8 Surprising Reasons You're Always Hungry
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Oct 3, 2019
- 4 min read
Introduction:
You may eat frequently but unfortunately this doesn't tame your appetite. The reasons could be linked to your low calorie diet or even a diet poor in healthy fat and filling protein.
However, other logical reasons could be behind this surprising hunger!!
1. You Aren't Getting Adequate Sleep:
Poor sleep disrupt ghrelin-leptin hormonal balance. So this lead to high level of ghrelin associated with an increased appetite and low level of leptin-the satiety hormone.The result will be hunger in the next morning.
How to solve it: You need to get enough sleep about 7-9 hours daily, avoid late-night eating and turn-off any artifical lights.
2. You Need to De-Stress:
Stress is a normal part of our life but, when faced with bigger stressors, the body releases fight-or-flight hormones (epinephrine and cortisol) as a normal feedback mechanism to help the body cope in the short-term.The problem arises when the stress never eases or dissipates. Cortisol levels stay elevated, and these higher levels start to wreak havoc on eating habits by increasing appetite and triggering cravings for high-fat, high-energy food (think refined carbs and processed foods with added sugars).
How to manage this hunger: You need to find stress-management-strategies in order to lower cortisol leve. Some strategies could be meditation, stretching or walking the dog. To manage increased appetite, you need to have a meal rich in complex carbs,filling protein and healthy fat.
3. You're Hooked on Low-Calorie Drink:
Excessive consumption of artifical sweeteners has been linked with increased appetite and weight gain, in addition to heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer disease. Even the result is reduced calorie intake but the sweet taste could affect brain receptors and lead to hunger and appetite.
How to manage this hunger: It is better to choose drinks with no sugar and no-artificial sweeteners. In occasions, I prefer to choose those made with sugar but for sure moderation and frequency control are the key!
4. You Forget to Stay Hydrated
Slight dehydration can make you hungry especially when you get busy and you forget to drink water. Staying hydrated can be key to preventing those mixed messages, since it's not uncommon to get mildly dehydrated if you don't drink fluids throughout the day.
How to manage this hunger: Carry a water bottle, sit a glass on your desk or find other ways to keep hydration at your fingertips to prompt intake of water or other non-caloric fluids in during the day. Need more help? Consider setting a timer on your phone every 20 to 60 minutes to remind you to get some fluids.
5. It's Cold Outside
We all notice that winter season is accompanied with an increased appetite toward sugar rich food. This is due to the fact that carbs rich food are comfort food. However, if portions size increase during the cold weather to fill hunger need, here is another reason behind hunger.It turns out that those same hunger hormones (ghrelin and leptin) that can increase appetite following a lack of sleep may also fluctuate in cold months and lead to an increase in appetite and decrease in satiety.
How to manage this hunger: You can keep winter hunger in check by following some easy tips:
Pay attention to portion size
Pair healthy complex carbs like beans, whole grains and vegetables with lean protein
Warm up with hot tea or other minimal drink with minimal calories
Don't forget to stay hydrated.
6. You Skipped Your Workout
Moderate to vigorous activity has an appetite-suppressing effects. Combine these effects with the fact that exercise tends to set a mindset for making good food choices for the next 12 to 24 hours, and this means skipping a workout may leave you feeling hungry and more likely to make less healthy choices.
How to manage this hunger: Taking an occasional rest day is important to give your body a break, so if hunger tends to be an issue on those days, it's key to remember that it may be simply from not getting exercise's appetite-suppressing effects. To help, stay hydrated, eat regularly and focus on getting higher-fiber whole foods and lean protein at meals.
7. You're Eating the Wrong Carbs
Processed food and high glycemic index food keep you hungry within 1-2 hours of consumption. These food are poor in fiber and filling protein. The fact that they require a little digestion and the result will be sugar level raise.
How to manage this hunger: It is important to include carbs into your diet but choose the type wisely. You need to add more complex carbs such as legumes to your diet as they contain both filling protein and fiber that require time to be digested.
8. Your Mind Is Confusing Appetite for Hunger
The term hunger and appetite are different.Hunger is a true physiological need for energy and nutrients. Appetite, on the other hand, is psychologically driven. It's a desire to eat that is triggered by seeing, smelling or thinking about food. The problem is that, in today's world where we have constant access to food and are bombarded with food images, appetite becomes hard to separate from hunger.
How to manage this hunger: To help keep appetite in check, eat regularly making sure to include fiber-rich foods, lean protein and a little healthy fat so you're left feeling satisfied. Also, be aware of how emotions and things in the environment may trigger a desire to eat.
Sources:
Comments