Satisfying hunger can be hard when certain foods leave you wanting more. To dig deeper into the science behind it, we asked seven nutritionists to reveal why some foods mean you don’t register fullness as effectively, ultimately leading to overeating. Whether they lack certain nutrients to keep you satisfied or are easy to eat too quickly, the reasons can vary (and may surprise you).
We also feature simple swaps to help you feel fuller for longer and maintain steady energy throughout the day, ensuring you enjoy satisfying snacks and meals without compromising on flavour or nourishment.
1. Breakfast biscuits
“Breakfast biscuits are often marketed as a convenient morning option, but they tend to be high in refined carbohydrates and sugars, with relatively little protein or fibre,” Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a registered dietitian and author of How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed explains. “This means they’re digested quickly, leading to a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar levels, which can leave you feeling hungry again not long after eating.”
“Although often marketed as an on-the-go healthy option, many breakfast biscuits contain added sugars, preservatives and additives,” says Gopi Chandratheva, registered nutritionist. “Like other low-protein, high-sugar foods, they provide a quick burst of energy but lack the nutrients needed for sustained fullness, meaning hunger can creep back quickly. Some breakfast biscuits can contain up to 4 teaspoons of sugar.”
“Breakfast biscuits are generally a mix of refined white carbohydrate and sugar,” says registered dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood. “These ingredients are digested quickly and therefore you will feel hungry again quickly afterwards. Some contain a small amount of protein and fibre, which counteracts this, but the amounts are generally very minimal”.
What to eat instead
“A more filling alternative would be something like overnight oats or porridge made with milk (and/or yogurt or kefir), topped with berries and nuts or seeds. This combination provides slow-releasing carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats, which help keep you fuller for longer and support more stable energy levels throughout the morning,” Nichola says.
“A nutritious substitute would be a homemade flapjack or breakfast muffin made with oats, nuts and seeds and fruit,” Gopi adds. “Opt for breakfast biscuits which contain low sugars, or breakfast bars made with fruit, nuts and oats; read the ingredients and opt for products with the green traffic light label which means low. Opting for a plainer version of breakfast biscuits and combining it with some yogurt and fruit can help promote satiety with more fibre and protein. Also think about the quantity you are consuming.”
“A better option would be oats with Greek yogurt, berries and seeds,” Clare says. “This provides protein, calcium, omegas and fibre. If you need something really fast, spreading a wholewheat biscuit with soft cheese, banana and a sprinkle of seeds is a good choice.”
2. Sugary cereals
“Supermarket aisles are laden with brightly packaged, sugary cereals. While they can seem like an easy breakfast, they are notorious for leaving you hungry by mid‑morning. That’s because they are often high in refined carbohydrates and added sugars, which are digested quickly and cause a rapid rise (and fall) in blood sugar levels. When blood sugars plummet, hunger hormones kick in,” explains Jo Williams, a registered nutritionist.
“Many breakfast cereals are low in fibre and protein. This makes them less satisfying and more likely to lead to mid-morning hunger. They’re also easy to eat quickly, which can mean you don’t register fullness as effectively,” explains Nichola.
What to eat instead
“Swapping to a high-fibre cereal such as Weetabix, low-sugar granola or a bran-based option, ideally paired with milk (dairy or soya), yogurt or kefir and some fruit, can make a big difference. The added fibre and protein help slow digestion and promote satiety, keeping you fuller for longer,” says Nichola.
“A more filling alternative is porridge made with jumbo oats, milk and topped with nuts, seeds, nut butter or yogurt. Oats contain soluble fibre (beta‑glucan), which slows digestion, steadies blood sugar and helps you feel satisfied for longer, especially when combined with protein and healthy fats from the milk, yogurt and nuts,” Jo explains.
“Sugary cereals can also contribute to poor concentration. A better option is shredded wheat paired with yogurt, fruit, nuts and seeds,” Gopi adds. “When it comes to choosing a nutritious cereal, read the ingredients, opt for plain versions and top it with fruit. Cereals like granola can contain a lot of added sugar in different forms, like syrups or honey. If you really prefer a sweet cereal, opt for a smaller quantity or combine it with a more nutritious one.”
