These 7 useful tips will help you to stay full longer:

Whip up a side of potato salad.

Surprise! White potatoes aren’t the dietary demons Atkins devotees led us to believe. Potatoes contain a type of starch known as natural resistant starch that acts a lot like fiber once it’s in your digestive system, according to Katherine Beals, PhD, RD, a nutrition professor at the University of Utah. That means they make you feel full longer, keep your blood sugar level after a meal, and may even reduce body fat.

But there’s a trick to maximizing this benefit: Chilling cooked potatoes nearly doubles the amount of natural resistant starch in a serving. Try an Italian-style potato salad. Boil peeled, sliced potatoes until they’re fork-tender; drain, and toss them with salt, pepper, and your favorite red wine vinaigrette. Cool the salad in the fridge, and garnish it with chopped parsley before you dig in. Not a spud fan? Try black beans (or any other bean) or split peas, warm or cold, for the same benefit.?

Front-load your day’s calories.
We all know that breakfast helps keep your waistline trim, but here’s more solid proof: In a recent study, University of Texas at El Paso researchers found that people who ate break-fast took in five percent fewer calories over the course of the day. That’s only about 100 calories (if you typically eat the 2,000 calories per day recommended for adult women), but, over time, it adds up. Saving 100 calories a day for one year equals a loss of more than 10 pounds. Experts estimate most of us eat 20 percent of our daily calories at breakfast, 30 percent at lunch, and 50 percent at dinner. “You would probably be better off shifting more of your total daily calories to the morning,” says lead author John de Castro, PhD. If you can’t stomach a bigger breakfast (keep it healthy with a combo of low-fat protein, whole grains, and fruit or veggies), add a mid-morning snack (a container of yogurt, some fruit and a few whole-grain crackers, or half a sandwich).

Pull out the blender.
Froth beats fat. This is one of the best and least-known discoveries of professor Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. Rolls found that study subjects who drank smoothies and other drinks blended for at least twice as long as necessary ate 12 percent less?—?and felt fuller—than those who drank beverages blended for a shorter period. Why? Blending is a no-calorie way to increase serving size by adding air. Adding low- or no-cal ingredients to entrees (such as lettuce and tomato on top of turkey burgers or alongside broiled fish) has a similar effect: They work by increasing the amount of water instead of air.

Fool your sweet tooth with scent.
A whiff of vanilla may be the antidote for your craving for a double dip of Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream. Here’s the theory, according to experts: The inherent sweetness of vanilla sends neuropeptides (gut-to-brain messengers) into a kind of sensory overload that fools you into feeling like you’ve satisfied your sweet tooth. Any vanilla scent?—?extract, body lotion, or a candle?—?has a similar effect. A special spray designed to curb appetite may work, too. One to try: Scentology’s Crave Control (read more about here), which was developed by Rachel Herz, PhD, a psychologist at Brown University’s Medical School and author of The Scent of Desire.

Stock up on lentil soup.
According to a new study from The Cochrane Collaboration, an independent health-research organization, people on diets that call for fiber-rich, complex-carb-loaded foods like lentils, sweet potatoes, and apples lost a little over two pounds more in five weeks, compared with people on low-fat or other types of diets. These foods rank low on the glycemic index (GI), which means they’re less likely to cause blood sugar spikes and leave you feeling hungry.

>>Get a list of food low on the glycemic index.

Snack smart.
By now, you know that snacking doesn’t have to be a bad thing for your waistline. But did you know that the right snacks can actually suppress ghrelin, the hunger hor-mone? James Kenney, PhD, nutrition-research specialist at the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Florida, says low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods like strawberries (49 calories a cup), broccoli (20 calories a cup), and sweet potatoes (103 calories—and ready in a microwave minute) are your best defense. “They make you feel satiated on a lot fewer calories than Pringles do,” Kenney says.

