You might think that eating foods will satisfy your hunger. Think again! Some foods you’re eating can actually make you hungrier than full.
Let’s find out what these foods are:
1. Fast food
Most of the ingredients in fast food is designed to make you super-size your meals. Trans fat, for instance can inflame your gut, impairing the body’s ability to produce appetite-controlling neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine.
The GI tract on the other hand, absorbs high fructose corn syrup, found in desserts, condiments and buns, causing insulin spikes resulting to even bigger hunger cravings. The fast food’s huge amount of salt in their servings can cause dehydration. The symptoms of dehydration closely mimic those of hunger, therefore you might get trick into thinking you need to go back for seconds.
2. Pasta
Regular pasta or the whiter-looking one, known as refined grains are stripped of its nutrients. Without the fiber to fill you up, the more you consume, the more you will crave.
Choose whole grain that are rich in fiber to fill you up. You can try quinoa, millet, buckwheat and amaranth.
3. Salty Snacks
Since salty snacks are chock full of salt, they can cause dehydration, confusing your body into feeling hungry when it’s really thirsty. Also salty snacks are fiber and protein-less, resulting to increase in calories but less nutritional value.
4. Sushi
Sushi rolls are mostly rice than anything else. Take for instance a California roll, loaded with 30-plus grams of carbohydrates. Sushi are rapidly digested and emptied from the stomach without a high level of satiating properties such as protein and fiber.
5. Cereal
Cereals can be quite deceptive as there are many secret sugar hidden in in them, most especially if you follow their suggested serving size. It is also low in fiber, leaving you more hungry.
Choose unsweetened and fiber-rich oatmeal instead. You can also choose to add 1/2 cup of fruit for added protein and fiber.
6. Juice
You might think that “no sugar” added or “fresh squeezed,” is still just sugar, think again. Consuming too much can raise your blood sugar levels too quickly, leading to a hard crash and feeling famished.
You can try to eat whole fruit instead to get the benefits of both water and fiber, which can make you feel satiated. You can even combine fruit with protein to stabilize your blood sugar and prevent you from over-eating.
7. Diet Soda
Artificial sweeteners activate your brain’s taste and reward system. When you don’t eat the real thing, you get the taste but no actual reward. So when your body prepares itself to get satisfaction and does not received it, you’re still left craving for more sweets.
