Do you have problems controlling your appetite? If you’re hungry all the time, you may be eating the wrong foods. Filling your tummy with processed carbs and sweet treats cause sugar and insulin levels to spike and then plummet. This sends you running to the snack machine for more.
The best way to suppress hunger is to eat fiber-rich foods with foods that contain a small number of healthy fats. Fat helps to reduce appetite by slowing down the rate food moves out of the stomach and into the intestines. Combine this with a source of lean protein and those cravings for sweets will go away – along with your hunger.
So if you’re trying to control your appetite, stop eating the wrong kinds of snacks. Try adding some of these “hunger control” foods to your diet.
Nuts
Nuts contain fiber and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Two of the best nuts for suppressing appetite are almonds and pine nuts. Pine nuts stimulate the release of two appetite-suppressing hormones called glucagon-like peptides and CCK. A research study showed that snacking on pine nuts reduced hunger for up to four hours. This means less snacking during the day. According to another study published in the journal Obesity, two servings of almonds a day can fill you up so you eat fewer calories overall.
How to Get the Benefits:
Sprinkle almonds or pine nuts on your salad or enjoy a spoonful of almond butter or pesto. For more hunger control, add a lean protein source to your salad like skinless chicken breast, shrimp or scallops.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are fiber-rich and contain a lot of water. This creates extra bulk that tricks your body into thinking it’s full. Vegetables and fruits are low in calories too. You can fill a plate with them and not consume a lot of calories – but beware of heavy sauces. One of the best fruits for suppressing appetite is a big, juicy apple. Apples contain pectin, a fiber-like material that causes you to feel full faster.
How to Get the Benefits:
Prepare bags of raw vegetables to snack on during the day to keep from reaching into the office doughnut box. Keep an apple in your bag to snack on when hunger strikes instead of a cookie. Have a bowl of veggie soup with a meal. Research shows that people who eat soup at mealtime consume fewer overall calories.
Breakfast Foods
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. If you skip it, you could end up snacking on the wrong foods later. Two of the best breakfast foods for suppressing appetite are oatmeal and eggs. Oatmeal is a source of beta-glucans, a soluble fiber that forms a gelatinous-like material when it enters the stomach. This makes you feel full. Eggland’s Best Eggs are a good source of appetite suppressing protein.
How to Get the Benefits
Start the day with a bowl of oatmeal with almonds sprinkled on top. Enjoy an egg prepared your favorite way, or enjoy an egg omelet with chopped veggies. Choose old-fashioned oats rather than those instant oatmeal packets that contain too much sugar.
Spicy Foods
According to a study published in Physiology and Behavior, eating red pepper helps to reduce appetite. Spicy foods have the added benefit of boosting your metabolism too. In this study, researchers used dried cayenne pepper that’s available at any grocery store.
How to Get the Benefits
Turn up the heat by adding red pepper to your food. Spices, in general, tend to suppress appetite. Explore the appetite-suppressing benefits of wasabi and ginger too.
Consider adding more of these foods that suppress appetite to your diet if you’re constantly hungry. These foods have other health benefits as well, and it sure beats eating a candy bar or doughnut.
References:
Purdue University. “Reasonable Quantities of Red Pepper May Help Curb Appetite”
WebMd. “Pine Nut Oil May Cut Appetite”
Related Articles By Cathe:
The Important Role Macronutrients Play in Controlling Hunger
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5 Ways to Naturally Curb Your Appetite That Are Backed by Science
Reasons You’re Not Full after a Meal
