What can I eat if I get hungry between meals?

Dear Dr. Sears,

I’m trying to knock off a lot of weight before my wedding next year. The PACE exercises are helping and I’m also trying to stick with low-glycemic foods. I usually have something like oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, a green salad for lunch and a little bit of meat with plenty of vegetables at dinner.

But I get so hungry during the day and end up end up hitting the vending machine for chips and other snacks by mid afternoon. So I’m not dropping weight nearly as fast as I need to. Any suggestions?

–Amy D.

Dear Amy,

Eating low-glycemic foods and doing your PACE exercises are solid steps in the right direction. However, you’re missing the most important nutrient of all when it comes to weight reduction – protein.

Research shows that diets high in protein make you feel fuller longer, increase your metabolism and help you melt fat faster.1 Getting plenty of protein can also help you build attractive lean muscle mass.2

And here’s the other thing to remember about eating protein… most high-protein foods also naturally have fat. And that’s important for weight reduction. Because it’s these natural fats that signal your body that you’re full.

Chips and other junk snacks have unnatural trans-fats that your body doesn’t recognize as food, and they leave you hungry. To stop the hunger cravings, go for foods like nuts, seeds or even raw milk that have natural, good fat and send your body the “I’m full” message.

Here are some things you can do during mealtime that will help you drop fat:

Switch from grains to protein for breakfast. I love a juicy steak with eggs at breakfast. It fills me up and keeps my energy levels high while I see my morning patients. I recommend switching from grains like oats, wheat or corn to eating grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs.

Another of my breakfast favorites is a cheese and vegetable omelet with wild salmon. I like omelets because I can add vegetables like spinach and mushrooms for extra antioxidant power.

You can also include a protein shake each morning. Just make sure to use quality whey or egg protein to make it.

Power up your metabolism at lunch. Salads are fine, but throw in some boiled eggs, cheese, meat, nuts, seeds and avocado to turn them into high protein meals. Other great lunch choices include chicken, tuna or seafood salad. The added protein will rev up your metabolism to help you melt fat all day long.

Make protein the centerpiece of your dinner table. Instead of eating a “little” meat at dinnertime, don’t feel guilty about enjoying a nice, juicy cut of meat. A steak or roast from grass-fed beef is delicious. Add some spinach, asparagus or a green salad and you’ve got yourself a meal that tells your body that times are good, and you don’t need to store fat.

Change things up by having grilled or broiled fish on some nights and oven-roasted chicken on others. Buy free-range poultry you can.

Don’t be afraid to snack. If you get hungry between meals or before bedtime, there are plenty of high protein and healthy snacks you can munch on.

• Nuts and seeds

• Grass-fed beef jerky

• Organic cheese

• Plain Greek yogurt

• Trail mix

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

1 Manuela, P.G.M., Lejeune, et al, “Ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide 1 concentrations, 24-h satiety, and energy and substrate metabolism during a high-protein diet and measured in a respiration chamber,” Am J Clin Nutr January 2006; 83(1):89-94

2 Aubertin-Leheudre, M., Adlercreutz, H., “Relationship between animal protein intake and muscle mass index in healthy women,” Br J Nutr. 2009 Dec;102(12):1803-10