What are your favorite low(er) calorie, low calorie-per-volume-ratio, or appetite-suppressing foods?

#1
  • almond/macademia milks. They are SO filling. they just make you pee a lot. Make sure to get low-calcium versions…
  • Tomatoes and cucumbers (easy to snack on, low bitterness). Tomatoes are really a fruit with a calorie density lower than many vegetables. Greenhouse/Canadian tomatoes have much lower pesticide than Mexican tomatoes.
  • carrots (super-cheap)
  • Salsa. It’s the best vegetable dip ever. Or I just drink out of the jar. Has vinegar. Black bean salsa can help satiate cravings that salsa alone cannot.
  • mustard (very low calorie flavor), also very juicy and substitutes for a lot of other cravings
  • Strawberries. Calorie-density of a vegetable, tho they do spike my glucose. Very pesticide-heavy.
  • wild apples (more bitter, before they got bred to be sweet)
  • ALL the vegetables (goes without saying, though some are hard to snack on as fast-food). Broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes => easiest to use as fast food. Everything is easier in an instant pot (or you can put a bunch of water over them and boil them => you’ll hear it when the water boils/pours over and then they’re ready). I prefer electric stoves over gas stoves b/c safer. Most cruciferous vegetables have lower pesticide loads.
  • pickled vegetables. VERY tasty and can substitute for other cravings. Just beware of the emulsifier polysorbate 80. Has vinegar. The processing can reduce pesticide load. Also, pickled cucumbers can irritate the stomach lining - Podcast: What Is H. Pylori? - YouTube
  • mangoes. More sucrose than any other fruit so you can blunt the glucose spike with acarbose (which is cheaper and more immediately applicable than SGLT2 inhibitors)
  • VEGETABLE SOUP (too bad they’re hard to buy in stores, and costs can easily blow up with volume). Costs don’t blow up with volume in Ivy League dining halls
  • in Ivy League dining halls, it’s easy to get large amounts of sauteed vegetables (they also sautee them in MUFAs)
  • if you’re friends with some people in CR Society, you can sometimes enjoy their super-specially prepared vegetables (too bad I don’t have the time to prepare them)
  • anything with vinegar (enhances glycemic control, helps one fill full)
  • keto bread. A lot of them have lots of psyllium husk/insoluble fiber. Whole foods has nobagels. ThinSlim foods has some.
  • things sweetened with sugar alcohols (tho really, who needs sweeteners?)

Lower-calorie substitutes for other food (or just super-healthy food)

  • Silken tofu has 45 cal/85 grams (much less than regular tofu for some reason)
  • Slimcado. Can substitute for fat/nut cravings
  • POSSIBLY corn bran (lots of insoluble fiber). Supposedly lower-calorie than wheat bran (only from one source). I felt knocked out after consuming them => not a good indication of “low-calorie” b/c I know when too many carbs knock me out.
  • beans/lentils => combine with acarbose and the blood sugar spike is super-low. Can be used as a primary source of calories.
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#2

Ribeye by far, nutritious, healthy and very satiating

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#3

Absolutely no need to avoid high calorie foods. Eggs, avocado and dark chocolate are my staples.

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#4

OH GLYCINE IS AN APPETITE SUPPRESSANT?!?!? ugh I should try it more

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#5

I’ve taken glycine and never noticed any appetite suppressant effects. Metformin was much more powerful in this area.

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#6

Glycine is a wonder supplement.

You wonder why you didn’t start taking it earlier!

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#7

is a salsa I’m beginning to really like (more than other salsas). I think in the near-term I’m going to abstain from everything except nut milk, vegetables, fruit, and salsa (abstaining from beans is tough at first but doable).

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#8

tapenades are great dips for veggies (+ultra healthy+often come in glass containers). I ate tomatoes+mushrooms+onions+cauliflower today, and NONE of them did anything to make me feel full. I then dipped mushrooms in tapenade AT LAST and it did it.

#9

A difference of 110 calories in a single day can make a lot of difference in epigenetic age

The easiest way is to use nicotine gum when hungry but not every day

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#10

If you are having a little brain fog, a shot of nicotine from gum or a patch will help.

Surprisingly it appears that nicotine by itself is not particularly habit forming.

“But as laboratory scientists know, getting mice or other animals hooked on nicotine all by its lonesome is dauntingly difficult.”

I keep some nicotine gum around and use it occasionally before undertaking a difficult mental task.

"To my knowledge, nicotine is the most reliable cognitive enhancer that we currently have, bizarrely,” said Jennifer Rusted, professor of experimental psychology at Sussex University in Britain when we spoke. “The cognitive-enhancing effects of nicotine in a normal population are more robust than you get with any other agent. With Provigil, for instance, the evidence for cognitive benefits is nowhere near as strong as it is for nicotine.”

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#11

Ratatouille!! Perfect combo of ingredients though some overload on the oil

Hmm I sometimes think that fake meat/tofu products can make up for nut binges. I binged on 500g of roasted peanuts yesterday…(no other choices though).

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Also… https://www.vitalia.com.mk/en/product-category/specialized-products/keto-products/

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In Macedonia, the keto products are actually CHEAP, unlike the keto breads in the US… (eg nobagel)

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Of the french supermarkets, carrefour is my favorite (I like it more than monoprix). It has cheap glass jars of A LOT of vegetables (not in cans/plastic, can be used as fast food, AND filling in a way that raw vegetables are often not filling)

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Alex K. Chen metabolic / CGM progress (my "everything in longevity" thread)
#12

THIS is as close to cuisinic perfection as it gets. 27 calories per 100 grams (or 122.58 calories per lb). I found it only in a single Carrefour City store in the Latin Quarter…

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#13

But really, Mt Hagen instant coffee (why I have not discovered this earlier, I do not know - it would have prevented the plot-altering nicotine overdose this year). Some brands of instant coffee are higher-quality and lower-acrylamide.

Coffee makes appetite suppression trivial and zero-effort + is pro-longevity in its own right. Tea too, though instant coffee can be done w/o even boiling water (for someone who wants to minimize effort on most things + figures out the low-effort/low-willpower strategy for longevity [the opposite of the crsociety peepz])

pair with 100mg modafinil for synergistic appetite suppression

Ugh, caffeine pills don’t work great enough for me, and I know from conferences and Harvard that drinking LOADS of coffee works great for my alertness. Coffee-makers are too bulky. Why didn’t I discover this simple solution earlier, why didn’t I?

ive recently been pouring olive oil on top of cheap coleslaw - it makes the coleslaw tasty and is much less addicting than nut binges.

ive been back from europe for a week now. europe was a lot of exercise, and my weight was 100 upon arrival (despite intermittent binging on nuts and fake meat => some european fake meat, esp the Swiss kind, is quite delicious even though it’s better to just eat tofu). i overate some foods after arrival but weight is still roughly stable (and now I bought soymilk which should curb appetite, ESP on top of mt hagen coffee). It is higher-calorie density than nut milks though [and SURPRISE - is surprisingly high in soybean oil, so nut milks are still healthier than soymilk].

