Toronto, Aug 6 (IANS): One full serving a day of beans, peas, chickpeas or lentils can increase fullness, which may lead to less food cravings and more weight loss, says a study.
“People felt 31 percent fuller after eating on average 160 grams of dietary pulses compared with a control diet,” said John Sievenpiper from St. Michael's Hospital in Canada.
Pulses have a low glycemic index (meaning that they are foods that break down slowly) and can be used to reduce or displace animal protein as well as “bad” fats such as trans fat in a dish or meal.
Around 90 percent of weight loss interventions fail, resulting in weight regain, which may be due in part to hunger and food cravings, Sievenpiper noted.
Knowing which foods make people feel fuller longer may help them lose weight and keep it off.
The findings that pulses make people feel fuller was true across various age categories and Body Mass Indexes (BMI).
Sievenpiper's systematic review and meta-analysis included nine clinical trials involving 126 participants out of more than 2,000 papers screened.
The study appeared in the the journal Obesity.