3. Cake
“We all love cake and it can be enjoyed in moderation,” says Summra Nasir, a public health nutritionist. “Cake belongs to the refined sugars and ultra-processed food category, which means it’s high in sugar, saturated fat and other additives. It can leave you feeling hungrier because it’s high in refined sugar and simple carbohydrates, which cause a rapid spike in blood sugar followed by a quick drop or crash. This often triggers hunger again. It also lacks protein and fibre, two nutrients that help keep you fuller for longer.”
“Cake is typically made from refined flour, sugar and fat, which makes it energy-dense but not particularly filling,” Nichola adds. “While it can provide a quick energy boost, it lacks the nutrients needed to sustain fullness, so hunger can return quite quickly.”
What to eat instead
“If you’re looking for something sweet but more satisfying, options like kefir with fruit and a handful of nuts topped with a drizzle of honey, or even a slice of homemade banana bread made with wholegrain flour and added protein (e.g. eggs or yogurt), can help,” says Nichola. “These provide a better balance of nutrients to support fullness while still hitting that sweet craving.”
Summra recommends a bowl of Greek yogurt, with nuts, seeds and fruit as a more filling alternative: “It provides a balance of protein, healthy fats, natural sugars and fibre that slows digestion, stabilises blood sugar levels and helps you feel satisfied for a longer period.”
4. White pasta
“White pasta is often higher in refined sugars and considered less healthy because it’s made from refined grains that have had most of their fibre and nutrients removed, meaning it’s digested quickly and can cause a rapid rise in blood sugar followed by a drop that may leave you feeling hungry again. It lacks the nutrients that help keep you full and support steady energy levels,” Summra says.
“A bowl of white pasta is classic comfort food, and forms the bulk of many family meals, but it’s another refined carbohydrate that the body breaks down rapidly into glucose,” adds Jo Williams. “Without much fibre or protein on its own, it can leave you feeling hungry not long after eating.”
What to eat instead
Jo suggests swapping to wholewheat pasta or pulse‑based pasta (like lentil or chickpea) for a noticeable difference: “These options contain more fibre and protein, which slow digestion, support gut health and help meals feel more substantial. Even more so when paired with vegetables and a protein-rich sauce.”
“Wholewheat pasta retains more of the grain’s nutrients, keeping blood sugar more stable, and make you feel fuller for longer. Or opt for basmati rice, which is also higher in fibre,” says Summra.
5. Fruit-flavoured/low-fat yogurt
“Yogurt is a fantastic source of calcium and protein so it’s generally thought of as a healthy food. However, flavoured yogurts, including fruit-flavoured ones, can be really high in sugar. This isn’t great for teeth, but also can cause blood sugar to spike,” says Jo Travers, registered dietitian from The London Nutritionist. “When blood sugar spikes, it always crashes, and that’s when we get hungry. Perhaps surprisingly, this is exacerbated in low-fat yogurt because fat actually slows down absorption of sugar into the bloodstream and fat is satisfying so keeps us fuller for longer.”
“When the fat is removed during processing to get a low-fat yogurt, it alters the composition of the yogurt overall,” says Frankie Phillips, dietician and public health nutritionist. “Fat has a role to play in recognising signs of fullness; it is a satiating nutrient. Consequently, a low-fat yogurt may not keep you feeling full for as long as a full-fat version.”
What to eat instead
“My advice is go for a Greek yogurt which is high in protein, contains some fat, and doesn’t have any added sugars. Even better, add some fruit and nuts to it to keep you going for hours,” says Jo.
“Go for a full-fat yogurt, or one with higher amounts of protein, such as Skyr or Greek yogurt,” says Frankie.
6. White bread
“When you remove the bran from wheat to get white flour, you are removing the fibre part. This means the carbohydrate gets digested really quickly, again spiking blood sugar,” says Jo Travers.
“White bread’s softer texture means it doesn’t take too long to chew and digest,” says Frankie, “with some breakdown of the starch beginning even in the mouth with the presence of salivary amylase enzyme. This means that it is easy to eat white bread without feeling full for very long.”
