The 10 Most Filling Foods for Dieters

Australian Study Determines What Makes You Feel Satisfied

It should be no surprise that some foods make you feel more full than others --even if they have the same number of calories. A can of soda has roughly the same calorie amount as an English muffin, but it should be a no-brainer to determine which would make a more satisfying breakfast. With other foods, it's trickier to guess. Dieters often eat a healthy, low-cal breakfast, then find themselves "starving" a half-hour later, scavenging their desks for that half-eaten Snickers bar from yesterday.

University of Sydney researcher Dr. Susannah Holt feels your pain. In fact, she conducted a study to determine the satiety index of commonly-eaten foods. Various types of foods were served in equal 240 calories portions, even at the same temperature and in equal-sized chunks where possible. Subjects were blinded to avoid the food's visual appeal having a psychological effect on the tasters. The resulting data makes up the Satiety Index, which ranks foods based on how full they made the subjects feel.

The ten foods with the highest rank on the satiety index should seem heaven-sent to dieters. Incorporating satisfying foods into their diets can help curb hunger pangs and prevent overeating at subsequent meals. Why wrestle with tearing open one of those paltry 100 calorie packs, when the same 100 calories could actually fill you up? Below are the ten foods, as rated on Dr. Holt's index, and how you can incorporate them into your diet.

#1) Potatoes

It shouldn't be a shocker that potatoes make the top of the list, as baked potatoes have been a staple of dieting for more than decades. What may surprise you is that potatoes rank more than 300% on the scale. With a slice of white bread being the "control" food at 100%, that means a plain baked potato ranks as three times more satisfying than bread. Before you head to the drive-through though, there's a caveat: all potatoes are not created equal. French fries scored much lower on the fullness list.