===

I discovered this a few days ago at target (Arnold keto bread): https://www.starmarket.com/shop/product-details.970116752.html . Soybean oil AND sunflower flour (this means omega-6). It is so easy to eat 1200 calories of this in one go (as I did twice)… (modified wheat starch is the second ingredient) Need to figure out calories per gram of this

Also I discovered this today:

(NOTE: ONE FORMULATION OF THIS HAS FULLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL - Franz Bakery | Products ). IDK WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT THE TARGET VERSION… (the one I bought at target does not say “hydrogenated soybean oil” BUT the target.com version says it is)

Most likely it’s trashier than the keto bread at whole foods and thinslimfoods (even if it’s the cheapest keto bread available)

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https://archive.vn/Iyvry#selection-2074.0-2078.1

The fiber-rich foods are the best, esp the 2 calories/gram stuff… It’s unknown if fiber in bean calories count as 4 calories/gram or lower. Navy beans have 20 grams of fiber per cup (the highest fiber count of all) - but the 365 brands form only has 12g fiber per cup (and 18g fiber per cup in its black beans)

=

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#14

There are some books on dietary fiber!

Silk soymilk is 640 calories per 1.89L carton (much of it protein). Way more than almond/macademia milk (2x that of almond milk) but I have to use it for the near-term

70 calories per 240 mL (just 10 less than silk) is in 365 everyday brands AND whole foods soymilk… They don’t dilute soymilk enough.

#15

Shirataki/miracle noodles. They are a low-calorie miracle, only that they don’t really get digested (you don’t want to eat too much at once b/c indigestion) and they’re always packaged in the most suspicious sharp plastics ever (I’d buy them in abundance if not for the plastics issue - fortunately I guess I have enough vegetables to distract myself with).

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THIS is the most common food I’ve been consuming over the past month (mostly because it’s very cheap - the cheapest to order off amazon):

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[it is HELLA addicting when you add olive oil over it]. Yeah the plastics are a concern but amazon prime doesn’t allow for much else (and the plastics don’t seem that shardy like water-bottle plastics - like - not all plastics are equally “evil” and certain plastics just “feel” much worse than others [like pointier microplastics from waterbottles/shirataki seem more likely to insert themselves into cell membranes, and polyethylene/propropylene plastics seem more “benign” than ones made of weirder materials - never mind that you want to avoid them if you still can]).

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#17

small handful of raw pistachios, feels full but not bloated

used to love peanut butter, but as I got older I developed an intolerance to the Lectin it contains and had to stop

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#18

I strongly go back against Arnold bread or any “keto bread” made of modified wheat starch - they spiked my glucose like crazy. Anything with oat fiber (eg thinslim foods bread) is still okay.

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#19

Of all the Bush’s Blue Zones soup, this is the lowest calorie density

Bush says that took BPA out of its cans as of 2 years ago

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#20

It’s really raw cloves. If I feel like I’m almost full but still horridly hungry, it can be enough to seal the hunger. Just chewing a few can do a lot for appetite because they are JUST on the right gradient of bitterness to matter (and to maximize ORAC)

Note that I don’t put much emphasis on vegetables here - it goes without saying that all vegetables count, but it’s not always easy to be in the mood to eat them.

Vinegar supposedly helps too (it’s in both salsa and mustard) though it also involves risk to teeth

#21

my favorite filling food, that gives me hours of not feeling hungry… my morning oatmeal is 1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/3 cup milk, 2/3 cups water… some salt, when cooked served with some fruits, maybe a teaspoon honey… 150/200 calories

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#22

not the lowest calorie, but everything in it is super-healthy

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#23

With acarbose you can eat anything, but you will pay in other ways, my favorite:

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#24

When I’ve travelled in India i love the lentil dishes… but I had never gotten into cooking lentils before. A few weeks ago I decided to try cooking them at home after reading about Bryan Johnson’s meals and have found them really good and tasty and easy.

@AlexKChen you should try these. It takes about 20 minutes to boil lentils - then i put a little EV olive oil on them with some spices on top, and they taste great, very easy, very quick (and cheap).

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#25

this must be my all time favorite lentil dish… it is so quick, filling and warming.

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#26

For 1-2 years I pretty much ate only lentils, olive oil, broccoli etc. It wasn’t too bad cooked with spices and olives. In fact out of all beans it’s the best tasting one IMO, now just have to think about introducing them back into my diet.

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#27

I eat lentils multiple times per week. I find they go really well with turmeric and black pepper + evoo. Good protein/carb ratio, cheap, versatile, taste good (IMO).

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#28

I know it’s not the kind of answer you’re looking for, but Gatorade Zero has cut down daily calories for me a lot. I get cravings for sweet, cold drinks at night and those are all I let myself have.

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#29
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#30

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Way lower calorie densities than standard bean recipes (and even the nobagel). Still more expensive than them (though still way less expensive than restaurant food)

Nature’s Path Organic Keto Cereal
Really though, cherry tomatoes from trader joe’s are the best…

Tragically, the liked items on this forum seem to be biased towards many people who just want to use rapamycin to cover up their otherwise-terrible diet…

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0992WBN26?psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp

770 calories per bag (and still filled me for now), which is lower than calories from catalina crunch bags

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I had zero glycemic spike from an entire bag of catalina crunch, which is more than what I can say from what I get from blueberries.

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#31

Not sure if I am the only one. But I remember feeling very satiated after adding green banana flour to my smoothie.

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#32

I am increasingly skeptical of processed food after reading the high heat => DNA damage paper.

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#33

Statins :white_check_mark: Rapamycin :white_check_mark: Terrible diet :white_check_mark: Multivitamin :white_check_mark:

Perfection

#34

I find Pacific Foods Butternut Squash Soup to be exceptionally filling. It probably has many issues, but I can be ready to eat everything in the house and I know if I have one cup of this (eaten somewhat slowly and with plenty of water on the side) I will be good to go.

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#35

It’s probably more like different diets work for different people. What would be a horrible diet for you (or me) might be the diet someone else thrives on. I eat a 99% whole/natural foods diet personally but realize that doesn’t mean everyone needs to do that nor does it make me superior or inferior to anyone else who chooses or needs to eat differently.

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#36

I’ve tried a whole natural plant foods diet, and it’s reaaaly hard to get calories in. Literally a struggle to figure out how to get enough calories. I’d rather not stress about being too low weight, in case there’s a war or something. Seems like that will age one much quicker than not worrying about food unless it’s warranted (like for apoB levels).

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#37

@AnUser, I have to include animal foods (even meat) to get enough nutrients because of numerous food intolerances and gut issues I developed after a 50 day course of antibiotics. Before that I was primarily vegan and it worked well for me. That’s why I no longer judge the way others need to eat. I figure everyone here is intelligent enough to figure it out for themselves.

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#38

My go-to’s are rather traditional but they work when I am trying to cut calories. I allow myself to eat these items to satisfy real hunger as they are not desired by me when merely craving something “good”.

  • can of tuna in water
  • chewing gum with xylitol
  • hard boiled egg
  • carrot raw
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#39

You don’t really have that low of an opinion of your fellow forum members do you?

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#40

They make red lentil pasta that is pretty solid. Great source of fiber and protein.

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#41

Trader Joe’s Riced Cauliflower (also in a compostable bag so presumably there’s a chance the microplastics are less bad [not a guarantee…])

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Costeña-Nopalitos-cactus-tierno-29-8/dp/B0000GGHVA

Nopalitos tender cactus (from La Costena) => in glass containers too! Found in the mission. My only concern is that they’re imported from mexico, and growing standards in mexico are not as good (aka there’s higher chance of contamination, though one would hope that since they’re cacti, they may be grown farther from microplastic/pesticide-contamined areas - though I’m less sure about pesticides b/c Mexico produce has higher contamination)’

Prickly pear is also 185 calories/lb which is less than pear calories (still higher than strawberry calories, similar to peach calories)

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#42

This might not be for everyone, but I love raw broccoli and carrots dipped in sugar free bbq sauce + a little bit of ranch dressing.

