Weight loss: with these foods you are full longer

On paper, the Weight loss to be a very simple thing. To lose weight, all you need to do is eat less and move more. In reality, however, it's quite different. We all know what happens when we start reducing our calorie intake. We quickly get agonizingly hungry, which in bad cases can even get on our nerves, making weight loss even more difficult.

Both for our own good and for the sake of social peace, we should avoid this state at all costs - after all, no one wants to be with a friend who is in a bad mood because she is so hungry. But that's not all, because hunger often drives us to short-circuit reactions, so that we tend to have food cravings, with which we ruin our own progress. So what is the usual strategy to fight hunger? That's right, eat!

But as the saying goes, "All foods are not created equal." So if you choose the wrong foods and try to stave off your hunger with, say, a Snickers bar, you can forget about weight loss. Other foods do their job much better at this point. Either by filling your stomach, keeping blood sugar levels low, or signaling to your brain via their ingredients that you're full. Best of all, this system works without you having to count every single calorie.

The saturation factor is crucial for weight loss

About 20 years ago, a small group of scientists developed the satiety index. This index is a list of foods ranked by how well each food satiates over a two-hour period. The scientists developed the index using a group of subjects who were each asked to eat a 240-calorie serving of each food. The subjects were then asked to rate every 15 minutes how their hunger pangs developed over the following two hours.

During this period, the subjects were allowed to consume additional portions of the food in question according to their feeling of hunger. The bottom line is that the scientists found out a few things during the study that are particularly interesting for weight loss. For example, they found that butter croissants were only half as filling as white bread. Potatoes, on the other hand, saturated subjects three times better than white bread. Surprisingly, however, French fries performed significantly worse than potatoes. Well, it actually needs a large-scale study that potatoes are better than croissants and French fries in terms of weight loss.

Nevertheless, these findings form the basis for the development of the saturation index. Two factors were particularly helpful to the scientists. On the one hand, the volume of each food and, on the other, the content of fiber, protein and water. Beans and lentils, for example, which are bursting with fiber and protein, score very well on the satiety index. The same is true of high-volume foods such as potatoes, white bread, oatmeal and even popcorn. The latter in particular is likely to facilitate weight loss for many amateur athletes.

It all comes down to the details

In summary, the more satiating a food is, the less hungry you will be between meals. That this is positive for weight loss is obvious. Surprisingly, however, this principle does not necessarily apply to all high-fat foods, even if they have a high energy content. But this is mainly because you can only eat a little of these usually very tasty foods. Also foods, with a high water and low fiber content do not keep you full for long. For example, iceberg lettuce leaves the stomach after less than an hour.

If, on the other hand, you combine such a food with a high-quality protein source such as fish or chicken, or eat it together with complex carbohydrates, the degree of satiety increases enormously. However, this is not necessarily positive for weight loss, because it also increases calorie intake. So if you want to keep your hunger under control during weight loss, you need to look for some very special foods. Foods like the following five that will keep you satiated for an amazingly long time and thus effectively support your weight loss.

1. eggs
The best way to start your weight loss day is with a breakfast consisting of two eggs. In fact, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition shows that people who ate two eggs in the morning, among other things, felt fuller longer throughout the day. In relation to the comparison group, who ate a bagel with the same amount of calories instead of eggs, the subjects consumed significantly fewer calories until the evening. This effect could even be proven over a period of 36 hours. One more reason, therefore, to bury the often-cited bad reputation of chicken eggs once and for all.

2. avocados
That the avocado can help with weight loss, you can already tell from the fact that hardly any fashion diet today can do without recipes in which the fruit is not used at least in one way or another. A few avocado strips already have a big effect. As a study by the University of Vienna shows, eating the fruit not only makes a meal richer, but also measurably reduces the feeling of hunger for the following five hours.

3. chili peppers
This realization may baffle you. But chili is great at helping you lose weight not only by speeding up your metabolism, but also by controlling your appetite. Scientists found in a study published in the International Journal of Obesity that chili also contributes to satiety. Specifically, they observed at a richly stocked buffet that adults who seasoned their food with a teaspoon of chili consumed significantly fewer calories. Subjects who used a placebo, on the other hand, not only ate more and fattier, but also felt less satiated. So you see, a pinch of chili can help you lose weight without much effort. So, in terms of weight loss, you should try Mexican cuisine, which is also rich in satiating beans.

4. oatmeal
Yes ok, oatmeal is not necessarily sexy, but it helps enormously with weight loss. A nice serving of warm oatmeal in the morning keeps you full for hours without even a hint of hunger. Three satiety factors are to blame for this. Firstly, the high fiber content, secondly, the complex carbohydrates and thirdly, the comparatively high protein content. In addition, oatmeal contains the carbohydrate beta-glucan, which ensures that the oatmeal swells so much in water. A study published in 2013 proved that people who ate a 250-calorie serving of oatmeal with milk were able to keep their appetite under control significantly longer than subjects in a comparison group who were given cornflakes instead of oatmeal. So in terms of weight loss potential, a clear win for oatmeal.

5. dark chocolate
Finally, let's move on to the pleasant things that can significantly facilitate weight loss. After all, who doesn't dream of being able to eat chocolate during their diet? This is not wishful thinking, because unlike milk chocolate, dark chocolate with a high cocoa content actually helps with weight loss. Scientists at the University of Copenhagen found that consuming dark chocolate stimulates the feeling of satiety and also significantly reduces cravings for sweets. The problem with this, however, is that just a few pieces of chocolate are enough to achieve this effect, and consuming larger amounts is in turn counterproductive for weight loss due to the high amount of calories. Accordingly, you should consider dark chocolate in weight loss as a kind of "useful reward" or a special kind of functional food.