The NuStart Satiety & Nutrient Food Guide
Fullness is not about willpower. Protein, fat, fiber, and water & volume do the work. These are the staples that keep you satisfied and nourished at the same time.
Why It Matters
Some foods keep you full for hours on very few calories, while others leave you hungry again soon after. The difference comes down to four things: protein, fat, fiber, and water (volume).
Foods high in these fill you up and nourish you at the same time. This guide shows you the most satisfying, most nourishing staples to build your meals around, so eating well feels easy instead of like a battle with hunger.
The four things that keep you full
Go-to staples to build meals around
These are common, affordable choices you can find at most Indiana grocery stores. The most satisfying picks are high in both fullness and nutrition.
How to use it: Build each plate around a protein and a high-fiber food, then add vegetables for volume. That simple combination is what helps a meal keep you full.
What we mean by “satisfying”
People often hear “satisfying” and think full. Fullness is part of it, but only part.
A satisfying meal does three things together. It fills you up: that’s protein, fat, fiber, and the volume of water-rich foods doing their work. It nourishes you: the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your body uses long after the meal is over. And you enjoy eating it, which depends on your own palate, and which no one else can decide for you.
That third part gets left out of most healthy-eating advice, and it may be the one that matters most. A meal can be filling and nutritious and still fail, because if you don’t look forward to it, you probably won’t eat that way for long. Enjoyment isn’t a reward for eating well. It’s part of what makes eating well sustainable.
So when this guide calls a food satisfying, it means all three: filling, nourishing, and tasty.
Look Anything Up
The Satiety & Nutrient Food Table
Every food in the guide. Search by name, or open a category.
How the ratings work. A food’s satiety rating comes from the numbers beside it: more protein and fiber per serving rate higher, fewer calories per bite rates higher, and a rating steps down for calories you drink rather than chew. You can check it yourself. That’s the point.
Proteins & Seafood 10 foods
Food (typical serving)
Satiety
Calories
Protein g
Fat g
Fiber g
Nutrition
White fish, cod/halibut (3 oz)
High
~90
20
1
0
High
Salmon (3 oz)
High
~175
19
10.5
0
High
Shrimp/shellfish (3 oz)
High
~85
20
1
0
High
Canned tuna, in water (3 oz)
High
~100
22
1
0
High
Chicken breast (3 oz)
High
~140
26
3
0
High
Turkey breast (3 oz)
High
~125
26
2
0
High
Eggs (1 large)
High
~72
6
5
0
High
Lean beef, sirloin (3 oz)
High
~180
25
8
0
Medium
Pork tenderloin (3 oz)
High
~120
22
3.5
0
Medium
Cottage cheese, low-fat (1/2 cup)
High
~90
12
1
0
High
Beans, Legumes & Soy 8 foods
Food (typical serving)
Satiety
Calories
Protein g
Fat g
Fiber g
Nutrition
Lentils (1/2 cup cooked)
High
~115
9
0.4
8
High
Black beans (1/2 cup)
High
~110
7
0.5
7.5
High
Chickpeas (1/2 cup)
High
~135
7
2
6
High
Kidney beans (1/2 cup)
High
~110
7
0.5
6
High
Pinto beans (1/2 cup)
High
~120
7
0.6
7
High
Edamame (1/2 cup shelled)
High
~95
9
4
4
High
Tofu, firm (3 oz)
High
~70
8
4.5
1
High
Hummus (2 Tbsp)
Medium
~70
2
5
2
High
Whole Grains & Starches 12 foods
Food (typical serving)
Satiety
Calories
Protein g
Fat g
Fiber g
Nutrition
Boiled/baked potato, with skin (1 med)
High
