5 tips to eat less and stay full longer

Choose foods high in fiber or low in calories, eat slowly and chew thoroughly to help you feel full longer and reduce cravings.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Head of the Gastroenterology Department, 108 Central Military Hospital, one of the causes of obesity is uncontrolled eating every day. Many people eat a lot at each meal but get hungry quickly, and when hungry, they continue eating. This process repeats itself, leading to obesity.

The following 5 tips will help you eat less and feel full longer, according to Associate Professor Tuan.

Choose low energy density foods

Energy density is the number of calories per unit weight of food. Usually, foods rich in water, fiber and protein contain little fat. Sweets, fast food, fried foods... have high sugar and fat content so the energy density is also high.

Therefore, eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meat, fish, milk, beans... to have enough energy for the body without worrying about gaining weight.

Eat large amounts of food

For example, with the same energy level of 100 kcal, we have two choices: a small piece of cake and 7-8 pieces of potato chips or a glass of milk and a large plate of vegetables.

The second food group takes up more space in the stomach but has less fat and sugar. This helps you limit your ability to gain weight while still feeling full.

Eat more fiber

According to nutritionists, fiber helps prevent the possibility of cancer and is good for health. Fiber is not easily digested and has the ability to be absorbed into the body, so after eating it often stays in the digestive tract for a long time, absorbs water and expands 15-25 times. From there, the eater feels full longer.

Foods rich in fiber include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, soybeans, mushrooms, algae... The recommended amount of fiber to consume each day is about 30g, equivalent to 200g of cereals, 500g of green vegetables, 250g of fruit and a handful of soybeans. People with digestive diseases should cook before eating.

Eat slowly, chew thoroughly

Blood sugar levels usually rise significantly within 15 minutes of starting to eat and are likely to peak within 30 minutes. At this point, the brain begins to send signals of fullness to the intestines and stomach, causing the feeling of hunger to quickly disappear. Therefore, eating too quickly means eating too much food before the signal is emitted, affecting the control of the amount of food taken into the body.

The reasonable time to complete a meal is 20-30 minutes. It is recommended that a normal person chew rice 20 times until it is completely soft before swallowing.

Choose foods that are difficult to digest.

The faster the food is digested in the digestive tract, the shorter the time it stays in the digestive tract. When the digestive tract is empty, hunger will return.

Foods rich in sugar and starch are digested and absorbed the fastest. Therefore, limit foods such as bread, rice, noodles, vermicelli, pho, cakes, etc. If using refined white rice or noodles, combine them with whole grains to slow down the absorption process.

In addition, you should choose foods rich in protein and protein such as soybeans, lean meat, fish, shrimp, milk to increase the feeling of fullness longer. Protein-rich products have high calorie content but will consume 30-40% during the process of digestion and absorption of food.

In fact, foods that help you feel full also provide high nutritional value to the body. Dividing these foods into small meals will help you eat more deliciously while still controlling your weight.

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