Healthy eating is making me so hungry! Advice needed!

[veggiegirl3]

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted on here in a long time. I need advice, though, and I am guessing that you guys will have good input.

I went for quite awhile not eating *very* much fruit and eating very few vegetables. I did eat fruit, just not as much as I once did. And I really ate few veggies, which was not so good. Anyway, every time I try to add more fruits and veggies, my stomach fills up and I don't eat as much other foods, and not so long after, I am really hungry. Or worse- I feel hungry and full at the same time. This has been really bad today. I went grocery shopping and bought a lot of healthy foods. I cooked both lunch and dinner.

Here is what I had (and I know it's not perfect, but it's an improvement):

Breakfast:
- 1 cup steel cut oatmeal (1/4 cup of grain with 3/4 cup water), with vanilla soy milk and maple syrup.
- I think some sort of fruit, but I actually can't remember.

Lunch:
- Tofu and veggie stir fry over brown rice (maybe about 3/4 of a serving or 1 serving of rice, probably like 1/3 brick of extra firm tofu, a tiny bit of oil, and mixed veggies)
- Maybe some soy milk, but I am not positive

Snack:
- 1 apple sauce packet (I was so hungry I was nauseous and ate this very quickly)

Snack:
- 2 small homemade lemon poppyseed muffins

Dinner:
- Tofu "frittata"
- Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and vegan ranch dressing
- Vanilla soymilk
- Banana

Now, I am feeling SO full, but also like I am still hungry. I hate this feeling. What can I do to eat more fruits and veggies without getting so full that I can't eat a normal amount of food? I am not trying to lose or gain weight, I just want to stay the same, be healthy, and not be starving all day.

Also, please don't be too critical in your responses... I am self conscious about my diet not being healthy enough to post here. Also, I rarely eat tofu twice in one day, but I was trying to use some up before it went bad.

[Risker]

If it's leaving you hungry then it's obviously not all that healthy is it!

Try more beans/nuts/seeds. Houmous is always good.

[Lilystein]

Haha I probably eat double that in a day! I never stop eating. Make sure you drink a few litres of water everyday, if you're still hungry after that then eat more food.

[Risker]

Make sure you drink a few litres of water everyday,

I have to disagree with that, you really only need to drink when you're thirsty.

[veggiegirl3]

If it's leaving you hungry then it's obviously not all that healthy is it!

Try more beans/nuts/seeds. Houmous is always good.

Good point!

I will add more beans and nuts. I am not so big on the seeds, though I added some flax meal this morning. I also had some peanuts, which helped.

I concluded that I need to find more ways to add calories in smaller ways... My stir fry might have been more filling with a little more oil, my smoothie this morning had flax meal (which didn't add bulk), etc. I think eating "really healthy" is good, but I need to not be hungry all the time. I will add more "umph" to my intake through more nuts and other things like flax and olive oil.

Thanks for all of your feedback! Also, I drink a fair amount of water, so I am set in that area.

[khadagan]

I've changed my diets lots in these last years and eating lots more raw foods, not just cooked and not so many processed foods anymore. I eat loads of fruit and veg and like you I feel full up afterwards, but not very full. I actually like this feeling because I don't get the completely stuffed feeling, like I do with cooked foods and I still feel very energetic and not tired, maybe this feeling takes a bit of getting used to? Since you said you have smoothies, they don't typically make me feel very full even either even when I had loads. They seem to disappear very quickly too and I'll have something solid not too long after. As a quick snack I often eat bananas and dates because they need no preparation, they're quick and easy and they fill me up well enough for a while. Also try soaking nuts and seeds first, they're more satisfying in smaller quantities that way and easier to digest.

[dropscone]

Maybe you will get on better with a "little and often" approach? I've found it helpful to soak some almonds (around 20-30) overnight and then have them on my desk at work to snack on throughout the morning. I also keep a few chocolate chips and other types of nuts around and try to have an orange or apple or some dried fruit sometime in the day as a snack. I find this keeps me feeling comfortable, and then I don't eat my main meals too quickly so I'm better able to judge how full I am.

[veggiegirl3]

Thank you both!

What does soaking nuts do? Do they taste weird soaked? I soak cashews for making sauces and stuff, but I have never eaten them whole.

I think the frequent eating approach might be good for me. Also, I tried making trail mix out of nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate chips, and it was really satisfying.

Speaking of needing something solid after a smoothie... I could have something solid with my smoothies, like a muffin or something. I also tried adding peanut butter and chocolate chips (though I will probably mostly skip the chocolate chips) into a banana and spinach smoothie, and it was so good and made me full. I think adding more fat is helping, like nuts. Or maybe it is the protein in the nuts. But, I am having less of a problem with being hungry this week, while still eating healthfully.

[khadagan]

What does soaking nuts do? Do they taste weird soaked? I soak cashews for making sauces and stuff, but I have never eaten them whole.

There are many advantages to soaking truly raw nuts (not pasteurized raw nuts). For instance, the flavour turns more creamy and buttery, not so bitter. They are also easier to digest for your body. Some people have trouble digesting nuts and it can make them feel a bit gassy or unwell. You need fewer nuts to feel satisfied when they're soaked. There is more enzyme activity in the nut after soaking, because you are starting the sprouting process. This means they are more nutritious. The phytic acid in the nuts starts to break down when soaking. When you have a lot of phytic acid in your diet it will demineralize you because it will bind with minerals and you excrete them. Especially people who eat lots of whole grains eat a lot of phytic acid this way, soaking any grains, nuts, seeds, brown rice, etc will greatly diminish this.

Anyway these are just a few things about the soaking process of nuts, there's loads written about this on the internet. Also, when soaking nuts never use the soaking water and don't soak cashews longer than 6 hours to prevent them from turning rancid. Soak a few raw nuts or seeds and compare the difference!

[dropscone]

I'm pretty sure my almonds aren't raw, I just prefer the texture of them soaked - they plump up and get a sort of crunchy texture. They seem to taste better as well.