What to eat instead
Jo recommends sourdough bread, which is fermented slowly by microbes which change its structure, which means it is less likely to spike blood sugar: “If you can’t get sourdough, wholemeal bread is better than white because it contains the fibre still, which is more filling,” Jo adds.
“Aim for seeded or wholegrain breads, which boost nutrient content as well as being higher in fibre and more filling,” says Frankie.
7. Crisps
“Potatoes are fairly high on the glycaemic index meaning they get digested quickly. They also don’t contain much else other than carbohydrate so aren’t a particularly satisfying food,” Jo Travers explains.
What to eat instead
If you are planning on eating crisps, Jo recommends having them with dips: “Dipping your crisps in hummus for example will give you some fibre, protein and iron to go with your carbs. Or you could have guacamole which, although it doesn’t have the protein or iron, does have good fats which are satisfying and still lots of filling fibre.”
8. Sweets
“Sweets are so easy to eat – they don’t take much effort to break down by digestive enzymes as they are mostly sugar,” says Frankie. “As sweets are highly palatable, it’s easy to eat them in larger quantities; they don’t usually contain any of the nutrients which contribute to fullness signals, such as fibre, fat and protein. The sugar is rapidly absorbed into the blood as glucose.”
What to eat instead
“Try dried fruit instead for a hit of sweetness but with a bonus of fibre and micronutrients,” says Frankie.
“Opt for Medjool dates instead of sweets, as they are naturally sweet, high in fibre and packed with nutrients,” Summra says. “They provide vitamins and minerals such as potassium and antioxidants, making them a more nourishing choice, whereas many sweets contain mostly added sugars and offer little nutritional value. This means you get more sustained energy and health benefits, rather than just empty calories.”
“In the UK 96% of us aren’t reaching our daily fibre requirements (30g/day), and by making these healthy food swaps you will be supporting your gut health, heart health and brain health, helping to prevent the onset of illness and disease,” Summra continues.
9. Pastries and croissants
“Croissants and pastries are essentially white flour, sugar and butter, with a few additions such as dried fruit or chocolate,” says Clare Thornton-Wood. “The higher fat content does slow digestion a little, but not enough to counteract the high levels of refined carbohydrates. There is almost no protein or fibre in croissants and pastries.”
“Pastries and croissants may feel indulgent and satisfying in the moment but they can contain high amounts of saturated fat, sugar and salt and often have a low nutrition value in terms of fibre and protein,” Gopi says. “A sweet pastry can cause our blood sugars to spike and drop quickly, leaving us hungrier and less full. It’s fine to have the odd pastry and croissant and enjoy it in moderation.”
What to eat instead
“Opt for a savoury pastry with a cheese and vegetable filling, or a plain croissant with eggs and tomatoes. This will provide fibre and protein to keep you full and also provide some nutrition,” Gopi adds. “A more nutritional swap would be wholemeal toast topped with eggs. The combination of fibre from the bread and protein from the eggs slows digestion and helps stabilise blood sugars, keeping you fuller for longer.”
“If you really want a sweet pastry, try and opt for ones with some fruit in the pastry and have it with some yogurt, or have a plain one with fruit on the side to keep you more satisfied.”
“An alternative would be banana bread made with wholemeal flour, or ‘breakfast cake’ made with oats, eggs, cottage cheese and berries,” says Clare. “For a savoury alternative, try Spanish omelette. This is really easy to make in the air fryer and you can add any vegetables (spring onions, beetroot, pepper, spinach) that you have in the fridge. Allow to cook, cut into squares and store in the fridge ready for breakfast.”
10. Granola bars
“Granola bars are similar to breakfast biscuits, with high levels of sugar and refined carbohydrates, although those containing oats provide some soluble fibre which will help with satiety,” Clare tells me. “Generally though they provide high levels of sugar, which causes insulin to spike and then drop quickly, triggering hunger signals. Many of them are actually relatively low in calories and therefore don’t really provide sufficient calories for breakfast.”
What to eat instead
“Portable alternatives include making your own granola bars with oats, nut butter, nuts and seeds, or having a slice of seeded toast with nut butter and a pot of Greek yogurt (fold the toast in half to make it portable),” Clare Thornton-Wood says.
