How do water and fiber help make certain foods more filling?

If a food is considered to be energy dense, that means it has a lot of calories in a small amount of food. On the other hand, foods with low-energy density pack the same number of calories into a much bigger serving size. Two things that add bulk to a food without adding calories (and therefore make it more filling) are water and fiber.

Many fruits and vegetables have high water and fiber contents, making them the ultimate low- calorie filler.  As well, foods that are high in fiber, such as whole-grain products, can take longer to digest, making you not only feel full, but for a longer period of time. High-fiber fruits such as apples, strawberries and blueberries consist of at least 80 percent water. Carrots, zucchini and spinach are also high in fiber and water.

What kinds of healthy foods are most satiating?

Fiber: Anything containing fiber is your best bet. Fiber slows down gastric emptying, allowing you to feel fuller for a longer period of time after a meal.  High-fiber foods have little effect on increasing serum glucose levels. Since fiber is indigestible, it adds no calories to your diet.  Adding fiber-rich foods to your meals bulks them up (think larger, more filling portions), without adding excess calories.  Fiber allows you to feel fuller and more satisfied even on fewer calories, making weight loss easier to achieve.

Carbohydrates: Focus on eating complex carbohydrates which have more fiber and nutrients, and typically fewer calories, for example; whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, oatmeal, whole-grain cereals and brown rice.

Water: Many fruits and vegetables are high in water, which provides volume, but not calories. Grapefruit, for example, is about 90 percent water, and has just 39 calories in a half-fruit serving. Carrots are about 88 percent water, and have only 52 calories in 1 cup.

Fruits: Another prevailing source of fiber is fruits. Fruits have fiber, vitamins and minerals, and satisfy a sweet tooth without excessive calories (60 calories per serving).  Choose fruits with the most amount of fiber.  Opt for high-fiber fruits like an apple, pear or berries.

Vegetables: Vegetables are also low in calories (25 calories/cup), and high in fiber, vitamins, phytochemicals and antioxidants. Some high-fiber options include broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, artichoke hearts and hearts of palm. Remember: The more fiber a food has, the fuller you will feel on fewer calories.

Protein: Researchers at the University of Washington found that people who eat a 30 percent protein diet ate 441 calories less each day than those on a 15 percent protein diet. This includes foods from both plant and animal sources. The best choices are those that are high in calories, but low in fat. Always select lean proteins like fish,  white-meat poultry, fat-free dairy products and egg whites. Protein such as legumes, beans, peas and lentils, are also good sources of fiber.

Can you suggest any strategies that might help a person who is concerned with his or her weight achieve fullness without loading up on unhealthy food choices? 

Hunger can be a major obstacle for many people who are trying to lose weight. But incorporating foods into your diet that give you more bang for your buck can be a strong strategy for beating hunger pangs.

Fiber and protein are the two nutrients that take the longest to digest.  It is this perfect combination of foods that keeps your serum glucose levels consistant, leading to improved energy throughout the day.  In addition, since fiber has 0 calories per gram, and protein has 4 calories per gram, you are guaranteed the least caloric intake with the most food itake. 

Eating 3 meals and a snack a day keep your metabolism working throughout the day leading to more calories burned daily.  Eating at regular intervals also helps to keep your sugars from dropping too low, therefore avoiding the symptoms of hypoglycemia, which tend to lead to overeating.

Begin lunch or dinner with a broth-based, vegetable-filled soup or a large salad with a small amount of low-fat or fat-free dressing. Research from Penn State shows that people who eat soup and salad at the start of a meal wind up taking in fewer calories all day than those who skip them. These foods take longer to eat and curb your hunger. This will ultimately prevent you from overeating your main dish as well as night time overeating.

It may be difficult for some people to recognize when they are actually “full.” What are some signs that indicate fullness/satiety?

One can begin by thinking about how you are feeling while you are eating. This takes a conscious effort. Once you’ve eaten some of your food, consider asking yourself some of these questions:

• Is my hunger beginning to settle?
• Does the food still taste good?
• After a few more bites, am I beginning to feel satisfied?

Try stopping about halfway through to determine if you’ve had enough.

