The 1995 Satiety Index study
The 1995 Satiety Index compares how full people felt after eating 240-calorie portions. Browse the original results for 38 foods, with white bread as the reference.
Compare foods / 01 of 38
The 1995 test, at a glance
Equal calories, different portion sizes. Illustrations show the foods, not the exact portions tested.
Carbohydrate-rich foods
Boiled potatoes had the highest average score of the 38 foods tested.
368 g≈240 kcal portion
1995 study score. White bread = 100%.
the measured fullness response to white bread, for the same calories.
*Carbs = sugars + starch; fibre listed separately.
Includes 125 ml milk; not dry cereal weight.
Peeled, boiled, refrigerated overnight, then reheated.
All values are for this study portion. Each food was also served with 220 ml drinking water, separate from these figures.
The paper reports weight, not food volume. Illustrations are not to scale.
1995 values; preparation and modern products may differ.
Values are reproduced as reported; some rows do not reconcile exactly.
Source: original paper, Tables 1–2 (PDF)In 1995, S.H.A. Holt and colleagues at the University of Sydney compared how filling 38 foods were.
Each test portion contained 1,000 kJ, about 240 calories. Groups of 11 to 13 people rated how full they felt every 15 minutes for two hours. Researchers combined those ratings into a score, with white bread set at 100%.
foods tested
in each test portion, approximately
of recorded fullness ratings
A score of 200% means twice the measured fullness response to white bread, not twice as long without hunger. These are group averages, not personal predictions.
Original 1995 study scores. White bread = 100%.
Weights are for ≈240-calorie study portions; cereals include milk.
Beyond the original index
Reviewed
Fullness also depends on food texture, preparation and the rest of the meal.
The 38 scores above remain the 1995 results. These newer studies use different methods and cannot be combined into an updated ranking.
A harder-textured ultra-processed meal produced a 32% greater fullness response over two hours than its softer counterpart, at the same calories. Participants also ate less at the snack afterwards.
Keep in mind: Total daily calorie intake did not differ significantly. Results apply to these test meals.
Read the texture and fullness studyAdding lamb or soy protein to potato, pasta or rice suppressed appetite more than eating the carbohydrate foods alone. Both protein sources had similar effects on appetite.
Keep in mind: This small trial measured short-term appetite, not subsequent food intake or weight change.
Read the protein and mixed-meal studyParticipants ate around 369 fewer calories per day on an ultra-processed menu with textures that slowed eating, compared with a faster-eating menu. The difference persisted across the two weeks.
Keep in mind: Researchers changed food textures, not instructions to chew slowly. Long-term weight loss was not tested.
Read the eating-rate trialWith meatballs or a vegetarian substitute, participants ate 23–25% fewer calories at meals with instant mash or baked fries than with rice. Including a pizza meal two hours later, total intake was still 13–16% lower.
Keep in mind: A short-term, potato-industry-funded trial of specific preparations, not evidence of long-term weight loss.
Read the potato and rice studyFeeling fuller, eating less and losing weight over time are different outcomes. These trials do not measure all three.