#43

It’s not wrong. I doubt anyone here eats a healthy diet. Even Alex admits to binging on beyond meat from time to time, that’s not healthy. Drugs is most important. Warren Buffett, for example, eats a junk diet, probably have been on drugs for a long time.

#44

I would disagree. I bet the members here eat remarkably healthy diets. Nobody is perfect, but then don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.

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#45

Al dente lentils… (just put dry lentils in water and microwave for like 15 minutes [or even less if you can]). Put in some peppercorns to taste (they are softened and their flavor is memorable).

However, I did microwave for 5-6 minutes and got a terrific stomachache that knocked me out for 2 days

[the main issue is that some people soak them in water to remove dirt, which is inconvenient enough for me to not do it - it’s unknown if this dirt is a problem long-term]

The “less” soft they are, they more full they make you and even further reduces their glycemic index (plus dry lentils are so cheap and easy to carry around). The main issue is that they’re always in plastic packaging (it’s unknown if these plastics are problematic)

==
unbread/unbun

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#46

I don’t think that’s the reason, but because it reduces cooking time and by rumors gas.

#47

You can get them in bulk in burlap or cotton drawstring bags. They taste much better if you rinse them a few times before cooking.

Brown lentils are not my favorite. I tend to rotate through green split peas, pink lentils, yellow split peas, blackeyed peas, field peas, lima beans, garbanzos, kidney beans, and black beans.

I get bored and need variety. I’d go crazy with the same legume day after day.

I’ve been soaking overnight and cooking a batch every other day for decades now. Between myself and my three large dogs they go quickly.

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#48

Calocurb (amarsate) [possibly]

also just eat LOTS of carrots

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#49

Better (more edited) thread here: Favorite low-effort, lower-calorie food items that you can easily get from a store/use as fast food. #DiningGuide - General Health and Longevity - CR Society Forum

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#50

Problem is you get a lot of sodium with those foods. Have you thought about powdered food for vegetables, for example?

Like BJ’s Super Veggie, no added sodium:

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Could you design a longevity and wellbeing soylent? We have to build the longevity food.

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#51

Just add potassium salts to neutralize the bad effects of sodium

#52

Umm, I don’t think that is how it works. Is there a mechanistic reason why that would decrease serum sodium and improve hydration, and attenuate the deviation in hydration?

I am still curious how you would design a soylent, DYI, or otherwise.

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#53

@Neo since you like my posts, any thoughts on a possible DYI healthspan soylent and what you would think about? I don’t know whether @AlexKChen has thought of that before. I think it’s important it could be drunk or eaten in a short eating window to optimize sleep? And for serum sodium/hydration.

I think it is completely true as well that the future food will be unlike anything we have today, regarding the optimal diet. It will probably be totally artificial and designed for the person. Maybe it’s possible already.

#54

Haven’t given it a lot of thought - would just make sure in a big way that any processing is not screwing up the foods’ originally nutritional potential and/or adding negative modifications to it in any ways (glycation, etc).

(Edit: I) Mostly try to focus on whole foods for now, but may experiment with some of Blueprint diet packs when on the road or in contexts of limited time.

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#55

so sad crsociety.org is still down

https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Breath-Myntz-Breathmints-WinterMyntz/dp/B01J5AK8A2/ref=sr_1_28?crid=DU0Y21ZDF8NF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.sDLEzIEscg1GS8Kk-t6I8iiOoJo2SbQOyy0NQ9eC2gfasYdmczhgfGQdFyiDHF4pZPf-bGObWf5BsHnLPJ_w9rSqd05TnfJtG-WytdHoeuQ67uk8SyIWWBfc4RGN9yjQpFOAr8q5_jlBr8fPV1sd7CvVH5mHqq19sOQMXCQ297obP19Dg1LF8DksSZF0gXEh7CH1Qdq1VHC06vGhJlSkZseEjEVpBcQAtN1X1KjvUFj9M98YGjLVREnBtbwaxvJK2Pq0KMCtXbQM0duF8rMz3VG7UZTcWlnXMq8noI6w_7k.a3skqmFgvvBon8pye-sN6XKKCcrtV8BP312_TbSUbVk&dib_tag=se&keywords=breathmint&qid=1724902561&sprefix=breathmint%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-28

breathmints mints can sometimes be enough to kill a food craving for delta(stomach fill up)

#56

Just an FYI to everyone - you can delete the “?” and everything after it, in any link you post. So the above could be just:

https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Breath-Myntz-Breathmints-WinterMyntz/dp/B01J5AK8A2/ref=sr_1_28

or even:

https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Breath-Myntz-Breathmints-WinterMyntz/dp/B01J5AK8A2/

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#57

As other posters have pointed out, some of us are so lucky (or unlucky) that we struggle NOT to lose body weight. So my strategy must be exactly the opposite, finding healthy and nourishing food that suppresses appetite as little as possible.
I avoid potatoes, eggs and avocado because they are too satiating, an article published years ago assigned to such food some of the higher satiating indexes. I avoid pasta for the same reason.
I tried to administer appetite-suppressing food to my son who has the opposite problem. Shitake pasta is good, pancakes made with oat bran, a little flour, erythritol/stevia and egg whites is good, lots of vegetables especially raw carrots, fennel and celery. Frozen vegetable soup without cereals nor beans is good.
At the end though my son lost weight only with a strictly regulated regime, rigorously fixed amounts of cereals and protein, and unlimited amounts of unseasoned or lightly seasoned vegetables.

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#58

https://www.amazon.com/OCEANS-HALO-Broth-Miso-Og/dp/B079T2PNBK/ref=sr_1_6_f3_0o_na_mod_primary_alm?crid=18AAQJGOF4Q98&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CApvPvWWKr3Vd7XkXcPVuVxu6iPIPMdO3tojDAsNYf9k2R4GcTaYJlXTpTCsjIqtXrp1EOyIWWc7K1rchy65mN_gD7xCHEZIlufewZtdg0F_tIHA_tsKoNbXFcth9XUAbDlaggM5BdsSmp0mpfZXqDIVRDlmpcu8kZ81o9CGVkPtVqVYhmp9ncphirCmE9QnwPchbEAfVdziswBdgyL_azgi8GtWPWR00mp5qbhC4I4.Jcz3PG0colgP_XT96TJibIFiwQFKx-UlPVblRR-7nAY&dib_tag=se&keywords=organic+miso+broth&qid=1725318197&sbo=m6DjfpMzMLDmL8pSMKX8hw%3D%3D&sprefix=organic+miso+broth%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-6

Amazon organic halo miso broth (found one in CVS yesterday)
CVS also has lily’s gummies (which are UPFs, but mostly corn fiber). I ate 2 yesterday. UPFs do have higher MP risk, but if it’s the only low-calorie option left (and CVS has VERY few low-calorie options and is often the ONLY super-late-night option) i’ll do it.

#59

Is there anything else like Carrots?

I don’t really mind calorie density or anything, just that it tastes good. Carrots are insanely addictive.

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#60

I keep a bag of petite carrots in my fridge and often when I walk by, I grab one. You can’t eat that many in a row and the crunch is so satisfying. It keeps me from grabbing chocolate chips!