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and founder of Skinnyandthecity.com.  She is also the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com.

Resist the behaviors that keep the pain buried

None of us want to feel pain.

 That’s why we are all very adept at finding habits and behaviors that keep our minds from focusing on it. These habits and behaviors are called because we hide behind them, and use them as barriers against sadness, anger, disappointment or painful memories.

Some shield strategies are very obvious. Some are much more subtle. Some of the most common shield strategies include:

– Overspending
– Constantly arguing with your husband, wife, or partner
– Obsessive dieting or exercise
– Sexual indiscretions or sexual addiction
– Pornography addiction
– Gambling
– Overeating
– Obsessing over romantic relationships
– Alcohol, drugs and/or cigarettes

     The common denominator of all these shield strategies is that they cover up the truth. They soothe us, and let us feel that for now, everything is OK. But once their intoxicating or anesthetizing effects have worn off, we are left with the same pain we sought to mask.

Step Three is about finally breaking that cycle. It is about telling yourself that the temporary pleasure, thrills, and boosts in self-esteem that you get from shield strategies are no longer enough for you. It is about clearing away temporary balms and short-sighted feel-good strategies so you can prepare for real growth. It is about recognizing that you are stronger than you believed, and knowing you don’t need to hide from your truths.

It might help to imagine that beyond the shield you’re holding up is a mirror. You can’t see the mirror because the shield is in the way. But the mirror is capable of reflecting who you are and where you’ve been, going all the way back to your earliest years.

Now envision that in order to start seeing in the mirror, you have to start putting down the shield. You don’t have to drop it all at once, but you have to begin to lower it, slowly.
As long as you’re holding a shield, you are living in fear. When you put the shield down, you’re starting to live the truth.

The first thing you want to do is to identify your shield. It might be very obvious, perhaps something from the list above, and it may be the reason you were motivated to visit LivingtheTruth.com in the first place.

Having trouble identifying your shield strategies? Think about anything you do repeatedly that tends to powerfully shift your focus away from yourself and what you truly value and care about. Maybe office or family gossip has you on the phone late into the night or interferes with your daily activities. Perhaps you’ve taken to obsessing about the clutter in your house as a way of forgetting about the clutter in your head. Perhaps it is yo-yo dieting or a tumultuous relationship or the cigarette in your hand (all shield strategies) that distracts you from the underlying, emotional questions you could be answering right now. And answering them would free you to live a much more powerful future.

You may want to write down a few ideas about what your shield is, and come back to the question a few times over the course of a day. Whenever you find yourself thinking about something you don’t want to do, or a challenge that you don’t want to face, make a note of what you reach for. It may be a drink or a cigarette or the controls to a video game. It might even be a behavior that seems “healthy” – like a vow to climb every peak on the eastern seaboard before age

Be sure to record your shield strategies on your MyTruth page size: Once you identify a shield strategy, it’s time to oppose it. It would be wonderful if a two-pack-a-day smoker or an alcoholic were to quit right now. But that isn’t realistic for most people. Living the truth starts with simply paying attention to your shield strategies more than before, noticing how often you use them, and beginning to resist them. If you’re too hard on yourself – I’m so heavy that I just can’t even begin to diet; I’m so heartbroken that I will never stop thinking about him; I’m so far behind in my career that I have to work day and night or I’ll never catch up – you run the risk of giving yourself reasons to stop before you begin.

Make your changes small and manageable. Even simple changes, like throwing out one type of food you tend to binge on, taking a walk instead of reading an old lover’s email again, or changing one section of your resume instead of playing another computer game, are steps in the right direction of self-discipline, self-esteem and genuine self-improvement.

Remember that it isn’t supposed to feel good when you start using anti-shield strategies. The fact that you feel anxious or depressed or irritable when you leave an obsessive relationship, or stop binging on sweets is a sign that you’re detoxing. You’re discovering the art of spending time with yourself. The more you can put down your shield, the harder it gets for your mind’s defense mechanisms to muster forces against the truth.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel and a New York Times bestselling author. His newest book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty” has launched a new self-help movement. Check out Dr. Ablow’s website at livingthetruth.com.