What Is a Balanced Diet?

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Here are some more tips to help you get in touch with real hunger:

  • Exercise portion control. The old expression “your eyes are bigger than your stomach” may be sage advice. Researchers have found that the more food you’re served, the more you’re likely to eat. The theory is that the environmental cues of portion size override the body’s cues of satisfaction.
  • Eat foods that are bulked up with water or air, which gives them more volume and makes them more satisfying. Increasing the bulk in your meals helps fill your belly, signals satiety to your brain, and allows you to feel full on fewer calories. Broth-based soups, stews, hot cereals, and cooked grains are good examples of foods that go the distance.
  • Fiber can help satisfy hunger and reduce appetite. Choose high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, popcorn, and whole grains. Starting a meal with a large salad can help you eat fewer calories during the meal because of the fiber and water content of greens and vegetables. Also, keep in mind that fresh fruits have more fiber and water than dried ones.
  • Avoid the buffet line. When there are lots of choices, most people eat more. Keep it simple, limit the number of courses, and fill up on high-fiber foods first.
  • Include lean protein in your meals and snacks to help them last longer in your stomach. A handful of nuts, some low-fat dairy, soy protein, or lean meat, fish, or chicken will tide you over for hours.

Here are some foods that can help keep you full longer:

  1. Soup. Start with a broth-based soup (rather than higher-calorie cream soups). Add your favorite cut-up veggies, plus a protein such as beans, chicken, or fish, so you have all the elements of an energy-dense, satisfying meal.
  2. Smoothies. If they’re made with low-fat yogurt and loads of fruit and vegetables, you’re getting protein, fiber, and calcium. Smoothies have become a nutritional mainstay.
  3. Pasta primavera. Start with whole wheat pasta, and then, add a bunch of your favorite sautéed veggies. The more you increase the proportion of vegetables to pasta, the greater the satiety. Studies show that the more veggies you add, the fuller you’ll feel.
  4. Popcorn. It’s truly energy dense, plus there’s the volume effect. If you have air-popped popcorn (and don’t add fat to it), you get a huge amount. Experts say that’s a good thing because it gives you lots of sensory satisfaction. There’s research showing that the perception of eating a whole lot can trick the system to feel full.
  5. Big salads. A meal-sized salad needs with a protein like grated cheddar cheese, tofu , beans, or nuts, with a low-fat dressing.
Also, studies show that fish provides more satiety than chicken or beef. The type of protein in fish is what makes the difference. Veggies, such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes (with the skin), a handful of carrots, and whole-grain breakfast cereals or bread, are also satisfying.

Tomatoes are water-intensive, so they are high on the satisfaction scale. For a snack, combine a sliced tomato and a few pretzels—plus a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or olive oil on the tomato. It will have far more staying power than pretzels alone.

But beware of peanut butter—although it definitely helps keep hunger pains under control, there’s the big risk of eating too much. Just a light smear on a bagel or apple is all you need. Diving spoon-first into the jar is a no-no.

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