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#61

The problem with carrots is that if you eat too many (raw) over a lifetime you’ll shred your teeth

also their carbs are high sugar by % concentration and they give higher glucose spikes than a lot of veggies

still, they’re among the most accessible foods to snack on raw and don’t make as much of a mess like kale or broccoli. and some of them easily fit in paper bags (though in practice they will often be in plastic)

I should be buying more b/c on net they would decrease my calorie consumption by a lot and I don’t like effortcooking

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#62

Some crispy cherry tomatoes?

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#64

I find a few thick- cut slices of bacon, fried with potatoes and onion and laid on some toast with a couple of eggs stops my hunger pangs! Well, for a couple of hours anyway…,

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#65

God damnit, crsociety.org has to go back up, there are too many dumb replies here

westbrae lentils are 3.5*70 calories per can, much lower than canned beans

also never ever forget coffee

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#67

I’m afraid to tell you that they all starved to death :frowning_with_open_mouth:

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#68

I am a big fan of pickles (pickled cucumbers) but I’m wondering how much of an issue Vinegar is to the stomach lining.

This is a big one for me, but its pricey. Most of my dining budget goes to keto bread, specifically ‘base culture bread’

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#69

Frozen blueberry, miso soup, pickled radish and toasted seaweed.

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#70

Lightly steamed onions, red or yellow. Quarter-inch slices, about 90 seconds in a pre-heated microwave steamer. So they’re still somewhat ‘spicy’ and almost crunchy, but easy to eat. For some reason, they seem to remove my appetite and desire for between-meal snacks.

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#71

I saw you mention that raw carrots might harm your teeth long term and was a little worried… but then when I grabbed another carrot snack, I realized these Whole Foods branded “petite” carrots are not nearly as hard to bite into as their baby carrots… just a tip for anyone who wants them :slight_smile:

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#72

I just find CR to be the most miserable experience! I did it for 5 years and I was utterly unhappy. My thoughts revolved constantly about food. I had no energy and I was in a vile mood all day until my only meal of the day at 6pm, when I ate like a starving pig.
Now I enjoy 3 BIG meals oozing calories per day. (Plus snacks) And I’m about the same body weight as I was before.

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#73

This above was unproductive

…

I’m eating carrots more now, from whole foods where it’s easy to put them in paper bags

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#74

Michael Lustgarten had his biomarkers improve the most holistically with carrots? But it seems he halved them now.

I don’t think you will avoid microplastics either way with paper bags, it doesn’t seem like that plastic will get inside the carrot. The growth phase and soil is different though?

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#75

A this point I think we should ask the indisputable expert:

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#76

I like to dip my baby carrots in hummus. It’s my after work snack.

It also may be why I am not losing weight. :wink:

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#77

Haha same here … i have now substituted the hummus by my self made “ mayonnaise “ substitute ( half an abogado plus hard boiled egg and lemon juice plus some quality olive oil , mixed) : I noticed it fills me more and I stop faster ( the fact that I have to make it myself might also have to do something with it :wink::face_with_peeking_eye:)

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#78

Just dip the carrots in salsa

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#79

I’m with you.

It’s literally not that hard to eat healthy. Some people just aren’t addicted to food🤷‍♂️

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#80

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WEGMAN’S HAS SO MUCH OF IT. their pickles are cheap af and don’t contain polysorbate

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#81

^plastic-free coffee [and coffee suppresses appetite in other ways so it’s a double-win]

COLD-BREWED COFFEE is also WAY more likely to be plastic-free UPSTREAM of the process b/c coffee-makers often put hot water in touch with plastics…

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#82

This is incredible - in a glass and no salt added, and the tomatoes taste SO good on their own you don’t need salt.

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#83

Yesss! When I don’t use whole tomatoes to make sauce (usually SMT), I use these! I love that they are in glass, and unlike many that are pre crushed, they don’t contain citric acid which my taste buds don’t like.

Edited to add:
I usually make lentil pasta with pomodoro sauce because it’s an easy and great source of protein for me, but if trying to cut calories, a great meal is to have sauce (those jarred tomatoes make whipping up a meal incredibly effortless and easy to store the unused tomatoes) and zoodles (zucchini noodles). I find the premade ones to often be slimy but not the ones I make at home.

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#84

So hard to find nice pickles that have not been pasturised in the UK. Pasturisation can lead to a loss of goodness.

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#85

^for low sodium salsa (i’m more concerned about microplastics from salt than sodium per se)

TRADER JOE’S FIRE ROASTED RED PEPPER

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~16 grams of sugar/lb in cranberries… it’s way lower than other berries (even strawberries are 22 grams of sugar/lb)

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#86

You have to do sodium per kcal and not sodium per gram. They are all high in sodium then except Alberto’s.

Calories and sodium need to be in a 1:1 ratio or better tilted towards calories.

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#87

California Farms minced garlic
also THIS garlic: Amazon.com : Zarrin - Pickled Peeled Garlic, 24 Oz (700g) : Grocery & Gourmet Food [not in plastic and 0.56$ per ounce]. I ate a few cloves raw WHICH WORKED [and is often the thing preventing me from snacking on them properly], zero inhibition. I ate some ginger raw too but there was a bit of aversion

but there are minced garlic in other plastic forms…

Amazon.com : Iberia Minced Garlic In Water, 32 Ounce : Grocery & Gourmet Food . THIS is iberia minced garlic water

[you can’t get healthier than garlic]

Amazon.com: Walden Farms Fruit Spread, Raspberry, 12 Ounce : Grocery & Gourmet Food => i didnt notice this existed

https://archive.ph/lbNz6

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#88

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can take off bits and pieces at a time! NO PLASTICS!

Amazon.com: San Pellegrino, Water Sparkling Mineral, 33.8 Fl Oz [am drinking lots of this today+yest]

Amazon.com : garlic press garlic presses can low-effort garlic into being more edible

==

But… I would eat an infinite amount of karine & jeff mediterranean harvest soup (with muchi curry) if i could

3 Likes
#89

If anyone doesn’t own a garlic press yet, I’ll share the one that changed my life.
I have no idea if it does a better job at pressing garlic, but the ease of cleaning means I am never shy about using it!

Kuhn Rikon Epicurean Garlic Press

Here is a video of their non metal version that shows how easy it is to clean

It’s $54, so kind of pricey. If mine ever broke, I’d search amazon to see if there is a cheaper version that copies how it functions to offer the same ease of cleaning.

2 Likes
#90

I finally ate black/breakfast tea leaves for once and those suppressed my appetite enough (after my appetite and weight seemed to increase A LOT after a holiday party [ironically it was SSC meetup…]). It was really too distracting and ppl still won’t give me retatrutide, but I’ve controlled my weight for enough of my life that I find enough ways to self-correct after eating too much.

but broccoli heads are good enough with the right bowls to prevent messes

#91

for the first time in my life ever, i finally properly roasted eggplants and carrots in the stove.

[400 degrees for 20 minutes]

i cut them into pieces

after 20 minutes, no signs of charring or blackening (the online guides tell you to do it longer and to roast in oil, but they actually want you to burn/introduce carcinogens and ppl don’t have my capacity to eat vegetables). this was much lower effort than instant-pot or boiling. And everyone has an oven.

the eggplants and carrots were both softened, which is all that matters for me [too many hard carrots will wreck your teeth]

I need to do this next for cabbage and onions AND GINGER (and maybe vegetables that are harder to cook like swiss chard or watercress or parsley)… i always end up throwing away the parsley I buy because it’s so hard to digest. AND ASPARAGUS! [that tastes way better roasted though I will roast w/o oil].

