado
Spinach (raw and frozen)
Roasted mushrooms
String cheese
I’m not a big fruit eater, but low-glycemic, high-fiber fruits like blueberries and blackberries with a bit of Greek yogurt should also help you keep full.
Just remember with all these things to moderate your portion size, and the calories should take care of themselves.
I braise a big bag of kale every night (about 4 servings) with hot peppers, olive oil, and whatever other vegetables I feel like. I eat the whole bag by myself and it is a LOT of food yet it has less than 200 calories. I usually grill a chicken breast to go with it but not always. It is super healthy for you and tastes great. You will not be hungry for many hours after eating it either.
Balanced meals always keep me fuller for fewer calories. Sit down and eat some protein, a whole grain, and some vegetables. Have a little fruit and yogurt for dessert.
Picking and snacking just doesn’t work for me at all.
I am going to repeat what someone said above about the almonds. I sometimes have to work through lunch and notice my bloodsugar (and mood!) dropping by about 3 pm. A handful of almonds and I am back in the game!
If I have a little more time, I will have string cheese. It’s just so much fun to eat!
Stick to Greek yogurt-- American-made skyr tastes AWFUL compared to the original stuff; part of it’s the agave sweetener that most of the brands use, and part of it is the ingredient balance. It just doesn’t taste right.
Definitely go for legumes-- beans aren’t that high in calories, will fill you up, and are a good source of protein, especially when combined with complementary proteins. For example, black beans, rice, and diced onion is a great complete protein meal. You can also do beans and corn and rice, or just corn and rice, but there are a ton of recipes out there that include legumes as part of a yummy meal.
Also, try quinoa. I can’t cook quinoa for beans, but I’ve had it in stuff and really enjoyed it; in fact, one of the local burger places around here uses quinoa and veggies to make their veggie patties, which are amazingly tasty, even to this omnivore.
They have skyr.is in the US. Isn’t that Iceland’s national brand? I thought it was ok, nothing to write home about. If you’re talking about Siggi’s, then yeah, the originals were grainy, but I just tried the 2% MF Coconut flavored one and liked it a lot but I rarely buy flavored dairy products anymore.
Anyway, aren’t people’s tastes different? I’m not particularly concerned about Icelandic skyr being oh so much better than the American versions. I buy everything unflavored and unsweetened these days anyway and I was just putting it out there as another low fat/high protein option for the OP.
Ding ding!
“Fullness factor.” Actual study.
In general
YMMV.
Personally I find a handful of nuts and dried fruit will keep hunger at bay for a long time.
Bananas or sweet potatoes, maybe with a dollop of peanut butter.
Yeah, lentils and beans are both great. Chickpeas are awesome too. These days, I’ve been making lots and lots of a simple chana masala, and having it with rice (in fact, I’m having some right now). In terms of calories to fullness, I think it has as much bang as I’ve ever had for my buck.