Foods That Keep You Full: 20 Low-Calorie Picks

The foods that keep you full on fewer calories have three things in common: protein, fiber and water. Eggs, Greek yogurt, lentils, broth soups, vegetables, potatoes, oats and berries fill your stomach and slow digestion, so you feel satisfied on smaller portions and stay that way for hours.

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That is good news if you are trying to eat a little less. You do not need tiny meals or willpower of steel. You need more of the right foods on your plate.

I am a NESTA nutrition coach and NASM certified trainer, and a question I hear a lot is how to stop feeling hungry an hour after eating. The list below is where I start. If you want the habits side too, pair it with my guide on how to feel full on fewer calories.

Jump to a sectionIn this article9 sections

1. What Makes a Food Filling
2. 20 Low Calorie Foods That Fill You Up
3. Foods That Keep You Full at a Glance
4. How to Build Meals That Keep You Full
5. Healthy Snacks That Keep You Full
6. Foods That Look Filling but Are Not
7. Your This-Week Plan
8. Quick Questions
9. The Bottom Line

What Makes a Food Filling

Fullness is not only about how much you eat. It is about how your stomach, gut hormones and brain respond to what you eat.

Protein triggers hormones that tell your brain you have had enough, and it takes longer to digest. Fiber forms a gel in your gut and slows how fast food leaves your stomach. Water adds weight and volume without adding calories.

Researchers call this idea energy density. Foods with fewer calories per bite, like vegetables and broth soup, let you eat a satisfying amount while keeping calories in check. Foods with a lot of calories packed into a small bite, like chips and pastries, go down fast and leave you hungry.

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If you want to understand the hunger side of this, my article on leptin, ghrelin and hunger hormones explains the signals in plain language.

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20 Low Calorie Foods That Fill You Up

These are everyday foods you can find in any grocery store. The list runs from protein foods to high fiber picks, then vegetables and fruit. Calorie numbers are rounded estimates for the portion given.

1. Eggs. Two large eggs have about 140 calories and 12 grams of protein. Eggs at breakfast tend to keep people satisfied well into the late morning.
2. Plain Greek yogurt. A 3/4 cup serving of nonfat Greek yogurt has around 100 calories and close to 17 grams of protein. Top it with fruit instead of buying the sweetened kind.
3. Cottage cheese. Half a cup of low fat cottage cheese has about 90 calories and 12 grams of slow digesting protein, which makes it a strong evening snack.
4. Chicken or turkey breast. A 3 ounce cooked portion gives you about 25 grams of protein for roughly 130 calories.
5. White fish. Cod, haddock and tilapia are very lean, with about 90 to 110 calories in 3 cooked ounces. Salmon has more calories but adds omega 3 fats.
6. Tofu and edamame. Half a cup of shelled edamame has about 95 calories, 9 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. Firm tofu works well in stir fries and scrambles.
7. Lentils. Half a cup cooked has about 115 calories, 9 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. That combination is hard to beat.
8. Beans and chickpeas. Black beans, kidney beans and chickpeas give you around 6 grams of fiber per half cup. Add them to salads, soups and wraps.
9. Oats. Half a cup of dry rolled or steel cut oats has about 150 calories and a type of fiber called beta glucan that is linked to longer fullness.
10. Chia seeds. One tablespoon has about 60 calories and 4 grams of fiber. Stirred into yogurt or oats, they absorb liquid and thicken.
11. Air popped popcorn. Three cups has under 100 calories. It is a whole grain with a lot of crunch and volume, as long as you keep the butter light.
12. Broth based soup. A big bowl of vegetable soup made with broth is mostly water and vegetables, often under 150 calories. Starting a meal with it can help you eat less of the main course.
13. Leafy salad greens. Two cups of lettuce, spinach or mixed greens has fewer than 20 calories. Add protein and a light dressing to make it a meal.
14. Broccoli and cauliflower. About 30 calories per cup with fiber and plenty of chew. Roast, steam or rice them.
15. Squash and zucchini. A cup of cooked spaghetti squash has about 40 calories, and it can stand in for part of your pasta.
16. Mushrooms. A cup of mushrooms has around 15 to 20 calories and a meaty texture that bulks up sauces, omelets and burgers.
17. Boiled potatoes. A medium potato has about 160 calories. In one well known study comparing common foods, boiled potatoes ranked as the most filling per calorie.
18. Berries. A cup of raspberries has about 65 calories and 8 grams of fiber. Strawberries and blueberries are close behind.
19. Apples and pears. A medium apple has about 95 calories and 4 grams of fiber. Eating the whole fruit fills you up far more than drinking the juice.
20. Watermelon and other melons. A cup of watermelon has about 45 calories and is over 90 percent water, which makes it a great sweet snack.

