Most Americans eat non-nutritious foods that cause them to go back for more. We ingest too many empty calories and refined carbohydrates, which break down quickly in the bloodstream and give us only temporary satisfaction. And soon we're reaching for more food—usually convenient, processed, sweet, and full of trans fat—leaving us hungry within an hour or two. It's a vicious cycle that can lead to overeating.

But what can we eat that will leave us feeling satisfied longer, without craving Twinkies or potato chips? Research suggests we should choose foods that have little or no effect on blood sugar: rich in fiber, low in energy density, and full of antioxidants. In this article, I describe six healthful foods and beverages that will curb your appetite, make you feel fuller longer, and fit into any lifestyle.

Fill up with fiber and protein

Fiber-rich foods, including whole-grain cereals, top the list. Fiber is the part of the plant or grain we can't digest. Insoluble fiber gives foods volume without adding a lot of calories. Soluble fiber stabilizes blood sugar, controls hunger, and slows down digestion. Studies highlighting dietary fiber and body weight have demonstrated a link between post-meal satiety and less hunger.^1,2 Fiber slows digestion, which delays absorption into the bloodstream and keeps blood-sugar levels more constant. High-fiber diets such as the Mediterranean Diet have helped people lose weight and cut cholesterol. But don't replace high-fiber foods with fiber supplements; they don't offer the vitamins, minerals, or antioxidant benefits of whole foods.

The Recommended Daily Allow ance (RDA) for fiber based on a 2,000 calorie diet is 25 – 30 gm. The average American gets 15 gm daily,¹ but 1 cup of All-Bran contains 19.5 gm. Other good choices (in 1-cup servings) include black beans (15 gm, cooked), kidney beans (13 gm, cooked) avocado (10 gm), raspberries (8 gm), and almonds (½ cup, 8 gm).³

Chicken and other high-quality proteins have been linked with weight loss. High-quality protein helps maintain muscle mass and reduce body fat.⁴ Preserving muscle is essential; muscle tissue burns 70 times more calories than fat tissue.⁵ Subjects who ate a high-protein diet lost significantly more body fat and reported greater satiety than those who ate a high-carbohydrate diet (with similar amounts of fat). Protein helps slow absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, reducing hunger by lowering insulin levels, and also requires three times more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fats.⁶ Protein intake seems to play a key role in body weight regulation due to satiety and thermogenesis.⁷

The RDA is 0.8 gm of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight for a healthy adult. Choose a variety of proteins to include all essential amino acids not synthesized by the body, which are easily found in most meat and dairy products. Some lean protein choices include boneless, skinless chicken breast (3.5 oz = 30 gm of protein), tuna (6 oz can = 40 gm), low-fat cottage cheese (½ cup = 15 gm), low-fat yogurt (1 cup = 8–12 gm), tofu (½cup = 20 gm), baked beans (1 cup = 12 gm), lima beans (1 cup = 11 gm), and walnuts (½ cup, chopped = 8 gm).³

Round out your plate with produce

Grapefruit: Half a fresh grapefruit eaten before meals is associated with significant weight loss, improved insulin resistance in patients with metabolic syndrome, and significant reduction in insulin levels two hours after consumption, versus a placebo group.⁸ Foods with lower post-meal insulin levels are more efficient for the body to process for energy and become less stored fat.