[pumpkin and butternut squash too, though they’re higher calorie so I probably won’t do it unless it’s free]

I really never realized this was the lowest effort and easiest way to cook vegetables. you can easily do it for frozen veggies too…

pomegranate might be cookable this way too

==
Ugh, I didn’t realize beans can be baked this way, too…

hmm https://www.reddit.com/r/cookingforbeginners/comments/1chb6ef/what_oil_to_use_for_roasting_veggies_and_such/

===

  • Parsnip – 25 minutes
  • Eggplant – 25 minutes
  • Cabbage – 25 minutes
  • Carrots – 20 minutes
  • Broccoli – 20 minutes
  • Cauliflower – 20 minutes
  • Green beans – 20 minutes
  • Onion slices – 15 minutes
  • Bell pepper strips – 15 minutes
  • Okra – 12 minutes
  • Snap peas – 10 minutes
  • Zucchini – 10 minutes
  • Summer squash – 10 minutes
  • Sugar peas – 8 minutes

^and there are a few vegetables, like zucchini, i can barely tolerate raw, so this is a way to do it!

beets and celery root toO! siri is the best timer…

2 Likes
#92

I am glad you tried baking little pieces of eggplant, I do that all the time, and it’s wonderful! And yes, it works great with cabbage, too.

Run and don’t walk to do it with chickpeas! I do this multiple times per week. I also have a great WFPB ‘meatball’ recipe that uses baked black beans.

I learned about the magic of roasting chickpeas from the NYT vegan caesar recipe. It’s outstanding. If that sounds appealing, I’m happy to message you the recipe.

2 Likes
#93

I just roasted a head of cabbage! cut it into 4 pieces and put in 400degrees for 20 minutes! Cabbage is ridiculously cheap and low-pesticide, so this needed to be done.

there’s some browning on the very outside leaves, but that’s it! the cabbage becomes soft and very easy to eat.
Agh, this is probably the #1 most important thing I could have done in the past but didn’t. So many unnecessary calories (and microplastics) ingested [and money lost and brainage accelerated] just because I didn’t learn this simple trick [not that I feel actual pangs of regret over this, it’s nothing]

also i had a massive stomachache yesterday from eating too much raw broccoli stalks + red pepper, and if I roasted the broccoli stalks, it would have made it easier for my stomach

whole cauliflower can also be roasted too, but probably makes a bigger mess so I’ll choose other options.

next time I’m doing it for asparagus b/c I notice a HUGE difference in how tasty roasted asparagus is from raw asparagus.
and bell pepper b/c raw bell pepper doesn’t feel very appetizing (so I buy jars and those are expensive/heavy)

i can also try this on beyond meat and tofu. I already eat these raw, but maybe doing it once just for the experience.

1 Like
#94

Roast your tofu immediately!!! I mean, as in now!! I once had a cook show me how he made his great tofu, and my jaw was on the floor that it baked and not fried.

Cut it in strips or cubes after cutting the block in half so the pieces are not as thick. I’d suggest spices but it seems you might eat things more in their natural state.

Can’t help you on the impossible burgers because I don’t like them, but a chef told me to cut them in half to make them thinner and then bake them to make them crispier…

1 Like
#95

Roasting tofu turns its proteins carcinogenic though…

^too much effort to be worth it tho

==

i just tried asparagus, it browns pretty easily but I think after 12-13 minutes it can be taken out.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Keto_Food/comments/dfbmjt/psyllium_husk_pudding_the_ultimate_quick_low/

^omg pudding, if i can make psyllium husk edible, that changes EVERYTHING
https://www.reddit.com/r/LowCalorieCooking/comments/ikuql6/can_i_replace_flour_with_oat_fiber/

https://www.reddit.com/r/safe_food/top/?t=all

[god damnit, so many safe threads on reddit without the crsociety label]. not that a higher audience would have saved crsociety (just as lookbook.nu didn’t get saved)

==
https://www.reddit.com/r/Volumeeating/comments/udq26q/recommendations_for_low_cal_recipes_with_oat/

^tho most of that subreddit is trash

#96

https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Pancake-Waffle-Zero-Carb/dp/B0B982JHF2/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?crid=1UNLUXCJU27XJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.MoUFnu0tVIVfmyMkszQfxhJ-VAqAInCb8-5xZWTTRwAvDb6GcPwD6z3r7bvs_qyohgGm_pZPlc6Qbke5Wv5Mzg5ACzoXkG-LDAXrd7c_KEPfcNwkT0aoYuxvRj1LB4hwRnAuRXaMwbsmFaBS8ZfXz-zd1IJhqO4I_GU5DQrTTxMNuII4Iul2De_pZ7Y0c28nrp_DqPV2L9Mluo6ICgp7rA.IcddKK6i8BVSxspJS1bXVRmqCQ9UpJhIQp0hempJF_M&dib_tag=se&keywords=keto+pancake&qid=1735618565&sprefix=keto+pancake%2Caps%2C386&sr=8-7

[i mean you could also just eat the batter…] it may be healthier if you just ate the batter [and this makes it easier for you to just make cocoa powder v. tasty]…

==

blenders without plastic jars could also be useful (also grind chia and flax seeds AND maybe even onions)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BB74CLW/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza?th=1

1 Like
#97

You don’t even need to bake it…

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#98

^i just baked my first bread ever. in like 375F at 35-40 minutes (along with an onion I cut into 4), no need to add additional yeast. I put some cinnamon and blueprint cocoa in it too. And it held together like real bread

]but doing the thing i always do, I impulsively ate the whole thing and got K/O’d a bit]. I know it’s not that many calories so I did it [and overall needed to eat way less today than other days]

I might try ground flaxseed next [though i suspect it is NOT good to bake flaxseed b/c the omega-3’s can turn into oxidized byproducts that are NOT good. The real solution is oat fiber + psyllium + something to make it stick LIKE gluten or smg else

1 Like
#99

hmm some of it shows a spike, damnit I have to test my meter with this sometime
ground flaxseed absorbs way more water than nuts do, i wish i binged on that rather than nuts

1 Like
#100

I’m not sure exactly what you are looking for, but if interested, you might want to look around at this website for inspiration.

I have made this bread many times which is not dissimilar from what you shared.

I don’t use eggs or milk and instead use non dairy milk and flax eggs. She even provides the instructions. If you wanted to try another egg substitute, like chia, she is very approachable if you contact her.

At the very least, you might enjoy her recipe ideas on what you can turn her (or Scotty’s) bread into. I’ve made the chocolate babka and cinnamon swirl which are similar to your idea of adding cocoa, but she offers a technique that you might like to try, even if you skip the butter/oil. Her bread mix only has 5 ingredients, so I imagine this would be easy to copy without a mix,

I also overeat it, so much so that I don’t buy it anymore! To control myself, I’d make partial loaves in mini loaf pans. Those are nice to have incase you ever want cake/brownie but only want to make one or two portions!

#101

Trying this today after I baked my first two beets: Amazon.com : King Arthur Baking Keto Muffin Mix, All Purpose, 1g Net Carbs 0g Added Sugar Per Serving, Low Carb & Keto Friendly, 10 oz, White : Everything Else
(this has a minimum of starch and doesn’t use too much nut flour and MUCH of the rest of the bulk is fiber [most keto breads you can buy could be using higher fiber to calorie ratio, and my digestive system tolerates it better than most]). I added 4 tbsp lecithin and one egg, and mostly replaced the oil with extra water (tho i added a little of olive oil). The batter at least is fluid-y enough

Baked beets are REALLY filling

===
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/coconut-flour-vs-almond-flour-explained

wow, more carbs in coconut flour.