~160
4
0.2
4
High
Sweet potato (1 med)
High
~100
2
0.2
4
High
Oatmeal (1 cup cooked)
High
~150
5
3
4
High
Quinoa (1/2 cup cooked)
High
~110
4
2
2.5
High
Whole-grain pasta (1 cup cooked)
High
~180
7.5
1
6
High
Whole-grain bread (1 slice)
High
~80
4
1
2
High
Air-popped popcorn (3 cups)
High
~90
3
1
3.5
Medium
Brown rice (1/2 cup cooked)
Medium
~110
2.5
1
1.8
High
Corn (1 ear)
Medium
~80
3
1
2
Medium
White rice (1/2 cup cooked)
Medium
~100
2
0.2
0.3
Medium
White pasta (1 cup cooked)
Medium
~200
7
1
2.5
Medium
White bread (1 slice)
Low
~75
2
1
0.8
Low
Vegetables (non-starchy) 12 foods
Food (typical serving)
Satiety
Calories
Protein g
Fat g
Fiber g
Nutrition
Broccoli (1 cup, raw)
High
~30
2.5
0.3
2.4
High
Spinach (1 cup, cooked)
High
~40
5
0.5
4
High
Kale (1 cup, raw)
High
~33
2.9
0.5
2.6
High
Cauliflower (1 cup, raw)
High
~27
2
0.3
2
High
Brussels sprouts (1 cup, raw)
High
~38
3
0.3
3.3
High
Bell peppers (1 cup, raw)
High
~30
1
0.3
2
High
Carrots (1 cup, raw)
High
~50
1
0.3
3.5
High
Green beans (1 cup, raw)
High
~35
2
0.2
2.7
High
Tomatoes (1 cup, raw)
High
~32
1.5
0.4
2
High
Cucumber (1 cup, raw)
High
~16
0.7
0.1
0.5
High
Zucchini (1 cup, raw)
High
~20
1.5
0.4
1.2
High
Mushrooms (1 cup, raw)
High
~15
2
0.2
1
High
Fruit 12 foods
Food (typical serving)
Satiety
Calories
Protein g
Fat g
Fiber g
Nutrition
Apple, whole (1 med)
High
~95
0.5
0.3
4.4
High
Orange, whole (1 med)
High
~62
1.2
0.2
3
High
Raspberries (1 cup)
High
~64
1.5
0.8
8
High
Blackberries (1 cup)
High
~62
2
0.7
7.6
High
Blueberries (1 cup)
High
~85
1
0.5
3.6
High
Strawberries (1 cup)
High
~49
1
0.5
3
High
Pear, whole (1 med)
High
~100
1
0.2
5.5
High
Grapes (1 cup)
High
~104
1
0.2
1.4
High
Cantaloupe (1 cup)
High
~54
1.3
0.3
1.4
High
Watermelon (1 cup)
High
~46
0.9
0.2
0.6
Medium
Banana (1 med)
Medium
~105
1.3
0.4
3
High
Dried fruit, raisins (1/4 cup)
Medium
~110
1
0.2
1.5
Medium
Dairy 7 foods
Food (typical serving)
Satiety
Calories
Protein g
Fat g
Fiber g
Nutrition
Plain Greek yogurt, Fage Total 5% (3/4 cup)
High
~190
18
10
0
High
Plain yogurt, low-fat (1 cup)
High
~150
12
4
0
High
Milk, 1% (1 cup)
Medium
~100
8
2.5
0
High
Cheese, cheddar (1 oz)
Medium
~110
7
9
0
Medium
String cheese (1 stick)
Medium
~80
7
6
0
Medium
Sweetened flavored yogurt (6 oz)
Low
~150
6
2
0
Low
Ice cream (1/2 cup)
Low
~140
2
7
0
Low
Nuts, Seeds & Healthy Fats 8 foods
Food (typical serving)
Satiety
Calories
Protein g
Fat g
Fiber g
Nutrition
Chia seeds (1 Tbsp)
High
~60
2
4
4
High
Flax seeds (1 Tbsp)
High
~55
2
4
3
High
Pumpkin seeds (1 oz)
Medium
~150
7
13
1.7
High
Almonds (1 oz)
Medium
~160
6
14
3.5
High
Walnuts (1 oz)
Medium
~185
4
18
2
High
Peanut butter (2 Tbsp)
Medium
~190
7
16
2
High
Avocado (1/2 med)
High
~120
1.5
11
5
High
Olive oil (1 Tbsp)
Low
~120
0
14
0
Medium
Snacks, Sweets & Drinks 12 foods
Food (typical serving)
Satiety
Calories
Protein g
Fat g
Fiber g
Nutrition
Whole-grain crackers (about 5)
Medium
~90
2
3
2
Medium
Granola bar (1)
Medium
~130
3
5
2
Medium
Pretzels (1 oz)
Low
~110
3
1
1
Low
Potato chips (1 oz)
Low
~150
2
10
1
Low
Cookies (2)
Low
~140
1.5
6
0.7
Low
Candy bar (1 standard)
Low
~230
3
12
1
Low
Doughnut (1 glazed)
Low
~250
3
14
1
Low
Cake (1 slice)
Low
~350
3
14
1
Low
Croissant/pastry (1 med)
Low
~270
5
14
1.5
Low
Sugary breakfast cereal (1 cup)
Low
~150
2
1
1
Low
Fruit juice (8 oz)
Low
~110
0.5
0
0.3
Low
Soda (12 oz)
Low
~140
0
0
0
Low
