Foods that Curb Your Appetite

First, What to Eat to Increase Cravings

Almost all nutritionists agree that eating carbohydrates high on the glycemic scale can stimulate the appetite. (70 and above is considered in the high glycemic range.) This happens because those foods cause blood sugar levels to spike and then drop rapidly, triggering hunger signals to the brain. By keeping your blood sugar level, you'll avoid these highs and lows and end up eating less frequently. I explain how this works in my article, "Understanding the Glycemic Index 101" So, your first step in controlling your hunger is to minimize the amount of sweets and white, refined foods you eat such as, white rice, white bread, doughnuts, and potatoes.

What Foods are Best to Reduce Hunger?

Certain foods can minimize those distracting hunger pangs we get when we are trying to lose weight because they fill us up on less calories. Mayoclinic.com refers to these foods as "low energy dense" foods which really means they provide a larger portion size for fewer calories. The simple goal is to fill up on the following foods:

High Fiber Foods - The fiber in fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods takes a while to digest which provides a satisfied and full feeling longer than a highly processed snack, such as potato chips.

Eat: Apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, asparagus, broccoli, whole wheat spaghetti, oatmeal, black beans (see the full list of high fiber foods at Mayoclinic.com.)

High Water-content Foods - When foods have a high water content they fill up the stomach with water rather than calories.

Eat: Grapefruit, carrots, watermelon, cantaloupe, brothy soups

Green Leafy Vegetables - Healthy leafy veggies fill the stomach, providing a full feeling, and the calories it takes to convert them into energy nearly negates their calorie count. But be careful not to drench them in high fat or sugary dressings!

Eat: Bokchoy, lettuce, cabbage

Protein and Dairy - Low-fat Protein and Dairy provide valuable nutrients and when you eat carbohydrates, eating protein too will help the insulin spike and maintain blood sugar levels. Protein also takes your mind off eating longer than other foods.

Eat: Beans, Cottage Cheese, fish, skinless white chicken, fat-free dairy and egg whites

Four Non-Food Strategies to Reduce Hunger

1. Drink water - Drink an 8 ounce glass of water and wait ten minutes before eating. Prevention.com tells us that people who drink 7 cups of water a day consume 200 less calories than those who drink less.

2. Get low-intensity exercise - a University of Ottawa study suggests that vigorous exercise can rev up the appetite. Prevention.com's article, "Beat Post Workout Hunger" claimed the study showed that women often replaced all the calories they burned after an intense workout but, "When they did lower-intensity walking, they had healthy appetites but still netted a 177-calorie deficit for the day."

3. Get more sunlight - Prevention's article, "Less Sunlight, More Cravings" tells us, "SAD, a reaction to reduced sunlight during the shorter days of winter, creates the food cravings to snack on high-sugar, highly refined carb foods--the very ones you want to avoid for weight loss.

4, Get enough sleep - Scientists are researching the possibility that insufficient sleep might cause hormonal shifts that boost appetite, especially for high fat carb energy fixes like Cinnabons and curly fries.

Bottom line, to lose weight, you might have a hunger pang or two, but with some strategy those cravings can be minimized. In summary, make sure your plate is balanced with high-fiber vegetables or fruits, lean protein and whole grains, drink 8 glasses of water a day, get a walk in after dinner and a full night's sleep and catch a few rays on a regular basis. With this as your lifestyle, you might not need to get on that scale as often!

Resources:
Mayoclinic.com
Prevention.com