Want all 20 foods on one page you can stick on the fridge? Grab the free Feel Full on Fewer Calories cheat sheet below. It is sent to your inbox, and it also shows a simple way to build each meal around them.

Foods That Keep You Full at a Glance

Here are the standouts in one place, with a portion that keeps calories modest.

Food	Portion	Why It Fills You
Eggs	2 large	High quality protein with very few carbs
Greek yogurt	3/4 cup	Lots of protein in a small, creamy serving
Cottage cheese	1/2 cup	Slow digesting protein for the evening
Lentils	1/2 cup cooked	Protein and fiber together
Veggie soup	1 1/2 cups	Water and volume before your meal
Salad greens	2 cups	Big bowl, very few calories
Boiled potato	1 medium	Ranked most filling per calorie in research
Oats	1/2 cup dry	Beta glucan fiber that slows digestion
Popcorn	3 cups	Whole grain crunch and volume
Raspberries	1 cup	Some of the highest fiber of any fruit

How to Build Meals That Keep You Full

A list of foods is helpful. Putting them together is where fullness really lasts.

1. Start with protein. Aim for a palm sized portion or more at each meal. My protein calculator can give you a daily target.
2. Add fiber at every meal. Beans, vegetables, oats or fruit. Most women fall short of the 25 grams a day that is generally recommended.
3. Fill half your plate with vegetables. This is the easiest way to add volume without many extra calories.
4. Choose whole over blended. An apple fills you more than applesauce, and applesauce fills you more than apple juice.
5. Include a little fat. A drizzle of olive oil or a few nuts helps flavor and satisfaction, but keep the portion small since fat is calorie dense.
6. Eat slowly. It takes time for fullness signals to reach your brain, so give each meal at least 15 to 20 minutes.

For breakfast ideas built on these rules, try my high protein breakfasts that keep you full.

Healthy Snacks That Keep You Full

Snacks are where hunger often wins. A filling snack pairs protein or fiber, ideally both.

• Greek yogurt with berries and a sprinkle of chia
• An apple with a small spoon of peanut butter
• Cottage cheese with sliced cucumber or pineapple
• Two boiled eggs and cherry tomatoes
• Roasted chickpeas or a cup of edamame
• Three cups of air popped popcorn with a little salt

If you are swapping out chips and cookies, my list of easy snack swaps has more ideas that still feel like a treat.

Foods That Look Filling but Are Not

Some foods seem like a smart pick but leave you hungry soon after.

• Fruit juice and smoothies. Drinking calories does not fill you the way chewing does. A smoothie with protein and fiber is better, but whole food still wins.
• Rice cakes. Very low in calories, but also low in protein and fiber, so the fullness fades fast.
• Granola and granola bars. Often high in sugar and calories for a small serving.
• Low fat packaged snacks. Many replace fat with sugar and starch.

None of these foods are off limits. They just work better alongside protein and fiber than on their own.

Your This-Week Plan

1. Days 1 to 2: Add one protein food from the list to breakfast.
2. Days 3 to 4: Start lunch or dinner with a bowl of broth soup or a big salad.
3. Days 5 to 6: Swap one packaged snack for a protein plus fiber snack from above.
4. Day 7: Check your fiber with my fiber calculator and add one more high fiber food if you are short.

Quick Questions

The Bottom Line

The foods that keep you full are not exotic or expensive. They are protein foods, high fiber foods and water rich vegetables and fruit, eaten whole and combined at each meal.

Start with one meal a day, build it around these foods and notice how long you stay satisfied. Real advice, no gimmicks: when you feel full, eating a little less stops feeling like a fight.

This article is for general education and is not medical advice. If you have kidney disease, diabetes, digestive conditions or food allergies, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian which foods and portions are right for you. See a doctor if you feel constantly hungry along with unusual thirst, frequent urination, fatigue or weight loss you cannot explain.