James O'Byrne

How to Slow Hunger and Lose Your Gut

by James O'Byrne, Supplement Science Editor

Why do some foods seem to keep me fuller for longer periods of time than others? Just as an example, my favorite MRP doesn't seem to keep me full for more than an hour or so, which leaves me wanting to eat all the time. Can you tell me the best foods to eat to make sure I can go at least two or three hours before I feel hungry and want to eat again?

You might be interested to know that this question is, in fact, being asked more and more since the introduction of meal-replacement products and people started following diets such as Atkins, South Beach, and other carbohydrate-restrictive plans.

Let's get the meal-replacement (MRP) question out of the way first. When it comes to replacing meals, you have to learn how to eat smart, and if this is with a meal replacement, then you better choose one with a good, healthy nutritional profile.

Unfortunately, many of the meal-replacement powders available today are designed for performance and do not necessarily constitute a true replacement for a meal. If you look closely at the labels of many of today's more popular meal replacements, you'll likely find they contain outdated formulas and are often nothing more than some form of protein (such as whey, casein, or milk, or some "proprietary" combination of them) and a cheap, insulin-spiking carbohydrate source, like maltodextrin (which is simply ground up corn).

Many of these products also lack essential nutrients, such as essential fats, fiber, and certain enzymes that are necessary for digestion and maintaining a feeling of fullness.

The benefits of an MRP are that it should be just that—a healthy, convenient, nutritious replacement for a meal. Not just a milkshake with protein. It appears, however, that choice is hard to find. And a limited number of companies really even address the problem of replacing the missed meal. Instead, they're concentrating more on adding performance-enhancing nutrients (like glutamine) or seeking a convenient delivery system (like the ready-to-drinks) at the cost of quality.

See, ready-to-drinks are even more limited in their nutrient profile. Although incredibly convenient, would you really consider them a meal? Not hardly: they're basically water, sugar, and protein. That's it. What's more, as I mentioned earlier, many meal replacements contain high amounts of maltodextrin, which as you may know, is high on the glycemic index chart. That means you are going to have a faster insulin response to this product. This may be great for pre- or post-exercise, but for your daily meal replacement, it completely misses the mark as far as I'm concerned and will likely make it harder to take weight off.

Now, a very important point you touched on is feeling fuller for longer. This is something called satiation. Satiation is an important factor for people who are trying to lose or maintain their bodyfat levels, and feeling fuller longer has a lot to do with the nutrients you are eating.

Recently, Australian researcher Dr. Susanne Holt at the University of Sydney developed the "Satiety Index" for people who are looking to feel fuller for longer. The satiety index (SI) is a relatively new concept that measures how full or satiated people feel after consuming a given calorie load from a variety of foods. It is was measured by asking people to rate how satiated they were after a meal as well as by how much food they ate two hours after consuming the test food.

Thus, a high SI food leaves people more satisfied after eating a set amount of calories, and they also eat less two hours later when given something else to eat, presumably because they are still less hungry. Basically, if you eat smart, according to the SI recommendations, you can feel satiated and not have to fight off the urge to snack between meals in an effort to either increase your energy levels or just eliminate the hunger pangs.

Using white bread as the baseline of 100, 38 different foods were given to the student subjects. Foods scoring higher than 100 were judged to be more satisfying than white bread, while those under 100 were recorded as less satisfying. Foods that have a higher satiety index keep hunger down longer and would be better choices for those who want to lose weight.

The good news is that you don't have to give up carbohydrates to comply with the satiety index. In fact, potatoes are high on the SI list. Previously, you might have been avoiding potatoes because they're high on the glycemic index (GI). However, it's clear that not all high GI foods lead to obesity or overeating, contrary to the claims of some popular diet "experts."

Another food sometimes avoided due to their high GI were fruits, which in fact rated 1.7 times higher than the white bread on the SI. Other high ranking foods were whole-meal bread and brown rice. For people who like to visit the cinema, popcorn was also high in the rankings of foods that keep you fuller for longer. Another item high on the list was oatmeal. So if you want to feel full for an extended period over an hour, keep away from the maltodextrin and sugars in your MRP's and look for rice or, better yet, oat-based carbohydrates, along with essential fats and fiber. This combination is sure to slow digestion and help you feel full for longer. And, it's much healthier for you too!

THE MAY 1996 ISSUE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY WELLNESS LETTER SUGGESTED THESE GUIDELINES FROM THE SI:

• POTATOES GAVE THE HIGHEST SATISFACTION, SEVEN TIMES HIGHER THAN THE LEAST-FILLING CROISSANTS.
• WHOLE-GRAIN BREADS ARE 50% MORE FILLING THAN WHITE BREADS.
• CAKES, DONUTS, AND COOKIES ARE AMONG THE LEAST FILLING.
• FOR FRUITS, ORANGES AND APPLES OUTSCORE BANANAS.
• FISH IS MORE SATISFYING, PER CALORIE, THAN LEAN BEEF OR CHICKEN.
• POPCORN IS TWICE AS FILLING AS A CANDY BAR OR PEANUTS.

Some of the foods at the lower end of the scale were cake, croissants, and ice cream. I'm sure that's not a big surprise. Even though these are "easy" snacks to fill a gap, they only lead to being hungry again very quickly. So by choosing the right foods, according the SI, you will not have the need to go and eat again in a small space of time—arguably one of the quickest ways to pile on the pounds.

This also goes against many of modern diet concepts by showing high-fat foods (like ice cream) can create instant hunger. Instead, this study shows you can eat carbohydrates: just make sure you choose the right ones, which are going to make you feel full and not crave more food an hour later. Yes, you can eat smart and enjoy a variety of foods, including carbohydrates, and still lose or maintain bodyfat because you are not overeating or consuming excess calories. I am sure we will see a best-selling book on this worthy subject very soon. Mark my words.

• Back to Issue 32 Table of Contents

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