You;ll feel fuller for longer eating meat than lentils. I certainly do.
I do too, so include whole grains and nuts and seeds and have found it really satiating with the things I tend to make.
I tend to include:
Pulses (most often chickpeas and either some type of peas or beans)
A whole grain (often brown rice, sometimes bulgar wheat or cous cous- often cooked separately)
Mixed nuts
Toasted pumpkin seeds
One “watery veg”
One starchy veg
One leafy green veg
At least one other veg (or mushrooms)
A bunch of herbs and spices
Often a bit of veggie stock
Tinned toms
Some fresh cherry toms
Onions, peppers
Usually a dash of toasted sesame oil and a dash of cider vinegar for seasoning / acidity for nutrient absorption - added on serving.
Did it due to an autoimmune health thing and was trying to figure out if a food was causing it (have narrowed it down to preserved cooked meats <not all of them but it’s unpredictable> and wines over a year old <again, somewhat unpredictable in terms of type>). And beer is a bit of a lottery.
Was surprised how full it kept me and for how long. I think it’s the protein, fat and fibre, which will help the sugars to release really slowly as well as being filling in themselves.
Also surprised to be doing quite a lot of pooing at first (was expecting farts but got high-volume poo instead, which settled after a week as predicted by someone on here).
I make a big batch and freeze it (my freezer is tiny, but old takeaway containers stack really well). It worked out about £25 tops for 10 pretty big meals iirc (I have a
really big cooking pot). That included some herbs and bits that left enough to go into other batches, so def cheaper than £2.50 a meal. I appreciate even that could be an issue for someone really struggling (and obv cooking costs/time factor in too). The nuts and seeds add to the cost a bit tbf.
I expect all the above is super-elementary to the seasoned vegheads on this thread.