To lose the most amount of weight, Weight Watchers recommends eating foods that contribute to hunger satiety, the feeling of being full. Foods with high water content, complex carbohydrates and lean protein-rich foods can all help a dieter feel full while getting high-quality calories necessary for energy and health.
High-Volume Foods
Foods with high water content will increase satisfaction and satiety more quickly than dry, low-volume foods. For instance, grapes have more volume than raisins, allowing the dieter to eat more for the same amount of calories. Filling up with high-volume foods before eating other foods will decrease the likelihood of overeating the low-volume, more calorie-dense foods. Besides grapes, other foods with high water content include water-based soups, salads and fruits like watermelon, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, pears and apples. Vegetables include leafy greens, zucchini, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes. Also high-water content, of course, are water and fruit juices. Fruit juices should be consumed sparingly because of their high sugar content.
Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., Guthrie Chair of Nutrition at Pennsylvania State University, says that her research revealed that starting a meal with a 100-calorie high-volume first course, like a cup of soup or vegetable salad, helped subjects eat 100 fewer calories over the course of the whole meal.
Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates have staying power because they are broken down in the digestive tract more slowly than simple carbohydrates, thus increasing the satiety factor and decreasing the risk of overeating. Nutrient-rich, high-fiber complex carbohydrates include whole-grain bread and pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, air-popped popcorn, vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, and potatoes with the skin on (minus the butter and sour cream).
Rolls developed the Volumetrics Eating Plan, which suggests foods with low energy density (ED), meaning they have a low calorie-to-weight ratio, and says that people should get 25 to 38 g a day of high-fiber foods, which have a high satiety value and a low ED. Complex carbohydrates offer fiber, bulk and a low ED value.
Lean Protein-Rich Foods
Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientist at Weight Watchers International, says that for maximum satisfaction, you should consume some lean, protein-rich foods at each meal. She recommends lean skinless chicken breast, skim milk and nonfat or low-fat yogurt.
Other high-protein low-fat foods include a scrambled egg white omelet with spinach and mushrooms, Boca Burger's Grilled Vegetable Burger, Subway's Roast Beef Sandwich, Health Valley's Fat-Free Chili, turkey breast, fish and kidney, pinto, black, and garbanzo beans.
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