Ricotta with honey and walnuts

Why it is filling

This is a home version of the Catalan dessert mel i mató: creamy ricotta that needs almost no chewing and gives you protein in a small volume, with a thread of honey and the crunch of walnuts. The honey is a small amount, just enough to make it taste like dessert. It works as an afternoon snack, a light breakfast, or a dessert with protein.

In numbers, each serving has 16.4 g of protein and 0.7 g of fiber, with an energy density of 181 kcal per 100 g of the dish. In the satiety index by Holt and colleagues (1995), the foods that were most filling per calorie were those with more protein, fiber, and water and less fat.

High in protein

At least 15 g of protein per serving and 6 g per 100 kcal.

Easy to digest

A soft dish with little fat (20 g or less per serving) and no large amounts of ingredients that often cause gas or nausea. This is an editorial call, not a measurement.

Nutritious in small servings

A serving of 300 g (about 10.5 oz) or less with at least 10 g of protein: a lot of nutrition in a small volume.

If your appetite is small

• If you have it for breakfast and are still hungry, add half a piece of fruit, such as a pear or a couple of figs.
• Toast walnuts for several days at once and keep them in a sealed jar: the dish is then ready in a minute.