Satisfying Hunger - The Satiety Index
   by Linda Tremer

Researchers at the University of Sydney had students eat a 240 calorie portion of a variety of foods. The students then rated their hunger feelings every 15 minutes for two hours. The purpose of the study was to see what foods kept them satisfied the longest.

White bread was given a baseline rating of 100. A food more satisfying then white bread would be rated higher then 100. One surprising fact was that the more fat a food contained the least satisfying it was. The higher the number the more satisfying the food.

The most satisfying food was a boiled potato. It rated a 323. The potato is 3 times more satisfying than white bread. (For you dieters don’t ruin the potato with butter and sour cream. Add salt and pepper a bit of olive oil instead.) Chose a boiled or baked potato over french fries which scored a 116.

Believe it or not, fish rated second with 225 rating. Fish will keep you full longer than a juicy steak (188). Oatmeal (209) is more satisfying than corn flakes (118).
Some foods that ranked below white bread were Mars candy bar (70), ice cream (96) and worst of all was the croissant at 47. Eat a croissant and in short time your hunger will return full force.

Chief researcher Dr. Susanne Holt stated, “Beans and lentils, for example, contain anti-nutrients which delay their absorption so they make you feel full for longer. Roughly speaking, the more fiber, protein and water a food contains, the longer it will satisfy, but you have to look at each foodstuff individually and that is why we think our index will be so useful.”

Jelly beans came in with 118 rating. Anyone who has eaten too much Halloween candy can understand the reasoning behind this rating. "I suspect the reason that the jellybeans came out so well was that they made our volunteers feel slightly nauseous,” said Dr Holt.

Oranges and apples rated 202 and 197 respectively.  When compared to other calorie dense foods it takes quite a few apples and oranges to reach 240 calories.  Just eating so much fruit should keep your hunger at bay for 2 hours.

Use the satiety index to help you choose your food wisely.  Choose popcorn since it is almost two and a half times more filling than a doughnut.

This was a study of short term hunger satisfaction only. Below is the list of the 38 foods tested and their scores.
 

THE SATIETY INDEX
1. Potatoes 323
2. Fish 225
3. Porridge/Oatmeal 209
4. Oranges 202
5. Apples 197
6. Brown pasta 188
7. Beef 176
8. Baked beans 168
9. Grapes 162
10. Whole meal bread 157
11. Popcorn 154
12. Grain bread 154
13. All Bran 151
14. Eggs 150
15. Cheese 146
16. White rice 138
17. Lentils 133
18. Honeysmacks 132
19. Brown Rice 132
20. Crackers 127		 21. Cookies 120
22. White pasta 119
23. Jellybeans 118
24. Cornflakes 118
25. Bananas 118
26. Special K 116
27. French fries 116
28. Sustain 112
29. Muesli 100
30. White bread 100
31. Ice cream 96
32. Crisps 91
33. Yoghurt 88
34. Peanuts 84
35. Mars candy bar 70
36. Doughnuts 68
37. Cake 65
38. Croissant 47

 

 

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