Filling Up Longer, Take Note Of These 9 Foods For The Suhoor And Iftar Menu

Illustration of filling food for fasting (Unsplash/Brooke Lark)

YOGYAKARTA – Food menus can be created from quality ingredients. For the Ramadan fasting menu, you can choose from filling ingredients. Calorie count is key, but it is advisable to choose ingredients and foods with complex carbohydrates. Apart from being healthier, these options can help you minimize hunger until it is time to break your fast.

The feeling of fullness, reported by Healthline, Thursday, March 31, is a term that marks a reduced desire to eat after eating. Fullness was measured on a scale developed in a 1995 study that tested one serving of 240 calories from 38 different foods. The results of this study make a list of sequences with a score higher than 100 is considered a filling food and below 100 is considered less filling.

Apparently, filling foods are not only nutrient-dense or contain all the nutrients the body needs. Stuffing foods tend to be high in protein, high in fiber, high in water, low in energy or fat density, and whole, unprocessed foods. Here is a list of foods that you can take note of for the iftar and suhoor menus.

1. Boiled Potato

Potatoes cooked with the skin on, not peeled, contain good vitamins, including vitamin C and potassium. In addition, this filling food is also rich in water and carbohydrates, fiber, protein. Instead of eating bread, it's better to boil potatoes and complete it with lean grilled meat plus boiled vegetables.

Illustration of filling food for fasting (iStockphoto)

2. Eggs

Egg yolks contain the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which are beneficial for eye health. Eggs are also a high source of protein, including 9 types of essential amino acids. Besides helping to fill you up, eggs can also be processed into various dish creations. Starting from Pepes to Balado and spicy and sweet and sour.

3. Fish

A 2008 study, omega-3 fatty acids in fish can increase satiety in overweight people. Other studies have shown that the protein in fish has a stronger effect on satiety than other protein sources.

4. Soup

You can turn a dish into a soup in a number of ways. First, let the vegetables cut into small pieces so they fit in each bite. You can also process it into a thick soup, in which the vegetables are mashed and cooked. Soup is a filling food, either in liquid or thick form.

Illustration of filling food for fasting (iStockphoto)

5. Meat

Meat is also high in protein, such as eggs and fish. But meat, beef, in particular, came in at 176, behind eggs and fish. Well, for a filling dish made from meat, you can enjoy a bowl of soup with sliced meat. You can also roll potatoes with minced meat.

6. Vegetables

All kinds of vitamins, minerals, and good compounds from plants are contained in vegetables. Besides being high in fiber and water, vegetables are low in calories but help you feel full longer.

7. Nuts

Known as vegetables, chickpeas, peas, lentils, and peanuts belong to the legume family. They are high in fiber and vegetable protein but have a relatively low energy density.

8. Fruit

Fruit also has a low energy density, but is high in fiber and helps slow digestion so you feel full longer. Fruits like apples and oranges score very high on the satiety index. Even the score is higher than meat, between 200.

It should be noted, that eating fruit is the most appropriate whole. This means that you need to minimize processing it into juice, let alone adding it with added sugar.

9. Corn

Popcorn is made from high-fiber corn. Research has found that popcorn is more filling than potato chips. But pay attention in serving, avoid adding butter which contains high calories. Also, limit the addition of caramel sweetener so that the snack after breaking the fast remains healthy and filling.

That's a list of foods that you can prepare for iftar or suhoor. These foods, in addition to keeping your body getting energy intake, also reduce excessive hunger during fasting.