Plagued by midnight ice cream binges? Grabbing a bag of chips to beat that after-lunch blood-sugar crash? Don’t blame your willpower; blame your breakfast. What you eat—and when—can help you curb cravings and keep your appetite in check, a number of studies have shown, and sometimes it’s not for the reasons you think. You could be deficient in certain minerals, and it may be that too many toxic chemicals are building up on your system. Whatever it is, we’ve dug up six foods that will help you fight off a ravenous appetite and keep your beach-ready body all year long.

 

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are full of protein and fiber, which delay your body’s digestion of nutrients. When digestion slows down, it takes longer for blood-sugar-spiking carbohydrates to get into your bloodstream, and that keeps hunger at bay. Don’t fancy chickpeas? You’ll get the same benefit from any bean you do like, according to Purdue University scientists.

try Chicken-Chickpea Harira

I first tasted this soup in Fes, Morocco, where it was made with lamb. Since then I have tasted it with beef, lamb, and chicken. The latter is exceptional in dark-meat form, even winning over people who say they don’t like dark meat. Chickpeas help spread the dish to a larger number of people without needing to add more meat. Chickpeas also give it great texture and fiber, making it as nutritional as it is delicious. Turmeric and saffron are both added—each for color but the turmeric for its savoriness, the saffron for its nice aroma and flavor. The two types of tomatoes used here are for both taste and thickening.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cracked peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 1/2-inch piece cinnamon stick
• 2 large red onions, finely diced
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat, cut into small cubes
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups boxed or canned chopped tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, toasted and finely ground
• 1 teaspoon Toasted Cumin Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil with the peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon stick in a large pot over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the onions and cook until they’re soft and lightly browned around the edges (about 3 to 5 minutes), stirring often.  Add the chicken and cook until the meat releases its liquid and the pan dries (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally.

2. Mix in the turmeric, Aleppo or cayenne pepper, and salt and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes release their juices (about 3 1/2 minutes), stirring often and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chickpeas, the boxed or canned tomatoes, and the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes. Stir in the saffron, Toasted Cumin Powder, Garam Masala or ras el hanout herb blend, and cilantro. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Makes 8 servings

 

Vinegar

White wine, red wine, balsamic, or champagne—eating vinegar with a predinner salad can keep you from overeating and craving dessert. The acetic acid in this flavorful condiment deactivates amylase, an enzyme that turns carbohydrates into sugar. As a result, your body will digest those carbs you’re eating more slowly, and you’re less likely to crave that bowl of ice cream before you go to bed.

try: Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Red Onions with Balsamic Vinegar

Serves: 8
Prep:  6 min
Cook: 24 min
Total: 30 min

Ingredients   
1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb red onions, thickly sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions
1. Heat oven to 450˚F. Line large baking sheet with  foil.

2. Spread brussels sprouts in single layer on prepared pan and toss with oil. Roast in upper third of oven, stirring occasionally, 12 minutes.

3. Add onions to pan, tossing to combine, and roast until vegetables are tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Drizzle with vinegar, tossing to combine, and roast 2 minutes longer. Transfer to serving bowl and season to taste with sea salt and pepper.

Nutritional Facts per serving
Calories    85.5 cal
Fat    2 g
Saturated fat    0.3 g
Cholesterol    0 mg
Sodium    24.1 mg
Carbohydrates    15.4 g
Total sugars    6.1 g
Dietary fiber    4.2 g
Protein    3.5 g

Dark Chocolate

Curb cravings with candy? It is possible! According to a study in the journal Nutrition and Diabetes, a 3.5-ounce serving of dark chocolate can leave you feeling full and actually less desirous of other junk food, thanks to its intense flavor. Dark chocolate also has a higher content of cocoa butter, which your body digests more slowly than the butter fat found in milk chocolate. That curbs your appetite and allows you to feel full for a longer period of time.

try: Fudgy Dark Chocolate-Raspberry Brownies

Serves: 8
Prep:  12 min
Total: 1 hr 10 min

Ingredients

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg white
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Press parchment paper into the bottom of a 9″ x 9″ baking pan, making sure there is enough paper to overhang two opposite edges. Coat generously with cooking spray and dust lightly with flour.

2. Combine the chocolate and margarine in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool 2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the whole eggs, egg white, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Whisk the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture, stirring until combined. Gently fold in the raspberries. Pour the batter into the pan.

4. Bake for 48 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment from the pan and cool completely on a rack. Cut into 16 squares and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving.

Nutritional Facts per serving
Calories    360.7 cal
Fat    17.4 g
Saturated fat    8 g
Cholesterol    52.9 mg
Sodium    169.2 mg
Carbohydrates    49.9 g
Total sugars    41.1 g
Dietary fiber    3.2 g
Protein    5 g

 

Broccoli
Food cravings are often generated by a lack of chromium, a mineral that carries glucose (blood sugar) into your cells where it’s burned for energy. Thanks to our heavy reliance on food processing, which lowers chromium levels found naturally in things like whole grains, pepper, and vegetables, many people are chromium-deficient. And that can make you hungry. Broccoli has the highest chromium content of any food—eat a half-cup at dinner and you’ll get nearly half of what you need in a day—but the mineral also exists in trace amounts in nearly all fruits and vegetables.

Milk (not for everybody)

Swig a glass of milk in the morning, and you’re less likely to overeat at lunch, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In fact, the milk drinkers in the study ate 55 fewer calories at lunch than people who opted for fruit juice. What it is in milk that helps stave off hunger isn’t clear, says Michael Zemel, Ph.D., director of the University of Tennessee Nutrition Institute and the author of several other studies looking at dairy’s affect on weight management. It could be protein, it could be the fat content, or it could be the way that calcium interacts with your hormones. Regardless, drinking milk in the morning and eating dairy products throughout the day can do wonders for your waistline, he says.