We all can agree that shedding those extra kilo’s is a lot harder than gaining them. usually low calories food mostly leaves us unsatisfied and hungry. Ok maybe you can shred some of the weight but not being able to stick to a diet will result in gaining every kilo lost.
Filling food with low calories can help… you say how? let me explain we munch on extra calories for just one simple reason that is our appetite hasn’t been satisfied so to do that sometimes it is a late-night snack like chips, ice-cream or sometimes mid-day sandwich. I know how hard is to control hunger if you’re a foodie like me but what if we got rid of this extra appetite?
We can do that by eating healthy filling food with low calories that will cut your appetite as well as extra calories too. As filling food will be low in calories it won’t add up to your daily calories count and which in turn you have just burn calories that you were before fitting filling food with low calories in your diet and boom you’re losing weight and you will have that shredded body that you desired so much, it won’t matter if its bulking or cutting season.
In simple words, weight loss is all about calories that go in and out. So high fiber and protein food will help stay fuller longer because fiber takes time to digest vegetables, whole grains, and fruits are some of the examples of high fiber low-calorie food and in this list, you can count on me that these filling food with low calories will be high in fiber, and protein.
What makes you fill full?
the only way to fill your stomach and be satisfied without eating unwanted calories is by eating a diet that is high in food volume (Volume foods are foods that physically have a lot of volumes (or size) to them, but they are typically low in calories) this high volume food will stretch your stomach which in turn will make you feel full and will have fewer calories also without restricting yourself to a strict diet. For example food such as Oat, vegetables, greek yogurt, and many others.
How much calories is considered as low calorie?
Low calorie varies from person to person depending upon their age and activity levels for some it may be 1300 to 1700 calories a day and for some usual heavy eaters, low calories will be 1900 to 2100 calories. So low-calorie meal will depend upon your serving size there is no correct answer for it that I know of.
When you’re trying to go calories deficit you should the amount of calories you should be consuming too low and you will be hurting your body.
Without any further ado let’s get started with…
Filling food with low calories
- water melon
Watermelon often get avoided or people limit eating it because of the natural sugar that most fruits contains but aside from that fruit are often low in calories when compared to vegetable same is the case with watermelon over 85 percent of watermelon is made up of water. One of the reason many watermelon is loved during summer season.
You can eat a whole cup of watermelon alone and still your calorie intake won’t go above 50 calories. Watermelon will fill your stomach and in low calories. Some of the other benefits of watermelon are it will keep you hydrated, improves heart health, relieves muscle soreness, rich in vitamins A and C, etc.
So choice is yours eat something unhealthy or eat sweet and cool watermelon.
2. Potatoes
Most people avoid carbohydrates when they are trying to burn some fat. Potatoes have been accused of making you gain weight however potato isn’t bad the way that potatoes are being served is for example fries, potato chips, etc. All you have to do is change your way if you bake, boil, or grill potato it can be a filling food with low calories.
You will get starchy carbohydrates that will make your stomach feel full for good. It will be cherry on top if you eat potatoes with their skin intact because the skin contains a lot of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. A 100 grams of potato consists of 77 calories. If you can’t eat it because of the taste add a little butter.
Potatoes rank one of the most filling food in the world so it goes without saying it will decrease your food intake.
3. Oats
Oats is one of the healthy food that you can add to your diet. Oats are low in calories and high in fiber as well as protein. Oats have the ability to absorb the water that makes them even occupy more space than they can in your stomach and the fiber in them takes time to digest and that helps you stay full longer making them another filling food with low calories.
Oats are only good when they are natural oats don’t go for flavored oats as they contain added sugar which makes them high in calories. So you can bet on oats that it will reduce your hunger. Average oats eater eat 50 grams or less than that which contains around 190 calories.
4. Soup
Soup is considered to be light and simple that’s not mostly the case soups can be filling food with low calories too you just have to make sure that whatever soup you are consuming it should be full of vegetables and good protein content that will satisfy your hunger.
Aside from the nutritional content soups are mostly liquid so when consumed they will fill up space in your empty stomach and decrease your appetite as well. Don’t confuse yourself when preparing soup just make sure to use lots of vegetables it will satisfy your hunger.
Another great hack would be to eat soup before your meal that way soup will fill you and you will save yourself from extra calories.
5. Vegetables
Vegetables, I’m going to consider the whole category because there are so many vegetables that are filling food with low calories, and naming each and everyone one by one will make it boring to read for you. Some of such low calories food are cucumber, spinach, and celery. These vegetables are also high in water and low in calories.
Vegetables are always healthy because they are packed with various vitamins and minerals. There are many studies to back that up. For example, a 100 grams cucumber consists of 45 calories, spinach has 23 calories a lot less than cucumber, and beating them all celery consists of only 14 calories.
So next time before having dinner or lunch have a salad or stir-fried vegetables that way you will avoid excess eating to satisfy your hunger.
6. Berries
Another good example for filling food with low calories is berries they are naturally low in calories. There are certain berries that you can choose if you want to eat healthy carbohydrates and anti-oxidants. That’s why berries are the only carbohydrate that is allowed to be eaten when you are following a ketogenic diet.
Berries are packed with fiber so which slows down your digestion process and tends to keep you feel full for longer. So they can help you cut down on your calories when you are trying to lose weight. There are other benefits such as rich in anti-oxidants, lowers your cholesterol level, good for skin, etc.
Some berries like raspberry and blackberries have calories content of 53 and 43 per 100 grams serving.
7. Popcorn
Another good carbohydrate filling food with low calories is popcorn. Popcorn is a great choice for your evening snack as it’s very high in fiber and level and has very low energy density. Popcorn faces the same problem as potatoes they are bad for you when they are served the wrong way like popcorn is usually served with butter and butter can turn calories light popcorn into a calorie-dense food easily.
Popcorn is high in fiber will get you full and reduce appetite and that will help you lose weight. One cup of popcorn consists of 31 calories. So popcorn being a filling food with low calories will all depend upon the way of its serving like readymade popcorn have many artificial flavors and added salt and sugar which increase the number of the calories.
8. Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a good source of protein and it’s made up of casein which is a slow digestion protein it can take up to 4 to 5 hours for this protein to digest this will prolong your digestion process thus making you feel fuller. if you are looking to lose weight and cut down on your calorie intake then you should opt for zero fat percentage cottage cheese or a skim version of the cottage cheese.
As you know intake of protein is a good help when its comes to stay fuller.
9. Pistachios
In general, nuts are considered to be a portion of healthy food but they are dense in calories but pistachios are different its low in calories and low in fat. Pistachios have some fat that is good for your heart health and reduces the risk of heart diseases.
I wouldn’t say pistachios are very low in calories so you should only eat a handful or maybe half a handful of pistachios as an option to satisfy your sudden hunger.
10. Greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is another good source of protein that also aids you in weight loss. Greek yogurt is thick compared to normal yogurt. pairing it with your meal and will give you the feeling of a full stomach and help you reduce your appetite till your next meal.
A 100 grams of Greek yogurt consists of 59 calories and there are other health benefits too such as controls blood pressure, improves blood health, boosting metabolism, etc.
Conclusion
These were all the filling food with low calories that I have known off. When trying to cut calories by eating these filling food with low calories don’t go overboard and cut down extra calories that way you will ruin your health. Cutting down on calories shouldn’t mean that you have to starve yourself.
Pair this food with each other to make a good meal for example in your evening snack pair up air popcorn with a handful of nuts, you get the idea and with filling food if you need to make yourself a homemade health drink do that will be a great addition.
Try incorporating physical activities in your life to see the faster result of your weight loss journey.