Breathe hunger away.
Stress causes your body to pump out cortisol. And this, ultimately, creates a resistance to leptin, a hormone that helps you feel full. As a result, says Mark Hyman, MD, integrative-medicine specialist and author of Ultrametabolism, the more stressed out you are (and the more often you feel that way), the less able you are to tell when you’re full. Short-circuit the problem with this stress-reducing breathing exercise: Exhale fully, counting to 5 as you release tension from your body; let your shoulders slump as if you’re a deflated balloon. Then, count to 5 as you inhale gently, fully, down through the lungs into your belly; hold for a 4-count. Exhale again, repeating the first step. Continue for 5 minutes; practice a few times each day—or whenever you feel inclined to make tracks to the snack stash.

SOURCE: Health.com

In a recent study U.S. researchers found that diets high in protein help to keep hunger in check.

They found that protein does the best job at keeping a hunger hormone in check, while carbohydrates and fats may well deserve their current nasty reputation.

The study, which will appear in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, looked at the effectiveness of different nutrients at suppressing ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite. Suppression of ghrelin is one of the ways that you lose your appetite as you begin to eat.

The researchers gave 16 people three different beverages, each with varying levels of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. They took blood samples before the first beverage, then every 20 minutes for six hours afterward, measuring ghrelin levels in each sample.

The Findings:

• Fats were the worst at suppressing ghrelin.
• Proteins were the best suppressor of ghrelin in terms of the combination of the depth and duration of suppression.
• They found that eating carbohydrates resulted in a strong ghrelin suppression at first, but ghrelin levels rebounded with a vengeance, rising to an even higher level. Basically carbohydrates proved to eventually make people hungrier.

SOURCE

Almost every time I go to Starbucks I'll grab a pack of almonds to snack on. Throughout the day I nibble a few here and a few there. I've noticed they tend to keep me full between meals and the light salting helps to curb cravings. Most people fear eating nuts including almonds because of their high calorie content, however studies have found otherwise.

A June 2003 study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders showed that incorporating a handful of almonds daily into a low-calorie diet for six months produced significant decreases in body weight and composition. Sixty-five overweight and obese men and women were put on calorie-restricted diets; one group ate 3 ounces of almonds daily, the other included a high-carbohydrate food source. After 24 weeks, the group consuming almonds lost 62 percent more weight and 56 percent more fat compared to the other group. The research suggests that the fiber in almonds may affect fat absorption and the healthy fat in almonds keep dieters satisfied longer.

Like everything you put into your body, almonds should be eaten in moderation. They're high in good fats (mono- and polyunsaturated) that are linked to lowering your blood cholesterol along with the risk for heart disease. Almonds are also a good source of protein and a great alternative to sources that may be high in saturated fat. If you eat too many almonds everyday they could cause you to gain weight just as anything eaten in excess would. A serving of almonds (about 23) is 160 calories so try to avoid eating more then 2 or 3 servings in a day and you will be just fine.

SOURCE

A research study to be presented at the 2007 Annual Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society, found that chewing gum before an afternoon snack helped reduce hunger, diminish cravings and promote fullness among individuals who limit their overall calorie intake. Calorie intake from snacks was significantly reduced by 25 calories. Overall, this study demonstrates the benefits of chewing gum and highlights the potential role of chewing gum in appetite control and weight management. Nutritionists say that even small changes in calories can have an impact in the long term. This research study supports the role of chewing gum as an easy, practical tool for weight management. SOURCE

Yesterday I decided to be brave and experiment GT's Organic Raw Kombucha. I chose to try the MULTI-GREEN and COSMIC CRANBERRY flavors. When I first opened the bottled I had to check the expiration date twice because the smell and taste was overwhelmingly sour, almost like beer and wine combined for a bitter sweet carbonated tang. Now I'm not going to lie neither of them taste fabulous, although the Cosmic Cranberry's 5% juice content made it slightly better.

Neither of them tasted horrible. However I am one of those people who will sacrifice taste for health. The same goes for things that taste amazing but do nothing for me or my waistline. The positives certainly over compensate for the not so desirable taste. Kombucha supports digestion, metabolism, immune system, appetite control, weight control, liver function, body alkalinity, anti-aging, cell integrity, healthy skin and healthy hair.

For consumption they suggest: