Start your morning not with a cup of coffee, but with a nutritious breakfast, and be sure to take a snack with you to work. This will help curb the nagging feeling of hunger after eating.
But what if you follow all the rules, but your hunger still persists and you're constantly hungry? Help is possible in this case, too! We'll discuss how in this article.
Why do I feel hungry all the time?
Hunger is a complex bodily function. It is influenced by both biological and psychological factors. If you are constantly hungry, you should consult a doctor to determine the cause of your increased appetite and develop a treatment plan.
If you don't have any health issues, your cravings for excess food are likely due to a poorly planned diet. What changes should you make to your diet to feel full and healthy?
1. Increase the volume of meals
This can be achieved by eating healthy, high-fiber foods. Scientific studies have shown that fiber increases stomach volume, thereby prolonging the feeling of fullness.
Fiber has another bonus: consuming an extra 14 grams of it daily can reduce calorie intake by 10% and promote weight loss.
Fruits, whole grains, and vegetables are rich in fiber. Add more vegetables to your plate, eat brown rice and whole-grain pasta more often, and don't forget to enjoy fruits and vegetables as snacks.
2. Eat cabbage soup and soups
Few people eat entrees these days, and that's a shame! If you start a meal with a bowl of hot soup or broth, you'll eat less during that meal and throughout the following meals and feel more full.
So for lunch, choose not just porridge and a cutlet, but hot soup, a serving of cereal, and turkey.
Note! The best soup choices for those who are constantly hungry are vegetable and bean soups. One review found that adding fiber-rich beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils to the diet can increase feelings of fullness by 31% compared to similar dishes without legumes.
3. Add more protein
Adequate protein in your diet is essential for maintaining a feeling of fullness. This is because protein has appetite-regulating properties, reducing cravings for unplanned snacks and overeating. Furthermore, protein is crucial for increasing the production of hormones that signal satiety.
In one study, overweight men consumed 25% of their daily calories from protein for 12 weeks. At the end of the experiment, they experienced a 50% reduction in their desire to snack at night compared to the group that consumed less protein.
4. Choose solid calories
Solid and liquid calories affect appetite differently. While calories from drinks, shakes, and smoothies are quickly digested and provide little feeling of fullness, calories from solid foods will keep you from feeling hungry ahead of time.
One interesting experiment found that people fed semi-solid foods reported less hunger and a desire to snack compared to those who ate liquid foods. This suggests that for greater satiety, a serving of porridge and a cooked vegetable is better than a creamy soup or smoothie.
5. Drink coffee
Surprisingly, coffee helps control hunger and prolongs satiety. But it must be consumed correctly: not before meals, not instead of them, but after.
Studies show that coffee stimulates the release of peptide YY. It is produced in response to food intake and provides the body with a prolonged feeling of fullness. Scientists also believe that levels of this peptide influence how much a person will eat at their next meal.
Interesting! Decaf coffee suppresses hunger better than caffeinated coffee. Moreover, the effect lasts for three hours after consumption.
6. Avoid refined foods
If a person is constantly hungry, it may be due to a high intake of refined carbohydrates. Processing whole foods causes them to lose much of their fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but the resulting products are typically very high in calories. Examples include baked goods made from white flour or confectionery.
When you eat them, your blood glucose levels rise sharply, giving you a false sense of fullness and energy. But just as quickly, your blood glucose levels drop, and you're left with a feeling of dizziness and a lack of energy. These fluctuations in blood glucose signal your body that it needs food. This is why you feel hungry, and replacing refined carbohydrates with healthy foods can help.
7. Add more fat to your diet
Not only fiber but also healthy fats provide a long-lasting feeling of fullness. This is partly because fatty foods take longer to digest. Furthermore, consuming fats increases the concentration of hormones responsible for feelings of satiety in the body. Low-fat diets, on the other hand, lead to a deficiency of the satiety hormone leptin and can cause insatiable appetite.
Sources of healthy fats include vegetable oils, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring), walnuts, flax seeds and avocados.
8. Curb your appetite with salad
For those who are constantly hungry, it's beneficial to do this both during meals and between meals. However, the salad must be prepared correctly.
How to get rid of constant hunger?
This should be a dish of fresh vegetables and herbs, dressed with a small amount of vegetable oil, low-fat sauce, yogurt, or a squeeze of lemon juice. For added filling, you can add a handful of nuts, seeds, or bran.
When preparing a salad, stick to variety: use carrots, radishes, tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh herbs, lettuce, cabbage, and bell peppers.
Note! In one study, people who ate a low-calorie salad before lunch ended up eating 12% fewer calories during the meal. This is an important fact for those trying to lose weight.
9. Don't give up dairy products
Eating dairy products is a great way to add more protein to your diet while still enjoying a tasty, nutritious, moderate-calorie snack.
Dairy products provide the body with beneficial nutrients such as milk protein and casein, which have the ability to control hunger. Therefore, it's best to eat plenty of milk, kefir, yogurt, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, and cheese, choosing foods with medium fat and moderate calorie content.
10. Drink plain clean water
Drinking water before every meal, according to scientists, promotes a longer feeling of fullness after eating. These findings were presented in a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition.
Therefore, it's beneficial to drink a glass of water before breakfast, lunch, or dinner, both for health and for weight loss.
What else can I do to get rid of hunger?
In addition to changing your diet, introduce healthy habits into your daily routine!
- Eat more slowly. It takes at least 20 minutes for your body to receive the signal from your brain that you're full. Don't rush to the bottom of your plate; eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly to stop in time.
- Manage stress. In one study of women, women who experienced stressful situations during the day ate more sweets.
- Exercise. Physical activity helps the body better control feelings of hunger and fullness.
- Get enough sleep. Research has shown that lack of sleep not only worsens well-being, but also increases appetite by 24% and reduces satiety hormone levels by 26%.
- Believe in yourself. Feeling confident will help you curb your cravings and encourage you to maintain a healthy lifestyle.