It came out way more uneven than the keto bread mix (between inside and outside). Maybe I should have tried eggs rather than lecithin, idk. muffins are also intrinsically less stable than bread, but I got the sense that the bread was good enough to serve to others, the muffins weren’t (i don’t care much myself, but I find batter edible enough)

one tbsp of lecithin is also ~50 calories [not too different from the egg it replaced]. but 4155 = 300 calories. At least I properly used lecithin for the first time ever! [east asians don’t bake so it took me FOREVER to realize this was an option], even as I’ve boycotted rice for approximately 50% of my life now.

===

there are keto brownie mixes, they often call for coconut butter, but it looks like mashed avocado could be substituted so I should try that

1 Like
#102

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DS69ZNPC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

omg one of the glasses shattered and I ate some broken glass… [still, one of 24 broken is not a bad “pass rate”]

rly tho i’ve been trying psyllium husk in water for first time ever, and that, on top of unbelievabun really helps.

[still i cant tolerate it if i eat too much, damn sodium metabisulfate]

[sadly i binged on beans yesterday, i should not have when unbelievabun could have prevented it]

#103

Found this! https://livivafoods.com/

dried shirataki. Maybe this is one that finally doesn’t sneak in ungodly amounts of plastic (there’s still some, but not as much as the terrifying levels you see in others)

==
and here’s some just tea: Amazon.com : Just Ice Tea Ready To Drink Original Black Tea Unsweetened, Contains Caffeine, Fair Trade, Kosher, USDA Certified Organic, 16 Fluid Ounce (Pack of 12) : Grocery & Gourmet Food

2 Likes
#104

https://www.amazon.com/Organic-India-Psyllium-Herbal-Powder/dp/B0016AXN7A

[still was not good eough at curbing a particular kind of hunger i had last night]

#105

I tried valiantly to fight the urge to say ‘but at least you didn’t eat plastic’

Too soon?

1 Like
#106

Ugh lead

Finally found out, it has the lowest lead of ALL tested compounds. 0.58 mcg per 4g fiber

1 Like
#107

Everything has lead, it’s just about cost/benefit.

1 Like
#108
1 Like
#109

Ah seeing this a day after my bulk miracle rice shipped. Responding to bookmark for next time!

#110

wow thanks for polluting my thread with high-calorie BS and rubbing salt into the wound of crsociety’s death

#111
3 Likes
#112
#113

This is not plastic-free, they pass through plastic filters (though it’s still cold). better to just make your own coffee in a moka pot (which I just bought)

#114

Short answer

Yes—​if you define “fill you up” as the immediate sensation of stomach‑stretching fullness, a pound (≈ 454 g) of a loose, leafy salad mix usually feels more filling than the same weight of riced cauliflower. That’s because the salad takes up roughly twice the physical volume in your stomach, triggering stretch‑receptors that drive early satiation. But if you care about how long that fullness lasts, the picture gets murkier: riced cauliflower delivers far more fiber and a bit more protein, so its satiety can catch up or even exceed the salad after 60–90 minutes.

Why the salad wins on “first‑hour” fullness

1 lb salad mix (mostly lettuce / greens) 1 lb riced cauliflower
Typical calories ≈ 64 kcal (14 kcal ⁄ 100 g) ≈ 114 kcal (25 kcal ⁄ 100 g)
Dietary fiber ≈ 4.5 g ≈ 11 g
Approx. cups of food ~ 8 cups (very airy) ~ 4 cups (finely minced)
Energy density 0.14 kcal / g 0.25 kcal / g
  • Greater stomach distension. Barbara Rolls’ “volumetrics” studies show that larger‑volume, lower‑energy‑dense preloads suppress subsequent intake more than smaller‑volume, higher‑energy‑dense ones—even when weight is held constant.
  • Longer chewing & slower eating. A mound of greens simply takes longer to get down, letting satiety hormones (GLP‑1, PYY) begin to rise before you finish the plate.
  • Higher water load. Leafy mixes are ~95 % water, so gastric emptying slows just enough to amplify the stretch signal without adding calories.

Why cauliflower may “stick” longer

  • Double‑plus fiber. Cauliflower supplies ~11 g fiber / lb (much of it fermentable pectin & hemicellulose), versus ~4–5 g for lettuce. Viscous‑fermentable fibers prolong satiety by delaying gastric emptying and generating short‑chain fatty acids in the colon that boost PYY & GLP‑1.
  • Slightly more protein & micronutrients. Extra protein (≈ 9 g / lb) plus vitamin C and choline modestly slow return of hunger.
  • Texture matters. Even though riced cauliflower is denser, each tiny “grain” still adds oral processing time and delivers more uniform fiber than the watery stems of lettuces.

Practical takeaways

  1. For a very low‑calorie, high‑volume plate that tames hunger right now, load up leafy greens and other fluffy veg (cabbage slaw, spring mix).
  2. If you need staying power without many calories, combine the two: e.g., ½ lb salad + ½ lb riced cauliflower gives you both stretch and fiber.
  3. Add a little healthy fat or protein. Either option is < 120 kcal / lb; a drizzle of olive oil, nuts, or grilled chicken can curb rebound hunger without blowing calories.
  4. Beware one‑size‑fits‑all rules. Individual satiety responses differ by gut‑hormone sensitivity, meal timing, and what else you pair with the vegetables.

Bottom line:

Right after eating, the salad feels fuller because it crowds the stomach; a bit later, the cauliflower’s extra fiber evens the score. Using both (or other low‑energy‑dense, high‑fiber veggies) is an easy way to stay satisfied on very few calories.

#115

Just eat raw carrots. One will fill you up. Two or three and you’ll feel like you’ve been kicked in the guts by a donkey!

1 Like
#116

Ultra-Low-Calorie / High-Fibre “Fibre-Cloud” Bread

(1 small 8 × 4-inch / 20 × 10 cm loaf, ~10 thin slices)

Ingredient Grams Common-measure Function
Bamboo-fibre flour* 70 g ≈ ⅔ cup, gently packed Main bulk; > 96 % insoluble fibre(KetoFoodMagic)
Psyllium-husk powder 10 g 1 level Tbsp Soluble-gel network that traps gas & water; gluten replacement(Bon Appétit)
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) 3 g ½ tsp CO₂ source
Soy (or sunflower) lecithin, granules or powder 4 g 1 heaping tsp Emulsifier / crumb-softener; optional but improves sliceability(CalorieKing)
Fine salt 3 g ½ tsp Flavour, ionic strength
Warm water (45 °C) 300 g 1¼ cups Hydrates fibres
Acid to activate soda – apple-cider vinegar or lemon juice 5 g 1 tsp Ensures full CO₂ release

*Bamboo fibre (not “bamboo starch”) is essentially carbohydrate-free: 194 kcal/100 g, 96.3 g fibre, < 0.7 g digestible carbs(KetoFoodMagic).

Method – Why each step matters

  1. Prep the pan

    • Lightly oil or line a vented mini loaf tin. Fibre doughs need steady evaporation; slits or a perforated silicone mould help the crust dry.

  2. Whisk dry phase (30 s)

    • Combine bamboo fibre, psyllium, lecithin, baking soda and salt. Uniform distribution prevents green “baking-soda streaks” and yields even rise.

