Do you ever feel as if you just want to eat and eat even though you’ve just finished a meal? What if you could learn how to control your hunger (and stay fuller for longer) by adding even just a couple of these 5 easy tricks into your daily routine?
1. EAT MORE PROTEIN
Consume more protein throughout the day! This will give you a feeling of fullness, help prevent muscle loss when daily calories are reduced for weight loss and help sustain your energy levels throughout the day. It is difficult to overeat healthy proteins (because they are so filling), and some good examples include fish, red meat, eggs, cottage cheese and low calorie protein shakes (we recommend www.proteusnutrition.com).
2. INCREASE YOUR INTAKE OF FIBRE-RICH FOODS
Increasing your fibre intake is associated with many health benefits such as better blood sugar regulation, weight loss, and lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. This type of cholesterol is considered bad because high levels lead to cholesterol build up in your arteries, which can then lead to a risk of coronary artery disease and other diseases. Dietary fibre is a non-digestible complex carbohydrate that makes you feel full while consuming fewer calories. A few great examples of fibre-rich foods that keep your hunger and health in check are green leafy vegetables and fruits, whole grains, legumes, beans, nuts, and seeds, and you can also buy fibre supplements to take daily.
3. EAT MORE REGULARLY
Often when we skip a meal, whether because of time pressure or even intentionally, we end up eating a lot of unnecessary junk at our next meal.Do not skip your breakfast unless you’re practising intermittent fasting! One of the easiest ways you can curb your hunger is by starting your day with a satisfying breakfast, packed with nutritious ingredients. Depriving your body of food will lead to an unproductive and hungry morning. However, we don’t mean cereals and coffee, or juice and a bagel – make sure your breakfast contains protein and healthy fats and is not too high in carbs. We like to start the day off with a protein shake.
4. DRINK ENOUGH FLUIDS
Quench your thirst by keeping your water bottle full all day, every day. You should be aiming to drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day. An easy way to maximize your water intake is to have at least one glass before each meal. Add flavour by squeezing in some fresh lemon or lime, adding mint leaves or cucumber or make your own combination! By sipping this zero calorie quencher you’ll decrease your hunger without even having to eat. How does this work? Water stretches your stomach enough to send signals to the brain that you’re full. Another great way to maximize your fluid consumption is to start drinking low calorie teas such as green tea and oolong. There are many health benefits associated with green tea, and some of these include aiding in digestion, reducing bloating as well as having great antioxidant properties.Green tea has small amounts of caffeine in it so take note of how much caffeine you have throughout the day as too much caffeine in your diet will do more harm than good.
5. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Make sure you are getting enough sleep! This may seem trivial but lack of sleep has numerous negative effects on the body, one of them being constant cravings for snacks throughout the day. This is because sleep affects your appetite by regulating the hormones that determine hunger and fullness. Getting enough sleep will make it much easier to avoid unnecessary or unwanted snacking.
