We know it can be tough to stick with a healthy eating plan, but fortifying yourself with nutritious, filling foods can really help control your hunger. That’s why, on the South Beach Diet, we stress eating nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods, such as vegetables (including beans and other legumes), fruits and whole grains (Phase 2), good unsaturated fats, and lean protein.
It’s also why we tell you to avoid highly processed baked goods, breads, snack foods, and other convenience foods, which have virtually no fiber and don’t fill you up. High-fiber foods, good fats, and lean protein (as well as acidic foods) all help to slow the digestion of the sugars in carbohydrates. When you include a variety of these foods in your diet, your body produces less insulin, which means fewer swings in blood sugar levels. It is these swings that are the cause of cravings and hunger in the first place. Curb your hunger with healthy foods that are filling:
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Fiber-ful
foods. The role that fiber plays in
digestion is to slow the absorption of sugar. The more fiber in a food, the
greater its effect. That's why highly processed instant oatmeal, for example,
isn’t as good for you (or for your weight loss) as the steel-cut variety. The
latter has all its fiber still intact, while most of the fiber in the instant
variety has been stripped out. Therefore, before your stomach can digest the
sugars in the steel-cut oatmeal, for example, it has to separate them from the
fiber. Once isolated, the fiber passes undigested through your system, slowing
down digestion. In other words, fiber is an obstacle to digestion, and a good
one, because it promotes satiety.
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Good
fats. It’s not just fiber that moderates
your digestive process; fat slows the speed at which your small intestine
accesses the sugars you've eaten. When you eat a piece of white bread, for
example (which we hope you will do only occasionally on Phase 3), drizzle it
with a little monounsaturated extra-virgin olive oil or pair it with some
reduced-fat cheese rather than eating the bread alone or with highly saturated
butter or full-fat cheese. Likewise, having an occasional baked potato topped with
reduced-fat sour cream on Phase 3 is better than eating the potato plain. The
calorie count might be higher with the sour cream, but the fat contained in the
sour cream will slow down the digestive process, thereby lessening the amount
of insulin that the potato prompts your body to make. Good fats also make food
taste better, helping you to feel more satisfied. Mono and polyunsaturated fats
are the best kind. Keep foods high in saturated fats to a minimum and cut out
foods containing trans fats altogether (check the ingredients list carefully
and watch out for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, which mean trans
fats).
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Lean
protein. Because protein foods are digested
slowly, they do not produce the spikes in blood sugar that stimulate hunger and
overeating. On the South Beach Diet, you can eat lean cuts of beef, lamb, and
pork; skinless white-meat chicken and turkey, skinless duck breast; game meats
like bison and venison; fish and shellfish; soy products; beans and other legumes;
eggs; nuts and seeds in moderation; and fat-free and low-fat dairy
products.
- Acidic foods. Interestingly, acidic foods, such as lemon juice, lime juice, and vinegar, also slow the digestion of carbs and the rate at which your stomach empties. You can dress salads or vegetables with them, or use them in marinades, and enjoy the additional benefit.
