Do you still feel famished even though you just finished a big lunch or dinner? Research is finding that the reason for this is that some food ingredients can trick our bodies into not recognizing that we are full. This leads to “rebound hunger”, more eating, and adds inches to our waistlines. Below are some findings and suggestions from the book The New American Diet that will help you to combat this problem, feel full and stay satisfied.
Your Breakfast Wasn’t Big Enough
Researchers followed 6,764 healthy people for about 4 years and found that those who ate 300 calories for breakfast gained almost twice as much weight as those who ate 500 calories or more for breakfast. The reason for this is that eating a larger breakfast leads to smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin throughout the whole day, which leads to fewer food cravings.
You Drink Too Much Soda
Sweetened beverages like soda and iced tea are the biggest source of high fructose corn syrup. New research from the University of California at San Francisco indicates that fructose can trick our brains into craving more food, even when we are full. Leptin is the satiety hormone that tells us when we have had enough to eat and fructose appears to hinder the body’s ability to use leptin.
You Are Not Drinking Enough Fluid
Dehydration mimics the feeling of hunger. If you have just had something to eat and still feel hungry, drink a glass of water before eating more and see if the need to eat more doesn’t disappear.
You Passed on the Salad with Dinner
Leafy greens are rich in the essential B-vitamin folate. Folate helps protect against depression, fatigue, and weight gain. Leafy greens are also high in vitamin K, which is another insulin regulating nutrient that helps to suppress cravings. The New American Diet cites one study in which dieters with the highest levels of folate in their bodies lost 8.5 times as much weight as dieters with the lowest levels. The best folate sources are romaine lettuce, collard greens, and spinach.
Make Tea Time Part of Your Day
A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that people who drank one cup of black tea after eating high-carb foods decreased their blood sugar levels by 10 percent for 2 and a half hours after the meal. This means they stayed fuller longer and had fewer food cravings. The Researchers in the study credit the polyphenolic compounds in black tea for suppressing rebound hunger.
Don’t Eat Your Dinner Out of a Can
A number of canned foods are high in the chemical bisphenol-A or BPA, a chemical that the Food and Drug Administration recently stated was a chemical “of some concern”. Researchers at Harvard University found that exposure to BPA can cause abnormal surges in leptin which leads to food cravings and obesity.
These tips should help reduce food cravings and assist in keeping you satisfied between meals.