We often have a tendency to snack more throughout the day when we eat foods that aren’t filling enough at meal time. However, a complete meal should be able to hold us over for several hours. Keep your body fuelled all day long by adding these hunger-fighting foods to your diet.

Fibre
Eating a lot of fibre is a great way to fight hunger. Meals and snacks that are rich in fibre fill your stomach faster, which reduces your overall calorie intake and keeps you feeling fuller for a longer period of time.

To increase your fibre intake, start by changing your plain white bread and pasta for whole wheat or whole grain versions, eating more fruits and veggies, cooking with whole wheat flour, and adding the following foods to your menu:

Fibre-rich foods:
- Sunflower seeds
- Walnuts
- Pine nuts
- Legumes
- Dried fruit
- Fresh fruits and vegetables (especially apples, apricots, pears, prunes, broccoli, corn and cabbage)
- Whole-grain cereal

Protein
Protein is well-known for its ability to cut hunger. That’s why it’s often the key element of weight-loss diets. The presence of proteins in the stomach is said to trigger your brain’s satiety signals faster.

To increase your protein intake, add a hard-boiled egg to your usual breakfast—it will easily hold you over until lunch. Make sure that each of your meals contains protein by including a small portion of meat, or tofu for vegetarians.

Protein-rich foods:
- Lean meats
- Eggs
- Lentils
- Tuna
- Tofu
- Soy beans

To complete your hunger-fighting menu
- Drink a lot of water or low-calorie drinks, such as tea and herbal tea, since the liquid will take up room in your stomach and help calm hunger.
- Add spices to your meals. Spices increase the impression of fullness and will help make you want to drink more.
- Eat foods that rate low on the Glycemic Index; they’ll calm your appetite with fewer calories. Click here to find out more about the Glycemic Index and for a list of low GI foods.