All values are per one typical serving and approximate, from USDA FoodData Central reference amounts. Fat in whole foods (fish, nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, dairy) supports fullness and nutrient absorption; the goal is knowing what’s in your food, not avoiding fat.
You may run across a “satiety index” online that gives every food a single score. It traces to one small 1995 study (about a dozen people per food, measured for two hours) that was never repeated food by food. What held up over the following decades was what drove those scores: foods with more water, fiber and protein, and fewer calories per bite, kept people fuller. Our ratings are built on those drivers, the part of the science that lasted, not the 1995 numbers.
How to Build a Filling Plate
You’ve probably had the afternoon that teaches this lesson: lunch at noon, and by two-thirty you’re negotiating with the vending machine. The food wasn’t bad. It just didn’t last.
How long a meal holds you has less to do with willpower than with what went on the plate, so before you build your next one, it’s worth asking the plate three questions. Will it hold me? Will it feed me? Would I happily eat it again? A meal that earns three yeses is a meal worth making again.
Will it hold me?
Three things do most of the holding, and you can see them all from where you’re standing at the counter. Foods heavy in water and fiber (soups, vegetables, fruit, beans) give you a lot of plate for the calories, which is one reason a meal built around them can satisfy on less. Protein is the nutrient most consistently linked to staying full. If lunch never seems to last until dinner, a solid protein source at lunch is worth a try. And calories you chew tend to satisfy more than calories you drink; food that takes some chewing slows a meal down, which is its own quiet help.
Put together, the move is simple: build the plate around a protein and something with fiber, then add vegetables for volume. That combination is what gives a meal its staying power.
If you’ve read about blood sugar: fullness and blood sugar are different dials, but the same habits tend to move both the right way: foods close to whole, and a protein alongside your carbohydrate.
Will it feed me?
Holding you is half the job. The second question asks what the meal brings along with its calories: protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. You don’t need a spreadsheet for this one: the Nutrition rating beside each recipe is a quick read on what a dish carries, and foods close to how they grew are a dependable place to start.
Would I happily eat it again?
This is the question that keeps the other two honest. Enjoyment isn’t a reward for eating well. It’s part of what makes eating well sustainable, because a plate you dread is a plate you’ll quietly stop making. So none of this rules a food out. A smaller portion of a rich favorite (the mac and cheese, the Friday pizza) next to something water-rich is a plate that works. No permission slip required.
Try it this week
Pick the one meal that never seems to last (for a lot of people it’s lunch), and give it an anchor: a protein source and something with fiber, then vegetables if there’s room. Notice how far into the afternoon it carries you. That’s the whole assignment. If the difference surprises you, you’ll know what to build around tomorrow.
Try This
Plan one satisfying meal using the lists above.
Wellness education, not medical advice. For questions about your health, medications, or a condition you manage, discuss it with your primary care provider.