4 Tips To Avoid Feeling Hungry All The Time
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Hunger is a sign that your body hasn’t had enough food that it needs to feel satiated (1).
But wait a minute. Didn’t you have lunch just an hour ago? Why then do you feel so hungry? It was a big lunch and yet, you just can’t seem to have enough food. You just feel so damn hungry all the time! Which is clearly showing on your waistline. So then, how do you make it stop?
Before we get to that, which we will, you should know just why you feel as hungry as you do all the time.
Reasons For The Everlasting Hunger
An empty stomach is not the only reason to feel hunger. You’d be surprised to know that the following can give rise to that “I need food NOW” sensation too!
1. Dehydration
Often, you’re not really hungry when you feel hungry. You are, in fact, thirsty. The reason for that is the symptoms of both hunger and dehydration are more or less the same. Also, the hypothalamus of your brain (which is responsible for sending responses), cannot differentiate between hunger and thirst. So, it sends signals to a particular part of your brain that controls both hunger and thirst.
2. Insomnia
Lack of sleep on a regular basis is another reason why you may feel hunger pangs all the time. When you sleep less, your body increases the production of the ‘hunger hormone’ known as ghrelin (2). Side by side, insomnia also lowers the level of the hormone ‘leptin,’ which helps you in feeling satiated.
3. High Sugar Intake
Foods with a high sugar content are far from healthy. Not only do you end up consuming more calories than you need, but sweetmeats don’t fill your stomach for a long time, giving rise to that ‘hungry again’ feeling. Sweets such as cookies and pastries contain a large amount of carbohydrates, which increase your blood sugar levels at first and then dramatically fall later, giving rise to cravings.
4. Stress
When you’re stressed out, your body produces higher levels of cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones), which impact the body in the same way that insomnia does (3). That means when you eat, you don’t feel full for long (irrespective of the portion size) and your appetite increases.
5. Diet
If your food habits are not right, you may get strong hunger pangs all the time. Take for instance, if there’s a lack of protein in your diet or if you don’t have enough of healthy fats or if you skip a meal, you may end up feeling extremely hungry. Moreover, if you have too much of alcohol (which causes dehydration), then, too, you may feel perpetually hungry (4).
How To Turn Off The “Always Hungry” Mode
Here are 4 very useful tips that can put an end to the feeling of being constantly hungry.
1. Have Small, Healthy Meals
You shouldn’t attempt to control your hunger and starve yourself in the meantime. Try having small and healthy meals instead. For example, if you eat 5 to 6 small and nutritious meals, you won’t experience as many cravings and will feel satiated for longer. So, your ideal meal plan for the day would be breakfast, mid-morning snacks, lunch, late afternoon snack, evening snack, and dinner. For snacks, try granola bars, fruits or yogurt.
2. Eat A Solid Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that cannot be stressed enough. It’s the first meal you have after several hours, so you have to make it a good one. Also, not only is eating a healthy breakfast important, you also have to make sure you don’t rush it. Give your breakfast some time and eat it slowly. Moreover, make sure your breakfast contains healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in generous amounts so that you feel energized and full. Scrambled eggs, yogurts, fruits, and nuts make for a healthy breakfast.
3. Consume More Fiber
Certain foods help curb the feeling of hunger (5). And out of them, foods containing high quantities of fiber are your best bet. Foods such as bread, rice, wheat pasta, bananas, etc. make you feel full and satisfied for long.
4. Sip On Green Tea
Green tea is known to have multiple health benefits and one of them is controlling annoying hunger pangs. Green tea also helps in burning fat. Plus, if you sip on a hot cup, you will get the feeling of being satiated. However, if you have it cold, you can help reduce dehydration, which is also one of the causes of hunger. Combine it with a handful of your favorite nuts and you’ve got yourself a healthy snack!
These ways are so simple that you won’t even feel the slightest discomfort of any kind when trying them out. And you know what? They are highly effective!
