7 Effective Ways to Reduce Hunger

Do you keep snacking throughout the day? If this bothers you, read further to find out what exactly makes you feel hunger more often than usual. You can prevent bad habits from ruining your heath and causing weight gain.

All you need to do is to know which of the seven reasons triggers your hunger. Stop your belly from growling without stuffing your face with food. There are a few ways to solve the issue. Here are the alternatives:

1. Fat-free products
Fats can be different. Some are unhealthy and should be avoided. Usually these fats are found in junk food. Unsaturated fats are healthy and we need them to help us feel full for longer. Our inner organs, such as brain and heart need this nutrient in order to function properly. Approximately one third of our daily calorie intake should consist of healthy fats and oils. Eat nuts, seeds, avocados. If you are not a vegetarian, then add some fatty fish, such as salmon.

2. Staying up late
The shorter you sleep, the more hungry you feel. This happens due to hormones your body produces at night. There are two hormones that are responsible for your appetite. One hormone is called ghrelin, the other one is called leptin. The former stimulates appetite while the former reduces the feeling of fullness. Besides hunger, after a bad night’s sleep you will feel exhausted and tired. Usually we think that eating food might help us feel stronger. However, this is not always true. On the contrary, food, especially unhealthy snacks, can make us feel sick. On average, 7-8 hours of sleep is necessary to restore energy, have a good rest and fully recharge.

 3. Stressful lifestyle
Nowadays our life is full of unexpected events, stressful situations and enormous rhythms and speed of daily routine. We go through stressful moments everywhere – at work as well as in our private life alike. Tension makes us produce cortisol and adrenaline. These two hormones are also called ‘stress’ hormones. The more cortisol and adrenaline we produce, the more we eat. Our brain interprets stress as something that needs cure. The quickest way to calm down for most people is to eat something sweet or fatty to feel happier and relaxed. What we suggest is that you should try and do sports to release negative emotions. Forget food – that’s the wrong choice anyways!

 4. Drinking too much alcohol
Alcohol affects your brain. You start seeing things in a different light. Your way of thinking changes, you become more carefree and do not think ahead. It is almost impossible to control your appetite in such a state. Not only do you eat much more when you consume strong drinks. Another bad thing is that alcohol dehydrates your body and again, instead of detoxifying yourself with plain water, you eat, because your brain often confuses thirst with hunger. Do not consume alcohol on an empty stomach – this makes the problem even worse. Eat first and only then drink your glass of wine or cocktail.

 5. Dehydrated body
Our bodies mostly consist of water. There is nothing as important as clean water. Drinking sufficient amounts is a matter of life and death. A human being cannot survive without water for longer than a few days while we can stay with no food at all for longer than a month! As a rule, people confuse thirst with hunger and, instead of drinking, they start eating. Next time you decide to have a bite drink a glass of plain water first. Wait 10-15 minutes and see if you still feel hungry. It is very important to drink water right after you wake up in the morning. Let your body wake up, hydrate it in the first place.

6. Skipping meals
Never skip meals. Always eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Let your meals be full of minerals, vitamins and other essential nutrients. Avoid fast food and unhealthy snacks. The longer you stay without food, the more ghrelin your body produces. This hormone will make your appetite grow. All you will think about will be food. Once you get back home from work you will binge eat. You cannot cheat your body. So, remember that you must not stay without food for longer than 4 hours. Learn to love your breakfast, have a healthy snack around while in office or outside. Seeds, nuts, fruit are the best alternatives. Eat enough protein as well. Remember to drink plenty of plain water, too!

 7. Eating at a moderate pace
Pay attention to how you eat your food. This is not less important than what kind of food and how much of it you eat! Let yourself enjoy the process. Your brain needs time to understand that it is no longer hungry. First food reaches our stomachs, and only after 20 minutes our stomach sends signals to our brain telling it that we are full. Eat slowly, savour your food and inhale aromas of the products and drinks. Allow yourself enough time to have your meal in a calm atmosphere and pleasant relaxing environment. Make your meals colorful, spicy and varied in all senses of this word.