Unhealthy snacks are a known pitfall in nutrition. Even if your main meals are nutritious and wholesome, a bag of potato chips or chocolate chip cookies can ruin all your attempts at a healthy diet. So, what can you do? Surely, listening to your stomach growl between meals won’t do. Our solution is fruit, and specifically, the most filling kind.
Here we share the most filling fruit varieties and ways to make them even more satiating. The key to fruit being filling is the balance of water and fiber, as it helps fill up the stomach and slow down digestion, thereby reducing your appetite. It’s also a great idea to combine fruits with protein and fat to render them more filling. But don’t worry, we’ll link several balanced recipes with these fruits as examples.
Let’s start with a sweet treat with many health benefits. Dates are on the higher side in terms of calories and natural sugars, but they are also packed with fiber. A single date contains 2 grams of fiber and 0.5 g of protein too, so eating 1-2 dates a day is certainly a healthy choice. Thanks to all the fiber and protein, the sugar present in dates will guarantee a feeling of satiety while also preventing the sugar from being digested too quickly.
Dates are a great sugar substitute in smoothies and desserts. Dates are also an excellent snack, especially if combined with a handful of nuts, nut butter, or even cheese. Here’s a delicious snack that unites several of these ingredients - Dates Stuffed with Walnuts and Cream Cheese.
Not a fan of sweet snacks? Then check out this list of filling vegetables - These Vegetables Will Keep You Full for Hours!
At first, oranges may not strike you as a particularly filling fruit. But as long as you eat whole oranges and not just orange juice, you’ll realize they are surprisingly nourishing. Oranges contain polysaccharides, such as pectin, cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose. These compounds form a gel-like substance called viscous fiber. This is a type of soluble fiber that feeds gut bacteria, gives you a feeling of satiety, and helps the body break down food more gradually, decreasing one’s risk of hypertension, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar.
Apart from containing fiber, oranges are hydrating, which helps you get full faster. So, enjoy an orange at any time of the day, you can’t go wrong with it.
The pear is the unsung hero in the world of fruit. Just one average pear contains more than 4 grams of fiber. More than half of this fiber is viscous fiber. "The high water content in the fruit, in conjunction with viscous fiber, allows for a larger volume of space taken up in the stomach, resulting in improved satiety," explains Maya Feller, a registered dietitian for Eating Well.
For an even more filling snack, we recommend combining pears with nuts. This delectable recipe pairs this fruit with spices and a cashew cream filling, check it out here - Poached Pomegranate Spiced Pears.
There’s a reason why a banana dipped in peanut butter seems to be everyone’s favorite pre-workout snack. A 2012 study found that a banana is just as effective at energizing athletes as a sports drink. Not to mention that bananas also come with extra nutritional benefits. For one, the potassium present in bananas reduces water retention and bloating while also reducing post-workout muscle soreness.
Nutritionists recommend going for underripe bananas. “Rich in fiber, slightly green bananas contain a source of resistant starch which is slower digested, promoting fullness,” stated Erin Palinski-Wade, a registered dietitian and author to The Healthy. As the name suggests, resistant starch cannot be digested, so it fills your stomach without costing you any calories. And bananas contain upwards of 3 grams of fiber per fruit.
The age-old saying about apples keeping the doctor away has some truth to it. Apples are a staple for good reason. They’re easy, accessible, filling, and nutritious. An average apple contains around 5 grams of fiber, most of which is a type of soluble fiber called pectin. This nutrient is known for satisfying the feeling of hunger, lowering cholesterol, and normalizing blood glucose levels.
Best of all, an apple is one of the most versatile fruits out there. Feeling lazy? Eat an apple. Searching for inspiration for a healthy breakfast or snack? Prepare Baked Apples or make these filling Apple Pie Overnight Oats. Craving dessert? This quick and easy Apple Crisp is to die for!
These bite-sized fruits will never make you gain weight, even if you eat a whole bowl of them late at night. Most berries are low in calories, but “high in phytochemicals and antioxidants, which prevent inflammation at the cellular level,” Lucy Lengfelder, a clinical dietician said to The Healthy. Many berries contain antioxidants called polyphenols, as well as a mix of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
1 cup of various fresh berries contains:
- Raspberries - 8 grams of fiber and 5 g of sugar
- Blackberries - 8 g of fiber and 6 g of sugar
- Strawberries - 4 g of fiber and 7 g of sugar
- Blueberries - 4 g of fiber and 15 g of sugar
- Cranberries - 3.6 g of fiber and 4 g of sugar.
Enjoy berries plain, add them to plain Greek yogurt or cooked oatmeal, or whizz them up into a delicious smoothie. Check out these berry smoothie recipes:
Are you a fan of tropical fruit? Then you’ll surely be happy to learn that pineapples are a filling tropical fruit variety. The pulp of the pineapple is an adequate source of fiber - 2.4 g per 100 g of pineapple - which will help fill you up. Pineapples also have an enzyme called bromelain that has potent anti-inflammatory properties.
But you don’t have to eat pineapples alone. These fruits can be enjoyed in both sweet and savory dishes. This Hot Pepper and Pineapple Chicken is my personal favorite, but you’ll surely enjoy this Pineapple Chicken Salad Sandwich and Pineapple Dessert as well.
Surprised to see watermelon on this list? We don’t blame you, as it’s famously mostly water… over 94 percent, to be precise. And it’s exactly all this fluid that promotes fullness without extra calories.
In addition, watermelon is a great source of vitamins, potassium, and lycopene (a powerful antioxidant). Together, this cocktail of natural goodness will promote healthy digestion and prevent fluid retention, heart disease, and some forms of cancer. Watermelon doesn’t have much fiber, but you can safely eat a ton of watermelon, surely enough to fill you up.
Cherries are another bite-sized snack with surprising health benefits. A mere 12 cherries will provide you with 2 grams of fiber and just 87 calories. These sweet and tart fruits are an easy and filling replacement for less healthy snacks like chips or pretzels.
Cherries are also a great source of potassium, with just 1 cup of cherries having the same amount of potassium as a small banana. Surely, we don’t have to explain how to enjoy a bowl of fresh cherries, but let’s share these two delectable desserts with you: Divine Cherry Clafoutis and Cherry Pie.
H/T: The Healthy, Eating Well, Eatthis.com
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