Are you looking to eat more food but to consume fewer calories? Are you tired of starving yourself in the name of weight loss, but you keep running out of calories by lunchtime? If you cannot stand walking around being hungry, you’re not alone.  The good news is that there are plenty of foods that are very filling and that will not add to any guilt.

What you eat and how much you eat will have a big effect on how quickly you take off pounds, and more importantly, how long you keep those pounds off. There are certain foods that you really should be eating on a regular basis, for lots of good, healthy reasons. They come from all food categories, but every one of them has one thing in common: they pack a lot of nutritional punch into their calories.

10 Most Filling Low-calorie Foods

Let’s now go over the top 5 foods that are low-calorie but will keep you feeling full for a while.

1. Oats

The best way to start your morning is by eating a bowl of oatmeal. It is not only low calorie, but full of fiber, and that is why it is very filling. One half of a cup of dry oatmeal is only 150 calories which is very low but has over 5 grams of protein and has almost 4 grams of fiber which is why it helps fill you up. It is better to get organic oatmeal and add stevia to it to sweeten it, not prepackaged instant oatmeal as it contains a lot of sugar and it is processed.

2. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is highly filling and is low calorie as 2/3 of a cup is about 130 calories. However, it contains about 11 grams of protein. This is why Greek yogurt is recommended to those who are looking to shed some pounds. It is light, filling, and tastes quite good. A great breakfast would be a small amount of Greek Yogurt in oatmeal topped with a few berries. Light and filling!

3. Eggs

Eggs used to get a bad rap because it was believed to be high in cholesterol but the fact of the matter is that eggs are so good for you. A large egg has only 72 calories as well as 6 grams of fiber, and so many essential nutrients. Eggs can help reduce those hunger pangs so you don’t end up having to walk around hungry which is the worst feeling in the world, and they are quite delicious!

4. Potatoes

Potatoes have been believed to be thumbs down food but the fact of the matter is that they have plenty of important nutrients and they don’t deserve the bad rap that they get. One medium potato that is baked is only 160 calories alone which include the skin of the potato. It has protein as well as fiber, and it all depends on how the potato is prepared. Fried, yes that is where the issue is. Boiled or baked, it is fine.

5. Popcorn

Popcorn by itself without any butter is so low calorie and so filling it is really the best food to eat for a snack. One cup of air-popped popcorn is only 30 calories. It has so much fiber – which is why this is one of the best snacks to eat if you are working on shedding a few pounds. It is also full of great nutrients.

The next time you are looking to enjoy a guilt-free snack or breakfast, just go back to this list of filling low-calorie foods!

6. Whole-grain Bread

If you’ve been paying attention, you know that carbs are the current diet buster. If you just stay away from all carbs, some of the diets proclaim, you’ll lose weight no matter what else you eat. That’s not only wrong, but it’s also downright dangerous for both your health and your diet. There’s a reason that the Bible refers to bread as ‘the staff of life’.

Pro Tip: Instead of cutting out carbs, nutritionists recommend that you should be aiming to reduce them to a healthy portion of your diet – which most doctors agree is about 50-60% of your caloric intake. That means that if you’re on a 1500 calorie a day diet, you should be striving to get about 900 calories a day from grains, fruits and vegetables. Whole-grain breads pack a lot of nutritional value. Replace your two slices of white toast with 1/2 a cup of oatmeal or whole-grain cereal, and for about the same number of calories, you’ll be getting three times the vitamins, amino acids and roughage that your body needs to function. You’ll feel full longer, too – because you’ve given your body something to work on that will take a while to digest.

7. Fish

Eat at least three servings of fish per week, say many major medical associations. Fish is low in fat, as high in protein as red meat, and provides something that most other proteins don’t – omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 is one of the main building blocks in your cells. If your body doesn’t get enough Omega 3, it will try to build cells from other fatty acids. The problem is that those cells are not as flexible, and not quite the right shape. Among the cells that aren’t quite right are the ones in your brain that help control impulses and tell your body what it needs. By providing enough Omega 3 for your body to use, you’ll be healing the damage done through years of poor diet. And since fish, as a general rule, has fewer calories than most meats, you’ll be saving calories, too. Just remember that you’re REPLACING portions of meat with fish, not adding them to what you already eat.

8. Spinach

At 13 calories and 2 grams of carbohydrate in 2 cups of chopped raw spinach, this is one of the lowest-cost sources of nutrition you can give your body. Every serving gives you folic acid, manganese, beta-carotene, protein, lutein (a potent anti-oxidant), magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin K. You can eat it raw in salads, steamed as a side dish, or sautéed in a tiny bit of oil for a different taste, and still get all the nutritional benefits.

9. Olive Oil

Your body does need a little fat to process vitamins and use them properly. Olive oil is a mono-unsaturated fat that is the primary source of fat in the so-called Mediterranean diet. It contains antioxidants, flavonoids, beta-carotene and vitamin E, among other things. One tablespoon has a whopping 125 calories, but drizzled on a 13 calorie spinach salad with a little lemon juice and some garlic, you still have a meal with less than 150 calories – and a whole lot of healthy fuel for your body.

10. Pink Grapefruit

With only 40 calories in half a grapefruit, you’re getting 45 mg of vitamin C, lycopene, pectin, beta-carotene and potassium. It’s versatile and tasty. Eat it as is for breakfast, or toss it into a salad with spinach for an extra punch to perk up the nutritional quality of your diet.

Most importantly, don’t base your diet around any single ONE ingredient. The best way to lose weight and stay healthy is to eat a healthy variety of foods to make sure that you get all the essential nutrients that you need each day.

Related Resource: 5 Foods That Get a Bad Rap (But Are Actually Really Good for You)