Today's Food Tip: Ideas to help you feel full & satisfied!

Question: What are some ideas to help me feel full and satisfied? 

No one should feel super hungry all the time whether you are trying to lose weight or even just maintain a healthy weight.  Here are a few tips to help you feel "fully" satisfied...

Eat foods packed with protein and fiber. Both nutrients are known to increase satiety (that feeling of fullness). Try to get a good amount of lean protein and naturally occurring fiber in each meal. For breakfast, think egg-based dishes with veggies, protein pancakes and oatmeal bowls with berries. For lunch and dinner, go for a combo of protein (lean meat, chicken, lean fish, or shrimp) with veggies (sauteed, steamed, as a salad...etc.). When it comes to carbs, stick to high-fiber picks like brown rice, bulgur wheat, sweet potatoes & and whole-wheat pasta.  The most important thing with the carbs? Watch your portions!

Steer clear of trigger foods. Trigger foods are the things you can't seem to stop eating once you start -- and they often leave you feeling hungrier than you felt before you started eating! You can manage your portions by weighing them or counting out the serving size, and you can often find better-for-you versions of your favorites to keep the calories in check. If it's still hard to stop snacking on that special treat, save it for your "free day" and then enjoy it guilt-free! I use a kitchen scale frequently to measure out portions when cooking or eating...my kids even like to use it.  That way they don't overeat a treat snack, and often times after weighing the serving size on that box of crackers, it's more than they thought it was going to be.

Slow it down. Studies show there's a correlation between eating quickly and being overweight. Scarfing down food can be satisfying in the short term, but it's better to give your brain time to catch up with your stomach. So drink some water between bites, and chat with your dinner mates. Give your body a chance to digest and register how full you're feeling.

One last hard & fast rule...Don't graze!!!  Serve a plate.  If you are just snacking out of the bag, box or fridge, it is next to impossible to know how much you have eaten, especially if you are chatting with a friend or watching tv.  And although there are times when you need to eat while working on the computer or on a project, always serve a plate to avoid that mindless eating trap.

Keep those questions coming!  I always have a tip to post, but really like answering your specific questions as well.