These Are The 38 Most Filling Foods. The Top Slot Shocked Us.
Health conscious and hunger averse.
by The Candidly Team
Here’s the main roadblock we’ve hit anytime we’ve ever tried to lose weight. It’s not a huge reveal. But it is the truth.
It feels uniquely horrendous to be hungry.
Maybe this hunger comes from being tired. Or sluggish. Or poorly hydrated. Or having THIS hormone go haywire, which it tends to for women in midlife. But whatever it is, our animal brains and roaring stomachs are looking for food to push us through our day.
As far as we can tell, the solution really comes down to one thing.
Satiation.
We need to eat food that makes us feel fuller for longer. We know this. But did you know, there is a list of such foods? It’s actually been around for 30 years - ever since a team of Australian researchers set out to measure which commonly eaten foods would make people feel most satiated. Their findings resulted in a Satiety Index that we found fairly fascinating.
We’ll show you the full list, of course, but before we do, can you guess what was at the very top?
Boiled potatoes!
Intriguing, right? Ok, let’s get into it.
It’s no great surprise that whole foods that are high in fiber and protein keep us feeling satisfied for much longer. Less surprising, of course, is that sugary, processed things like donuts and candy rank down at the bottom.
To measure how filling each food stacked up in the satiety study, each item was compared to white bread which was given a rating of 100. We’ll give you a quick glance at the full list and then we’ll get into the top 5:
Potatoes, boiled 323%
Ling fish 225%
Porridge/Oatmeal 209%
Oranges 202%
Apples 197%
Brown pasta 188%
Beef 176%
Baked beans 168%
Grapes 162%
Whole meal bread 157%
Grain bread 154%
Popcorn 154%
Eggs 150%
Cheese 146%
White rice 138%
Lentils 133%
Brown Rice 132%
Honeysmacks 132%
All-Bran 151%
Crackers 127%
Cookies 120%
White pasta 119%
Bananas 118%
Jellybeans 118%
Cornflakes 118%
Special K 116%
French fries 116%
Sustain 112%
White bread 100%
Muesli 100%
Ice cream 96%
Crisps 91%
Yogurt 88%
Peanuts 84%
Mars candy bar 70%
Doughnuts 68%
Cake 65%
Croissant 47%
**** Table published on http://www.ernaehrungsdenkwerkstatt.de/ and adapted from S.H.A. Holt, J.C. Brand Miller, P. Petocz, and E. Farmakalidis, "A Satiety Index of Common Foods," European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 1995, pages 675-690.
Now is about the time you might be asking, “Who in their right mind found oranges were more satiating than red meat?” Or “where on any modern American menu might I find a ling fish?”
Great questions. We’ll do our best to answer now.
1. Potatoes
Did you know a medium potato has about 40% more potassium than a banana? Potassium has been associated with lower blood pressure and lower risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Potatoes also a good source of fiber and the kind of starch that keeps you feeling full and satisfied until your next meal. Not to mention it has vitamins C, B, and plenty of antioxidants.
The problem is really when we fry or stuff them silly with butter, cheese, and sour cream. Does that mean they can’t be delicious to be good for us? Absolutely not! In fact, we wrote a whole article about how to prepare them in a way that satisfies on a French fry level HERE.
Now, a Russet or white potato does have a high glycemic index (GI), meaning it can spike your blood sugar and might not be a great choice for those prone to or struggling with diabetes. Yet, sweet potatoes have a low GI and are often hailed as a superfood for their potential cancer, diabetes, heart disease, eye disease, and obesity-fighting properties. Purple potatoes can also be better for your blood sugar than white and contain secret powers for your health that we wrote all about HERE.
The point is:
2. Fish (they used ling fish in the study, but we’ll go ahead and just call it fish)
Ling fish is a kind of cod. Like lots of fish, it has plenty of protein, omega 3s, and other nutrients, but it’s also a fish rated with elevated mercury levels so should be eaten in moderation, according to California Sea Grant. That said, it seems like it just happens to be the type of fish chosen to represent the entire fish category in the Satiety Index, so it’s fairly safe to say that other fish would offer a similar level of satisfaction.
Salmon, for example, ranks among the FDA’s “Best Choices” of fish list and is packed with omega 3 fatty acids, a kind of fat we need and that makes us feel full.
For some extremely helpful advice on how often and how much of which kinds of fish we can eat, GO HERE.
3. Oatmeal
Who among us hasn’t experienced first-hand the lasting lack of hunger that comes from having a bowl of oatmeal? Oats are a complex carbohydrate, not a simple carb, meaning they contain lots of nutrients and loads of fiber, which supports digestive health and makes them less likely to spike your blood sugar. Because they take longer to digest, you also stay feeling full for longer.
It’s best to choose organic, as oats can contain a cancer-causing pesticide. You can, of course, eat them warm with a protein-packed nut butter swirled in and fiber-rich fruits scattered on the rop. Or you can just add them to some Greek yogurt with fresh berries and THIS healthy honey if you need sweetness, and store them overnight in the fridge for an easy, grabbable, satiating breakfast.
4 and 5. Oranges and Apples
We kept these two together, in part because they share certain benefits, but also we had to pounce on the opportunity to compare apples to oranges.
The main reason these two fruits rank so high in satiety is:
They are full of fiber.
They have a high water content.
High fiber foods have a bulkiness that lingers. They can also help stabilize blood sugar levels. And because both fruits have a naturally sweet taste, they can satisfy a sweet tooth without adding many calories.
The big takeaway here is probably something you already knew - fiber-rich fruits and veg, lean proteins, “good” fats, and complex carbs are all the best choices for health. But the amazing thing to remember is they’re also the most filling on a daily, long-term basis. So when we eat them, we can trust that we won’t just be healthy. We’ll also feel less hungry.
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