Lifestyle

If You Want To Feel Full For Longer, Drink This Type Of Liquid

by Talia Koren
Guille Faingold

Do you ever wonder why drinking a frappuccino makes you feel so full?

Turns out, there's a research-backed reason that some foods of the liquid variety leave you hungrier than others. It has nothing to do with the calories, but everything to do with the consistency and thickness.

A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition had researchers evaluate and monitor hunger levels of participants after they drank watery or thick milkshakes. The milkshakes were either 100 or 500 calories and were made up of the same ingredients.

They found that both the watery 100 and 500-calorie milkshakes left participants hungrier than the thicker 100 and 500-calorie shakes.

So basically, a thicker shake had some kind of placebo effect on participants. It's almost like they tricked their stomachs and brains into feeling fuller -- in spite of the calorie amount.

What this means is that calories alone aren't going to affect your hunger levels. The researchers call this experience of feeling like you ate more than you actually consumed "phantom fullness."

So for all you green juice enthusiasts out there, it could be worth blending your greens with ice to thicken them up.

I tested this thicker liquid thing out myself yesterday when I hit up the Juice Shop for dinner. Instead of going for a green juice in a bottle, I splurged for a green shake. It was considerably thicker in consistency compared to a juice and I felt so full I had a hard time finishing it. And I'm a girl who loves to eat.

This is good news for people trying to cut calories. If your beverages or liquids are still making you feel hungry, you don't need to add more calories, just change the consistency.

Citations: The Type of Food That Tricks You Into Feeling 'Phantom Fullness' (NY Mag), Empty calories and phantom fullness: a randomized trial studying the relative effects of energy density and viscosity on gastric emptying determined by MRI and satiety (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)