Wet food is a dieter's friend
Meals with the same number of calories and roughly same proportion of protein to carb can have vastly different outcomes to a diet.
A very good friend of mine a long time ago summed up an interesting difference in food choices. Some like wet food she said. Others preferred it dry. By wet she meant food in sauces. Dry food is just that - no adornment. So steak and chips versus steak in a creamy pepper sauce with new potatoes cooked in butter. You can work it out that both meals have the same amount of calories and same ratio of protein to carb. But one will leaving you feeling far more satisfied and full than the other. This may not be the case for everyone but for me it definitely is. It’s why I’d rather have a curry or a chilli than chicken and chips. I’d rather have steak swimming in a rich creamy sauce than steak served naked!
I only noticed this recently when I had salmon with chips for tea. I felt just as hungry after I’d finished as when I started. I wanted more food. I needed more food. The following day I had a curry. I worked out it was precisely the same amount of calories and protein to carb ratio. Yet despite this I felt far fuller after the curry and the full feeling lasted. Maybe it’s also to do with the spices in a curry or chilli? Bland food is many a dieter’s downfall. We can’t eat that many calories if we’re trying to lose weight. So best to make very one count, eat as deliciously as you can. Spicy food also means you really register that you’ve eaten!
When I asked on Facebook if fellow dieters found a difference between wet and dry food I got a lot of very interesting responses, which is always nice. But one person seemed to get to the heart of the matter. They wrote: “It's the ease of absorbing it into your blood I think. It also hydrates you, so two hits with one meal.” Perfect! Another respondent wrote: “If the sauce is made with onions or leeks they are both excellent at making you feel full. I live on curry.” Spot on!
It’s bizarre that after years of dieting I never realised this simple fact. Wet food fills you for far longer and makes you feel more satisfied, as if you’ve really had a decent meal. It’s why sandwiches, for me, don’t work unless I’m stuck somewhere and can’t get anything else. It’s why salmon, delicious though it is, and even when served with chips (see pic) doesn’t do nearly as good a job at filling me up as chilli with rice (see pic). Same number of calories. Same amount of protein. Completely different reaction.
And desserts are the same. Fruit on its own isn’t nearly as satisfying and enjoyable as fruit served with Greek yoghurt or an occasional treat of a warm chocolate brownie served with cream. We need our treats and if you have a sweet tooth you’ll enjoy an indulgence of yoghurt or cream.
I said on my last Substack that I wouldn’t write again till I’d lost four pounds. Reader, I did! In fact I did it last week so only took me three weeks to lose four pounds. I’ve kind of stayed there now but that’s fine for a while. A plateau can work in your favour as well as against you!
I’m going to use my next Substack to write a review of the latest Strike book The Running Grave. There’s a reason why it’s appropriate for a dieting blog. Tune in to find out why! And no spoilers, I promise!
Happy saucy eating!