No one likes to feel hungry.  The best way to stay full is to either eat foods with a  ton of fiber, or a little fat!  A healthy diet needs both.

Fiber.  High fiber low calorie foods cleanse our digestive track and keep everything moving smoothly so toxins don’t have a chance to accumulate and be absorbed.   High fiber diets have been shown to aid in losing excess body fat and lowering blood pressure. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain breads, beans and legumes are all great choices.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are the lowest caorie foods.   The National Cancer  Institute recommends 20-35 grams of fiber daily.  Nutrient dense low calorie foods don’t have to be boring!  Eskiel Bread is my staple.  I love it!  My favorite lunch is celery, sugar snap peas and carrots with 1/2 cup hummus.  Trader Joe’s tahini- free Hummus is my favorite.  Not to high in fat and extra lemony!

Fats. My choice of fats is extra-virgin olive oil.   I love to make a dressing of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic and sea salt. I make a big batch of it and keep it handy.  I drizzle  it on salads and vegetables.  I will even  marinate fish in it.  I also enjoy butter,  cheese, yogurt and eggs.  I just don’t over do it.   Trans fats are the bad ones.  Anything partially hydrogenated I stay far away from.  It’s even in ketchup – so be careful!  Fats are essential for keeping your hormones balanced and also work as an appetite suppressant – keeping you full longer.

Food combining principles based on the body ecology diet say not to eat carbs with fats because  you will gain weight.   As you are aware, fats aren’t exactly the lowest calorie food.  They also say you can eat as much protein and good fat as you like as long as you don’t mix with carbs.    Whether you believe in food combining or not, experience tells me when I do mix carbs and fat,  I tend to gain weight easier.  So just to be safe,  no matter if I food combine or not, I always like to stay under about 1300 calories a day.  That’s about 25 points a day if you do Weight Watchers.  I’ll give myself an extra 200 calories if I work out that day.

I have found that the best way to lose weight is to remain under a certain amount of calories (or points) and eat the best food possible.  We need fats, but not too much.  A tablespoon of oil in our dressing, 1/2 cup of hummus with our fresh vegetables, salmon – all are excellent fats.  I have comprised a filling, low-calorie food  guide of some of my favorite healthy foods for you to enjoy.

Stay away from processed foods.  Most “low-fat” foods that come out of a box or a bag are refined carbohydrates and will pack on the pounds.  I eat filling low calorie foods to keep trim.  When I reach for a pre-packaged “diet” food, although it may be low-calorie, I am hungry very soon after.  It’s then sooo much harder to stay within my calorie goal of the day.