First off, just general info...I turn 18 in a few weeks, I've been a vegan for five years, I'm 5'6" and weigh 108 lbs...

I don't have a consistent diet; I tend to experiment with foods for kicks. This week, I tried making fruit smoothies with strawberries/bananas, lite soymilk, and soy yogurt. I didn't put a whole lot in them, but for some reason, these smoothies make me feel stuffed.

Not that that's a bad thing; it's just that I was under the impression that only high-calorie items will make you feel that full, certainly not liquids. Why are they so filling? Did I calculate it wrong, and they're actually high-calorie?

I don't find it surprising at all that your smoothie was so filling.

In fact, less calorie dense foods can often fill someone up faster than those that are higher calorie. Take, for example, oil. Oil is very calorie dense. One tablespoon of oil contains 14 grams of fat and about 130 calories. Compare that to, say, strawberries, which are very light. One cup of strawberry slices contains about 50 calories.

Now tell me, which would make you feel fuller? A tablespoon of oil (about 14 grams) or a cup of strawberries (166 grams)?

Another reason why your smoothies fill you up is water. 150 grams of that 166 of strawberries is water. The higher the water content, the more filling.

So even though that oil has nearly three times the amount of calories, the strawberries will fill you up sooner and keep you full longer.

Isn't nutrition fun?

High calorie items are not the only thing that will fill you up. Why do you think so many diets insist on salads and veggies as a main staple? Low calorie and filling. Water is another drink that will definately fill you up and it has no cals either.

I agree with Goya, though..your smoothie doesn't seem like it would be filling. Maybe its the froth or air bubbles from blending that fill you up. Basically, getting full is a matter of the density of the food. The more room it takes up or the heavier it is, the fuller you will get. Lettuce, for example, is filling because it takes up a lot of space- it has nothing to do with calories really.

Just a side note: at 5'6 and 108lbs you are severely underweight..have you always been this way or is this a fairly recent thing.. and do you get your period and everything?

How long did you feel stuffed after the smoothies?
My guess is it was only very temporary?

Kathrin

Just a side note: at 5'6 and 108lbs you are severely underweight..have you always been this way or is this a fairly recent thing.. and do you get your period and everything?

I've always been this way, and yes, I still have a regular period and everything...People tell me I'm skinny, but I guess I can attribute it to the fact that I'm a vegan. Anyway, I could probably put on 10 lbs. if I wanted to, but I consider myself healthy at the weight I'm at.