So many people these days are on one diet or another, whether they’re just trying to consume fewer calories or follow a directed regime, many people will claim they’re watching their weight. However, many people choose to do this by eating lower calorie foods, or specific snacks, that are not built to fill you up. Whether you’re watching your weight or not, you may have been noticing that your post-lunch snack isn’t really doing its job, why? Because some foods just don’t make you feel full up.
Chips and other salty snacks
You might have read the packet on your cheeky little snack, but what you don’t realize is, while there may not be an abundance of calories in them, they’re only going to make you crave more. Anything like potato chips, pretzels, corn chips and so on get digested far quicker than other foods you could be having. These snacks also contain a large amount of sodium, which makes your body feel thirsty. However, many people mistake thirst for hunger, which is what spurs on the crave to reach for another packet. These are not snacks to eat if you want to feel satisfied and full for a reasonable period of time.
Salad
Salads are fantastic, they’re the cream of the crop when it comes to dieting. However, not many people add the right ingredients to a salad to make it more satisfying. If your plate is mostly leafy greens and your body isn’t used to it, then you’ll be reaching for the potato chips in no time. To make the salad more filling, you need to add some slow-burning carbs such as brown rice, grains, and beans along with some protein such as chicken or fish. Without these components, your body will be craving more sustenance, giving you that irritating hunger pang you would rather avoid.
Sugary snacks
If you love sugary snacks, then we have some bad news, although you could have probably hazarded a guess. Sugary foods don’t do their job to keep your hunger pangs at bay; instead, they give you a spike of energy that eventually crashes. When this happens, your body will crave more, making you want to have another sugary treat. One culprit for this is fresh fruit juices, while they are great in moderation, they can leave you wanting to consume more as a result of the high sugar intake.
Pizza
Pizza is a tough one since you can pretty much put anything as a topping and get away with it. However, most people enjoy a good cheese or meat topping pizza for their takeaway night, but, while you might have stuffed yourself silly, that feeling isn’t sustainable. Takeaway pizzas have a massive calorie count, but they don’t have the right ingredients. While these are delightful from time to time, they are high in fat, calories, and energy, and they are low in fiber and good protein.
Crackers
Some people love to nibble a good cracker, it doesn’t feel like you’re taking in many calories and they tide you over until your next meal, right? Well, it doesn’t matter how healthy your cracker is, they get digested super quickly, meaning you’re going to want to pick another one up within moments. Why not use crackers for what they were designed for and put a good, healthy topping on them. Anything from hummus to avocado will do the trick.
Whether or not you’re watching what you eat, it’s good to know how foods affect your body, it will help you manage your lifestyle far more efficiently.