  3. Add wet phase quickly (20 s)

    • Stir vinegar into the warm water (the heat speeds psyllium hydration).
    • Pour into the dry mix and immediately fold with a silicone spatula. You have about 15 seconds before psyllium locks the dough.

  4. Shape & score (1 min)

    • The mass will look like soft modelling clay. Drop it into the tin, press gently into corners, smooth the top with wet fingers and slash once along the centre (steam escape).

  5. Bake

    • 15 min @ 425 °F / 220 °C – sets the outer gel and flashes off surface moisture.
    • 35 min @ 350 °F / 175 °C – drives to 94–96 °C internal; loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
    • Optional: turn the oven off, crack the door, and let the loaf sit 10 min to finish drying.

  6. Cool completely

    • Leave on a rack at least 2 h. Hot fibre loaves cut early will gum up your knife.

  7. Slice & store

    • For razor-thin, sandwich-worthy slices, chill the loaf overnight, then slice with a serrated knife.
    • Keeps 3 days sealed on the counter; 10 days refrigerated; freezes perfectly (toast from frozen).

Macros (entire loaf)

Metric Total Per 1/10 slice
Calories* ≈ 190 kcal ~19 kcal
Insoluble + soluble fibre ~75 g 7.5 g
Net digestible carbs < 3 g < 0.3 g
Fat (from lecithin) ~3 g 0.3 g
Protein < 1 g —

*US labels count insoluble fibre as 0 kcal; EU assigns 2 kcal g⁻¹. Using the stricter EU rule still keeps each slice under 35 kcal.

Optimisation & Variations

Goal Adjustment Rationale
Even fewer calories Halve lecithin (2 g) or omit completely; texture becomes slightly more brittle but calories drop ~15 %. Lecithin is the main caloric contributor.
Taller loaf Replace 50 g of the water with whipped aquafaba or egg whites; add 3 g cream-of-tartar. Introduces a protein foam the fibres can scaffold.
Flavour Fold in herb powder, roasted garlic granules, or a teaspoon of nutritional yeast. Fibre bases are neutral; small inclusions don’t change macros much.
Crisp crackers Press dough 4 mm thick between parchment, dock with a fork, bake 25 min @ 175 °C, flip, 15 min more. Removes even more water for shelf-stable fibre crisps.

Why it works (quick science note)

  • Bamboo fibre provides a rigid cellulosic skeleton but almost no gelation.
  • Psyllium hydrates to a viscous, β-glucan-rich gel that traps the CO₂ from baking soda and water vapour, yielding a spongy crumb instead of a rubbery puck.
  • Lecithin’s phospholipids lower surface tension so bubbles expand more easily and stay intact during cooling; they also slow starch retrogradation (here, minimal but still present in psyllium) and extend softness.
  • Baking soda + acid supplies leavening without adding baking-powder starch. The warm water kick-starts gas release before the dough sets.

Enjoy fibre-cloud toast that barely dents your daily calorie budget yet delivers nearly 8 g of pre-biotic fibre per slice—perfect for a satiety-boosting vehicle for savoury spreads or sugar-free jam.

===
Below is the “Fibre-Cloud Chocolate Loaf”—exactly the same ultra-low-calorie, high-fibre base you liked, with just enough cocoa to give a real chocolate aroma while keeping calories minimal and the crumb light.

Revised Formula (1 mini 8 × 4-inch / 20 × 10 cm loaf)

Ingredient Grams Common-measure Notes / Function
Bamboo-fibre flour 62 g ≈ ½ cup + 1 Tbsp, gently packed Bulk & structure
Natural cocoa powder (non-alkalised*) 8 g 1 rounded Tbsp Colour, chocolate flavour, extra polyphenols
Psyllium-husk powder 10 g 1 level Tbsp Soluble gel network
Soy/sunflower lecithin 4 g 1 heaping tsp Emulsifier / crumb softness
Fine salt 3 g ½ tsp Flavour
Baking soda 3 g ½ tsp CO₂ source
Warm water (≈ 45 °C) 315 g 1 ⅓ cups +15 g to offset cocoa’s absorption
Apple-cider vinegar** 5 g 1 tsp Activates soda

*If you only have Dutch-processed (alkalised) cocoa, keep the 8 g amount but reduce vinegar to 3 g to avoid excess acidity.
**Any clear vinegar or lemon juice works.

Method (changes in bold)

  1. Dry whisk bamboo fibre, cocoa powder, psyllium, lecithin, baking soda, salt.
  2. Combine warm water + vinegar, pour in, fold quickly (the mix will look like thick brownie batter).
  3. Shape, score, and bake exactly as before: 15 min @ 220 °C → 35 min @ 175 °C.
  4. Cool completely before slicing.

Updated Nutrition (entire loaf / 10 thin slices)

Metric Whole loaf Per slice
Calories ≈ 214 kcal ≈ 21 kcal
Fibre ~78 g 7.8 g
Net digestible carbs < 4 g < 0.4 g
Fat ~4 g 0.4 g
Protein ~4 g 0.4 g

(Adds ~24 kcal vs the plain loaf—still very diet-friendly.)

Flavor Tweaks & Serving Ideas

Desire Adjustment Comment
Sweeter “chocolate cake” vibe Add 1–2 g stevia/erythritol blend or 20 drops liquid sucralose to the wet phase No caloric impact
Mocha loaf Replace 20 g of the water with fresh espresso Compliments cocoa bitterness
Richer crumb (still low-cal) Stir in 5 g defatted peanut flour +14 kcal; bumps protein
Dessert crackers Roll 3 mm thin, sprinkle with monk-fruit “powdered sugar,” bake 20 min per side Crunchy cocoa wafers

Why this still works

  • Cocoa powder is mostly lignin-rich fibre and starch, so it behaves a lot like bamboo fibre in absorbing free water and reinforcing the psyllium gel.
  • The extra water (+15 g) keeps the dough from stiffening, preventing tunnelling or a dry edge crumb.
  • Natural cocoa remains acidic (pH ≈ 5.4), so the original soda+vinegar balance is unchanged; Dutch cocoa is alkaline, hence the vinegar reduction note.

Slice thin, toast lightly, and you’ll have a 21-kcal chocolate vehicle for sugar-free hazelnut spread, a smear of ricotta, or a dash of cinnamon—perfect for satisfying a cocoa craving without derailing a cut-phase diet.

“Fibre-Cloud” Cinnamon-Chocolate Loaf

Ultra-low-calorie ▸ high-fibre ▸ gluten- & grain-free
(8 × 4 in / 20 × 10 cm mini-loaf pan, ≈ 10 thin slices)

Ingredient Grams Home measure Function / note
Bamboo-fibre flour 62 g ½ cup + 1 Tbsp, gently packed Bulk, scaffold
Natural cocoa powder 8 g 1 rounded Tbsp Flavour, colour
Ground cinnamon (Ceylon or cassia) 3 g 1 level Tbsp Aroma, polyphenols
Psyllium-husk powder 10 g 1 level Tbsp Hydrogel network
Lecithin granules/powder (soy or sunflower) 4 g 1 heaping tsp Emulsifier, softness
Fine salt 3 g ½ tsp Flavour
Baking soda 3 g ½ tsp CO₂ source
Warm water (~45 °C) 318 g 1 ⅓ cups + 2 tsp +3 g to offset cinnamon’s uptake
Apple-cider vinegar (5 %) 5 g 1 tsp Activates soda

Why 3 g cinnamon?
That yields ~0.5 % of dough weight—strong but not throat-tickling. Cassia is harsher, so stay ≤ 3 g; Ceylon can go to 4 g if you love spice.

