Quick Take
Switched to a plant-based diet but feel like you’re starving all the time? We could go on and on about the benefits of a plant-based diet (OKfine, we HAVE gone on and onabout it before), but we hear from many plant-based beginners struggling with hunger. Is it because a plant-based diet can't fill you up? Heck to the no!
You don't need meat to feel satiated, trust us. Chances are,you just need to look at the types of plant-based foods you're eating and make a few tweaks. Here are8 pro tips for staying satiated (and happy) on a plant-based diet.
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On this page
Eat whole foods (skip processed foods)
Go easy on the salt
Cook without oil
Fill up on fiber
Drink a lot of water
Eat lots of greens
Meal plan
Are you actually hungry?
Get your hormones in check
Key takeaways
8tips for staying satiated on a plant-based diet
1. Eat whole foods (and skipprocessedsnacks)
Not all plant-based diet foods are created equally,nutritionally speaking. Focus on whole plant-based foods. What is a whole food? Wholeplant foodsarethose that are as close to their state in nature.They areconsumed unprocessed and unrefined — or very minimally processed and refined as little as possible.
Think: whole fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.
Wondering if you're eating too much vegan junk (which can lead to hunger quickly thereafter)? Take this quiz.
Wantto eat more whole plant foods, but need help getting started? Order theMamaSezz Get Me Started Bundle.
2. Go easy on the salt
Did you know eating toomuch salt can actuallycause us to overeat?Unless you've beenadvised to do so by your medical team, you don't need to cut out salt completely, but Americans eat way, way, way too much of it, which can lead to high blood pressure.
The good news is you can still enjoy your food with less salt with these 5 tips for reducing your sodium intake and seasoning your food without salt.
3. Cook without oil
image fromHelloNutritarian.com
Cutting oil can not only lead to healthy weight loss, but can help you fill up on more nutrient-dense foods instead. Oil is technically a processed food and has been stripped of its fiber. It's high in calories and fat, and low in nutrients and it doesn't take up much space in our stomaches, which can lead us to over consume calories without realizing it.
Get up to speed on how to cook without oil here.
4.Fill up on fiber
Are you eating enough fiber? While we often worry about getting enough protein, 97% of Americans are actually fiber-deficient.
Remember those whole foods we talked about earlier? Eating more of those will for sure up your fiber intake. (By the way fiberis only naturallyfoundin plant foods.)
Why will high fiber foods help keep you satiated?They take longer to digest than refined foods which have been stripped of their fiber. This means you feel full longer (it's also great for your blood sugar and digestion).
5. Drink a lot of water
At least 8 8-oz glasses of water a day! Are you hungry or are you thirsty? Sometimes they can feel the same. A good rule of thumb: Drink two glasses of water and wait a few minutes to see if you're still hungry.
6. Meal plan
Planning out your meals is a great way to ensure you're not only getting enough food, but that you're getting enough of the good stuff (high fiber, whole foods!) that will keep you full and happy. It's also a good strategy to avoideating junk/whatever's around, which can leave you feeling lesssatiated the end.
Here's an easy meal plan for plant-based beginners.
Don't want to cook? Our MamaSezz Get Me Started bundle is ideal for plant-based beginners. It comes with hearty plant-based meals toheat and eat, plusa suggested meal plan. Order your MamaSezz Get Me Started Bundle now.
7.Are you actually hungry?
Next time you find yourself in the kitchen hankering for a snack, ask yourself, am I hungry or just bored?
Not sure? Here's a goodwayto find the answer: does an apple sound good?
If an apple does NOT sound good right now, you're not really hungry. If an apple sounds great,honor that hunger cue and enjoy that delicious, crisp, nutrient-packed apple!
If snacking mindlessly when you're not actually hungry is a problem for you, no worries — try one of these tips for keeping mindless snacking at bay.
8. Get your hormones in check
If you're doing all the above and still find that you're always hungry (and even struggling to lose weight because of it), it may be hormonal. Specifically, you could be leptin resistant.
Leptin is ahormonethat tells your brain whether you have enough fat stored to maintain your energy.When all is working well, leptinkeeps you from starving or overeating. But if you're struggling with leptin resistance, your brain may not be getting the signal that you've had enough. Here'smore info on how hormones could be affecting your eating habits (and what to do about it).
Key takeaways
A plant-based diet can help you prevent and reverse chronic disease, lose weight, sleep better, live longer. But all of that doesn't mean much if you're hangry all the time! Struggling to feel satiated on a plant-based diet? These 8 tips will keep you full and happy:.
- Eat more whole foods andfewer processed ones.
- Ditch the salt.
- Cook without oil.
- Eat lots of fiber.
- Drink a lot of water.
- Plan your meals(Don't want to cook? Get plant-based meals and suggested meal plans delivered with the MamaSezz Get Me Started meal bundle.)
- Make sure you're actually hungry before you snack.
- Get your hormones in check.
By Ali Brown
Ali is a mom, wife, and nutrition and lifestyle writer and editor. She has her Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.
