If you feel like you are always hungry, choosing foods that help you feel full for longer might help. While it’s common to crave sugary foods, those are not likely to keep you full for long. To combat hunger, look for foods that provide protein and fiber. Both reduce hunger and increase meal satisfaction.
Eat Lean Proteins
When you’re hungry between meals, it’s often because you’re not getting enough protein. Adding protein to each meal will help you combat hunger later in the day. Eating higher protein, less calorie-dense foods instead of higher fat foods will keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer and reduces the desire to eat more later in the day.
Protein also takes longer to digest since your body has to work harder to break it down. Always keep some protein-packed snacks nearby—bonus points if they’re also shelf-stable so you can keep them.
- Fish is an excellent source of protein (and healthy fats). StarKist makes ready-to-eat pouches that are pre-seasoned and perfectly portioned. Tuna or salmon from a can or pouch is easy to toss on a salad, sandwich, or dish of whole-grain pasta.
- Chicken breast, lean ground turkey, and lean ground beef can serve as the base for dozens of different meals. Cook up several batches without seasoning early in the week and your lunches and dinners for the week are halfway done.
- Greek yogurt also makes an excellent high-protein snack.
- Eggs can be boiled up ahead of time for a quick snack. Or mix them up into an omelet with veggies for a healthy, filling start to your day.
Eat High-Fiber Foods
Fiber is an indigestible component of plant foods and helps add bulk to your meals, filling you up and slowing down digestion for lasting feelings of fullness. Fiber is satiating, and known to help with weight loss.
- Berries are a terrific natural source of fiber. You can eat around 1 cup of raspberries or blackberries for about 64 calories, and that serving provides 8 grams of dietary fiber. Top fat-free Greek yogurt with berries for a mini-meal that’s loaded with both protein and fiber.
- Avocados are known to be a good source of healthy polyunsaturated fats, but they’re also high in fiber, containing 5 grams per half fruit. Avocados also contain pantothenic acid, folate, vitamin K, and copper.
- Broccoli is high in fiber at 2.4 grams per cup. With only 6 grams of carbohydrates, a third of broccoli’s carbs come from filling fiber.
- Chickpeas or garbanzo beans contain 6 grams of fiber in a cup (cooked). They are also a good source of filling protein, as well as iron, potassium, and magnesium. Try them in hummus, salads, or soups.
Bonus Filler-Upper: Water
One possible culprit for that nagging feeling of hunger is actually thirst. It’s easy to confuse thirst with hunger, so make sure you stay hydrated all day long. Steadily sip on that water bottle and you may find that your munchies go away.
Eat Complex Carbs
Adding foods with fiber and protein and avoiding those, such as refined grains, that have been stripped of their fiber but are high in simple carbohydrates (and sugars) will help you feel full. While quick-energy, starchy foods may be what you crave when feeling very hungry, they will not satisfy you for long.
A great option for filling up is to round out meals with low-calorie, high-volume veggies like spaghetti squash. High-volume foods take up more room in your stomach, which makes them satiating.
Foods that contain complex carbohydrates—like whole grains, beans, and green vegetables—are slow burners that give your body the sustaining energy it needs. Many of the foods already mentioned, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains, offer complex carbs along with protein and fiber.
- Old-fashioned oats are a favorite source of whole grains. You can even make oatmeal while you sleep.
- Sweet potatoes are a naturally sweet and delicious source of complex carbs with 26 grams per medium 130-gram potato. They are also high in vitamin A and potassium.
- Whole-grain crackers, pasta, and bread are convenient sources of complex carbohydrates that offer more nutrition than their white, refined counterparts.
The best foods to eat if you are always hungry have more than one filling nutrient, such as legumes which contain healthy carbs, fiber, and protein. Another strategy is to eat high protein and fiber foods in combination, such as yogurt with berries and nuts.
