Do Fiber-filled Foods Curb Your Appetite?

You are trying out a new diet when they hit you --- the hunger pangs that just don't seem to go away. When your appetite outweighs your will to diet, you have trouble achieving the weight loss you desire. One method of curbing your appetite is by eating foods your body digests more slowly --- such as those high in fiber. By understanding what types of fiber-rich foods can help you in your weight-loss quest, you can achieve success. Consult your doctor before beginning any new diet.

Function

Eating enough fiber daily can curb your hunger in several ways, according to "Today's Dietitian," a publication for the dietitian community. Fiber increases the number of times you have to chew a food, thus promoting the secretion of saliva and gastric juices that can bind with the food to help you feel full. Fiber also helps to slow the body's hormonal response to appetite by making you feel fuller.

Sources

Dietary fiber is available in two sources , according to the Mayo Clinic: soluble and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber binds with the food you are digesting to increase stool bulk. This helps digested material to move more easily through your body. Examples of insoluble fiber include foods made from whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, vegetables and nuts. Soluble fiber binds with foods in the stomach to form a gel-like paste. This helps to slow digestion and lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Examples of soluble fiber include oats, peas, beans, citrus fruits, carrots and psyllium. Both soluble and insoluble fiber can have an effect on appetite --- consuming more of these foods may help you to reduce yours, according to "Today's Dietitian."

Expert Insight

Taking steps to control your hunger can help you to achieve weight-loss success --- particularly if it has eluded you in the past. "There is a lot of data on fiber and satiety," Dr. Joanne Slavin, a registered dietitian and professor in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota, told "Today's Dietitian." "It's not just viscous fiber that helps; insoluble fiber appears to stay in the gut for days, and a full gut tends to make you feel fuller for longer. Studies show that increasing fiber makes you feel fuller."

Research

A study conducted by Rania Abou Samra and G. Harvey Anderson and published in 2007 in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" attempted to establish a link between insoluble fiber found in breakfast cereal and appetite reduction. Test subjects were given either a high-fiber or low-fiber cereal and then asked to rate appetite before and after the meal; researchers also measured the number of calories each participant ate throughout the day. The study found that food intake was lower following the meal in those who ate high-fiber cereal than in those who did not. Those who consumed the high-fiber cereal also rated their appetite as being lower than those who consumed the low-fiber cereal.

Solution

Letting high-fiber snack foods replace chips, candy, cookies and cakes can help you to feel more full, thus reducing your appetite and need to eat unhealthy foods, according to Evelyn Tribole, a nutritionist and author of "Stealth Health," a book excerpted on the "Reader's Digest" magazine website. In place of these foods, choose high-fiber breakfast cereal, granola bars, dried fruit, carrots and celery. You also can add high-fiber foods to salads, soups and in other traditional recipes to increase your fiber intake.