Satiety index: determines the level of satiety & bull; hello healthy

Hunger is a strong and useful stimulus to encourage us to meet our calorie needs. One of the ways to get rid of hunger is by eating food, so that it causes a feeling of fullness. But did you know that the satiety caused by food can vary?

One of the efforts to identify foods that can overcome hunger has been done. This stems from the experimental research by Suzanna Holt in 1995 which managed to find satiety index (satiety index) and is still used today.

What is that satiety index?

Satiety index is an index that shows how much a food can produce a feeling of fullness with the same number of calories. The index resulting from Dr. Holt uses foods with a calorie count of ± 240 and uses white bread as a comparison. This includes 38 types of food that are grouped into 6 categories, including fruit, cereals, snacks, protein sources, carbohydrate foods and starchy foods.

Procedure satiety index

Determination satiety index aims to find out what types of food work better to fill the stomach, by comparing one type of food with another. In this case, Dr. Holt specifies bread as the main comparison in satiety index with a score of 100%. The greater the value satiety index a food compared to white bread (100%), the food is considered to provide and maintain a feeling of fullness the better.

Here's a list of foods based on satiety index sorted by category and its ability to provide a feeling of fullness:

Flour products

• Bread croissants (47%)
• Wet cake or cake (65%)
• Donuts (68%)
• Pastries (120%)
• Crackers (127%)

Snacks and snacks

• Chocolate bar (70%)
• Peanuts (84%)
• Yogurt (88%)
• Chips (91%)
• Ice cream (96%)
• Jellybean (118%)
• Popcorn (154%)

Cereals

• Muesli (100%)
• Sustain Cereal (112%)
• Special-K Cereal (116%)
• Cornflakes (118%)
• HoneySmacks Cereal (132%)
• All-Bran Cereal (151%)
• Oatmeal (209%)

Food sources of protein

• Lentils (133%)
• Cheese (146%)
• Eggs (150%)
• Boiled kidney beans (168%)
• Red meat (176%)
• Fish (225%)

Food sources of carbohydrates

• White bread (100%)
• French fries (116%)
• White paste (119%)
• Brown rice (132%)
• White rice (138%)
• Whole wheat bread (154%)
• Whole wheat bread (157%)
• Whole wheat pasta (188%)
• Potatoes (323%)

Fruits

• Banana (118%)
• Grapes (162%)
• Apples (197%)
• Oranges (202%)

The index above shows, with the same number of calories, each food can provide a different feeling of fullness. Potatoes with a total of 240 calories which is equivalent to white bread can provide up to three times the feeling of fullness. On the contrary, bread croissants with the calories equivalent of white bread can only maintain a sense of fullness less than half.

Besides, based on the average score satiety index food can be known types of food, especially apples and oranges tend to provide a better feeling of fullness than most other foods by only fulfilling 240 calories. Overall, fruits, protein foods, and carbohydrates are the best providers of satiety. Meanwhile, foods containing sugar and flour tend to be less able to provide a feeling of fullness.

Things that need to be considered in interpreting satiety index

Variable food consumption is still needed. Satiety index is an index that can be used to identify which foods can help you better achieve satiety, however, Dr. Holt thinks the satiety of foods can vary after two hours. For example eating fruit helps you fill up faster and prevents overeating, but the satiety that results from fruit is likely to diminish quickly after two hours. Therefore, consumption of carbohydrates and protein is still needed to maintain satiety the next time even though it does not provide a feeling of fullness too quickly after eating.

Satiety index cannot distinguish between food ingredients. The measurement of the satiety index is only based on the comparison of satiety that is felt by a person, but the types of food used have different contents, and that means they have different functions as well. For example, fruits may score higher than starchy foods, but they have different functions. Fruit has fiber that can maintain energy when used, but processed flour has simple carbohydrates that provide energy reserves which are not used directly.

Everyone's fullness can be different. Determining whether someone is still hungry or not is complex because it is influenced by various things such as hormonal reactions, eating habits, and activity levels. Despite the score satiety index in types of foods that tend to be high, meeting the needs of calories and balanced nutrition is still necessary, especially if you undergo energy-draining activities.