Method (changes in bold)

  1. Whisk dry phase – bamboo fibre, cocoa, cinnamon, psyllium, lecithin, soda, salt.
  2. Combine wet phase – warm water + vinegar; pour in, fold briskly 15 s.
  3. Pan & score; bake 15 min @ 220 °C → 35 min @ 175 °C (same profile).
  4. Cool 2 h on rack before slicing.

Tip: Cinnamon modestly slows crust Maillard browning; if you want a deeper colour, leave the loaf 5 min longer at the first (hotter) stage.

Updated nutrition (entire loaf / per 1-of-10 slice)

Metric Loaf Slice
Calories ~221 kcal 22 kcal
Fibre 78 g 7.8 g
Net carbs < 4 g < 0.4 g
Fat 4 g 0.4 g
Protein 4 g 0.4 g

Cinnamon adds ~7 kcal total and trace carbs—still firmly diet-friendly.

Flavour & texture science

Aspect What cinnamon does Impact in this formula
Polyphenols & aldehydes (cinnamaldehyde) Intensify perceived sweetness and warmth Lets you use less or no sweetener in a dessert-style slice
Water sorption (≈ 1 g spice binds ~1 g water) Slightly thickens batter +3 g water keeps dough at “soft modelling-clay” consistency
pH (mildly acidic, pH 5.3–5.7) Helps neutralise soda 3 g cinnamon ≈ 0.05 g acetic-equivalent acid; negligible but synergistic with vinegar
Essential oils vs yeast In yeast breads, high cinnamon can stall proof You’re using chemical leavening, so no risk

Optional twists

Goal Adjustment
Cinnamon-swirl Reserve 15 g batter; whisk in extra 1 g cinnamon + 1 g erythritol; ribbon it through pan before baking.
Sweet breakfast loaf Add 1 g stevia-erythritol blend or 20 drops sucralose to wet phase – no calorie change.
Cinnamon-nut crunch Fold in 10 g defatted almond flour + 1 g extra water; calories +20 kcal loaf, protein +2 g.
Mexican-spiced Along with cinnamon add 0.5 g ground ancho or chipotle and a pinch of instant espresso.

Bottom line

  • A modest 1 Tbsp (≈ 3 g) cinnamon transforms the cocoa-bamboo loaf into a warming, brownie-meets-snickerdoodle experience while keeping each slice ≈ 22 kcal.
  • Extra water (≈ 3 g) balances cinnamon’s moisture uptake; all other ratios stay intact, so rise and crumb remain airy.
  • Enjoy toasted with zero-sugar apple-butter, fat-free ricotta, or a dusting of additional cinnamon for a high-fibre, ultra-light treat that still scratches the chocolate-spice itch.

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you can also just eat the dough (like I just did), it’s quite tolerable…

#117

Pineapple, cantaloupe, and papaya are surprisingly low-calorie for how sweet they taste—I think around 50, 30, and 40kcal per 100g, respectively. Pretty nice when you think about the flavor payoff.

Other than that, the lowest cal/volume is in the veg group per OP—cucumber, celery, tomatoes… all loaded with water, texture, and flavor.

Also throwing in kimchi and sauerkraut—super low-cal, lots of flavor and crunch, and they add some volume too.

I’ll add one more: steamed/boiled carrots.

Something about them brings out a savory depth that raw carrots don’t quite have.

Really satisfying!!

#118

60-Second Bamboo-Fibre Pudding Playbook

(zero-cook, single mug, ~150 g serving - each variant ≤ 50 kcal)

What you need Why it works
Bamboo fibre (powder/flour) – 5 g (≈ 2 tsp) Soaks up 8-10× its weight in water → instant custard-thick gel.
Cold liquid – 120 mL / ½ cup Any thin fluid: water, almond milk, cold brew, kefir, diet cola … fibre doesn’t care.
Flavour & sweetener – a pinch Cocoa, cinnamon, instant-coffee, sugar-free syrup, or 1 g stevia/erythritol.

One-Jar Method (literal 1 minute)

  1. Tip 5 g bamboo fibre into a screw-top jar or mug.
  2. Add flavour + sweetener.
  3. Pour in 120 mL cold liquid.
  4. Lid on, shake hard 10 s (or whisk 20 s).
  5. Wait 50 s – the mixture densifies to spoonable pudding.

That’s it. Eat straight from the jar and chase with a glass of water.

Five ready-to-shake flavour modules

Variant (all start with 5 g fibre + 120 mL liquid) Add-ins Texture note kcal
Chocolate-espresso 1 tsp cocoa + ½ tsp instant espresso + 5 drops sucralose Thickest (cocoa also binds water) 22
Peanut-butter cup 1 Tbsp defatted peanut flour + 2 Tbsp extra water + pinch salt Fluffy, high-protein 48
Cinnamon-bun ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp vanilla + 1 tsp monk-fruit syrup Warmer, naturally sweet 21
Matcha-collagen ½ tsp matcha + 5 g collagen peptides + splash peppermint extract Collagen firms as it cools 44
Savory miso-sesame 1 tsp white miso + ½ tsp toasted sesame oil + 4 g sesame seeds Umami dip for veggies 46

(Calories come almost entirely from the flavour add-ins and liquid; bamboo fibre itself is 0–2 kcal g⁻¹ depending on labelling rules.)

Microwaved “Hot-Set” version (still < 3 min)

For people who want a starch-like pudding mouthfeel:

  1. Whisk 5 g bamboo fibre + flavour into 100 mL water in a microwave-safe mug.
  2. Microwave 40 s on HIGH until it just begins to steam.
  3. Stir vigorously; the fibre finishes hydrating as it cools to eating temp (≈ 1 min).

Heating accelerates hydration and gives a glossy custard sheen without adding any carbs.

Fine-tuning thickness

Consistency target Fibre : liquid ratio
Drinkable shake 3 g : 150 mL
Spoonable pudding (default) 5 g : 120 mL
Pipeable frosting 7–8 g : 100 mL

If it sets too stiff, splash in more liquid and whisk 5 s.

Optional boosters (still no real “cooking”)

Boost How much Effect
½ g xanthan or guar Shake with fibre Silkier texture, prevents water weep overnight.
3 g psyllium powder Replace 3 g fibre Adds prebiotic soluble fibre and a slight jiggle (like chia).
2 g creatine Add to dry mix Disappears; convenient micronutrient vehicle.
Electrolyte powder / sugar-free Jell-O Swap for sweetener Turns pudding neon-bright and gives sports-drink flavour.

Quick safety & satiety tips

  • Hydrate – Insoluble cellulose swells in the gut; chase each serving with 250 mL water.
  • Start small – If you’re new to bamboo fibre, begin at 3 g to avoid bloating.
  • Portable – Pre-mix dry packs (fibre + flavour). Add bottled water, shake, snack anywhere.

Bottom line

Bamboo fibre’s extreme water-binding lets you whip up a true pudding—no stove, no eggs, no starch—in under a minute. Just shake 5 g powder with half a cup of any cold liquid and flavour to taste. Enjoy a creamy, < 50-kcal, 7–9 g-fibre snack that travels, satiates, and fits effortlessly into a calorie-restricted or ketogenic day.