Low Calorie Foods That Fill You Up

With the sedentary lifestyle, obesity has become an epidemic. To fight this epidemic people are recommended to have low-calorie foods that fill you up. These low calorie food ensure quick weight loss and at the same time do not leave you hungry. When we talk about low-calorie food, it is important to understand the meaning of the word calorie. In lay man's terms, calorie is the amount of energy present in the food. It is the calorific energy, that we require for our daily activities. The mechanism of our bodies are so designed, that it stores the extra calories, by converting it into fat. If weight loss is the objective, then it is necessary to consume lesser calories and let the body fuel the daily activities, with the stored fat and make the fat as a source of energy of the body. This is when the low-calorie foods that make you feel full come into foray.

Low Calorie Foods That Fill You Up

One of the best low-calorie food that will fill you up is water. Very often when we feel hungry, we reach for some snacks, but instead we should reach out for water. After you drink some water, you will realize, you were not hungry, rather you were thirsty. It is best to replace aerated drinks, juices, iced tea, coffee, tea, etc. with water, because these drinks increase sugar cravings and makes the person feel very hungry within a short period. Water will not only help to fill you up, but also to hydrate your skin, joints, and remember it has 0 calories. If you find it difficult to consume water, then you can squeeze some lime juice in it to add some flavor.

After water, salads are filling low-calorie foods. According to research conducted, salads do indeed help in filling up a person. If salads are consumed before a meal, the number of calories consumed for the meal drop drastically, by 7 to 12% to be more precise. The satiating effect of salads can be attributed to the fiber and water content in it. However, it is important that low-fat dressings are used to make the salads. The best dressings to use are salt, pepper and lime dressings, vinaigrette dressings, etc. Stay away from the oily dressings, mayonnaise to make salads which are low-calorie foods that make you feel full. Salads can also be made by combining vegetables with sprouts, beans, etc. While choosing the vegetables to make the salads avoid vegetables rich in starch and carbohydrates, in other words, opt for low calorie vegetables.

Like vegetables, fruits are also a part of low calorie food list, but you will have to stay away from fruits, which are rich in sugar like mangoes, grapes, etc. The fruits, which you can use to satiate are pears, apple, citrus fruits, melons, different berries, etc.

Eggs are also recommended to people, who want to follow low calorie diet. Having eggs for breakfast helps to curb hunger and the person tends to eat way less all throughout the day. Research has shown, that consumption of eggs gives greater feeling of satiety and the person consumed considerably less amount of calories for lunch.

Low Calorie Snacks that Fill You Up

One of the best low calorie snacks is popcorn. They are known to fill up faster than crisps, chips, cakes, donuts, chocolates, etc. At the same time it is also a whole grain food and therefore is also rich in fiber. However, you will have to opt for popcorn, which is not coated in butter, oil, salt, etc. Enjoying plain and air popped popcorn is recommended. They are one of the low calorie foods for kids as well.

If you are hungry, then you may want to reach for oats, as they are low calorie filling foods. They are whole grain and contain all the three parts of the grains, namely nutrient rich inner germ, starchy endosperm and the fiber rich outer bran. Therefore, when oats are had for breakfast, they keep you full till lunch time. If you are not really fond of oats, then you can opt for other whole grains. Fresh fruits can also be added to the oats.

Soups are also low calorie foods that fill you up. However, they should be clear soups. It is recommended, you stay away from mass-produced condensed soups, as they are high in sodium, while the creamy soups are rich in fat. It is best to have homemade vegetable broth based soups. These soups can be made for the week and can be warmed when you feel hungry.

Using these low calorie foods, you can plan your low calorie diet menu as well. The key to know, which are the low calorie foods, is to check if the food is rich in proteins, fiber of complex carbohydrates. With these low calorie foods that fill you up, you will not feel hungry and you will not have sugar cravings.