Balanced Diet

Full foods may not necessarily be low in calories, but a small amount can provide lots of nutrition. Other foods can be nutritionally poor, and it is these empty calories that are more likely to negatively influence things like blood sugar, food cravings, mood, health and satiety. For example nuts and seeds might have a similar calorie value as cakes or chips, but you only need a small handful to get a big nutritional helping. So for diet satisfaction, don't waste precious calories on empty food and instead fill your quota with nutritionally full foods.

Hunger and dissatisfaction can make diets notoriously difficult to follow. The Fullness Diet is designed to be simply filling and full of nutrition. It follows recommended nutritional guidelines (1,2) but also considers the satisfaction level of foods using a combination of respected and recognised diet principles.

Certain foods have been tested for their ability to satisfy and this is known as the satiety index (SI) (3,4). Further studies on satiety show that foods with a higher nutritional value are generally much more fulfilling and not necessarily associated with calorie value (5).

The Glycemic index works on the glycemic load principle (6,7). High GI foods are more likely to match foods with a lower SI so the most fulfilling foods are those with a low GI but high SI.

References

• Department of Health (2007) Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom, The stationary Office, Norwich

• Food Standards Agency (2001) Manual of Nutrition, The Stationary Office, Norwich,
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/publication/eatwellplate0210.pdf

• Holt, S.H., et al., “ A satiety index of common foods,” Eur J Clin Nutr 1995 Sep; 49(9): 675-690

• Holt, S.A., et al., “ The effects of equal-energy portions of different breads on blood glucose levels, feelings of fullness and subsequent food intake,” J Am Diet Assoc 2001; 101(7): 767-773

• http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/fullness-factor

• Jenkins, DJ; TM Wolever, RH Taylor, H Barker, H Fielden, JM Baldwin, AC Bowling, HC Newman, AL Jenkins and DV Goff (1981). ”Glycemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange”. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34 (3): 362∼366. PMID 6259925. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/34/3/362. Retrieved 2009-01-28.

• The GI Diet: The Easy, Healthy Way to Permanent Weight Loss - Rick Gallop, Virgin Books, 208 pages (January 6, 2005).

It's not a great shock to discover the most nutritional and fulfilling foods are pure, basic, natural foods such as vegetables, fish, nuts, seeds and whole-grains. Foods most likely to contain empty calories are processed and refined foods such as fast food, ready meals, snacks, alcohol and fizzy drinks - so no big surprises there either! Fortunately nature keeps things simple so a wide range of nutritional benefits can be found in similar foods.

So forget confusing food fads, mention healthy eating and you will keep coming back to the same fulfilling simple, natural ingredients that have always been the basis of a healthy diet. With full foods, less is more with smaller portions making you feel more satisfied for longer.

Vegetables

For diet purposes there are two groups :

• Coloured - red, green, orange, purple, yellow, the brighter the better! Fill your plate with leafy greens, pepper, squash, the list is long and lovely.

• Starchy - a more subtle colour range including potatoes and pulses such as lentils and kidney beans.

Fruit

A whole range of multi-coloured fruit will help you feel fuller.

Fish and seafood

Protein is found in a range of foods and studies show that protein rich meals have a higher SI value. Oily fish also has a better unsaturated fat ratio giving it a higher SI than meat.

Meat

Lean meat can be very nutritious but processed meats such as burgers, sausages and pâté have generally less nutritional value.

Eggs

A fulfilling way to start the day.

Dairy

Skimmed milk is a low fat fulfilling way to get essential minerals such as calcium.

Nuts and seeds

These are high in calories and fat but they are some of the most fulfilling foods, a tiny package crammed full of nutrients. Their calories are much more filling than many empty calorie snacks.

Cereals

Wholegrains have a high SI value but the more refined the grain the emptier the calorie becomes.

Water

Essential for good health and also has a filling effect. Our body needs pure water but a lot of our fluid intake takes the form of alcoholic or fizzy drinks which can also have emptier calories.

In studies the foods with the lowest satisfaction and nutrition are those high in sugar, refined flour and saturated fat.

Firstly consider converting to healthier ingredients (see our food swap suggestions for some handy hints) but the most important aspect of any healthy eating plan is balance so if most of your diet is fulfilling, the odd empty calorie is ok.

Labeling food as good or bad generates a warped approach to our emotional attitude to what we eat. Good is saintly but boring while bad is sinful but irresistible. A balanced diet provides all your nutritional requirements in the right quantities so you shouldn't feel deprived and should enjoy your favourite foods.

An easy way to practically apply nutritional balance to your diet is to divide your plate into three sections.

• Section 1 - for coloured vegetables, that's all veg apart from potatoes and pulses

• Section 2 - for starchy vegetables, pulses, fruit and cereals

• Section 3 - for meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds

For weight loss, anything in section one should account for half the plate, section two and three a quarter each. For a healthy maintenance diet the sections can be divided into three equal sections.

You can also try laying out your weekly shop on the table or if cooking divide the ingredients up before you prepare it. It can initially be quite a shock to see how imbalanced your diet is but this may give you greater motivation to change.