For years the most popular diet slogan was cut the fat. Then it was cut the carbs. Now the latest mantra is: Beef up your lean protein.

A growing body of evidence shows eating enough fish, chicken, lean meat, low-fat dairy, beans, nuts or other protein-rich foods helps people feel full longer. And scientists are searching for the biological reasons for the increased satiety.

The latest findings might help explain why people report feeling ravenous after eating only a lettuce salad for lunch. It also could offer insight into why some dieters lose weight without getting as hungry on programs that allow ample protein, such as the Zone Diet and the South Beach Diet, and Weight Watchers, in which the typical member selects 20 percent to 22 percent of calories from protein. The Atkins diet often is high in both protein and fat.

Read more about studies that showed why South Beach Diet food makes people feel full longer at http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051031/LIVING/510290313/1004.