Want a trimmer body and a more balanced mood? End that gnawing sensation in your stomach with these simple solutions for feeling fuller and more gratified.
Top your omelet with hot sauce and splash sriracha on your stir-fry: Though no-frills foods might seem more saintly, flavorful options—especially the spicy variety—are actually more gratifying than bland ones. The concentrated burst of flavor may send a faster, more powerful satiety message to the brain.
Have an Apple a Day
Start your meal with an apple and, research shows, you're apt to eat less overall. The fruit's filling fiber content (a medium one contains four to five grams, or roughly a fifth of a woman's daily needs) may be partially to thank. Go with the actual solid fruit: In a study published in the journal Appetite, people who sank their teeth into an apple 15 minutes before a pasta meal consumed 15 percent fewer calories than those who had applesauce or apple juice instead. The apple's volume, as well as the act of chewing, may result in a fuller stomach and a longer digestion time.
Learn What Full Is
You might actually be full but not realize it. Most people don't even know what satiety feels like, so they keep eating. Practice aiming for "three-quarters full". And remember, the notion that your brain needs time to register fullness is true. Take 20 minutes to eat every meal and it'll get easier to know when you should stop.
Quit Faking It
When someone says he's always hungry, the first thing I tell him is to cut out artificial sweeteners. Research shows that faux sugar's intense sweetness makes you want dessert even more. (Basically, trying to trick your body backfires.) Your system knows it didn't get the hit of sugar it was expecting and will make up for it with extra food. So if you're currently trying to stall cravings with a six-pack-a-day diet soda habit or by tossing back dozens of sugar-free candies from your desk drawer, a little bit of the real thing (say, a serving of fruit juice or a small cookie) may actually be the wiser choice. After all, in a study from Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, people who had candy and treats (yep, with real sugar) in moderation were slimmer than those who abstained.
Stock Up on Skinny Fats
Fat slows the rate at which your stomach and intestines digest food—but when it comes to staving off snack attacks, not all fat is created equal. You might think the fat from a juicy steak would be more substantial than that of an avocado, but it's actually the other way around. A study showed that unsaturated fat—think nuts and vegetable oils—hits the spot better than saturated fat (mostly animal fat, found in meat and dairy). In another study, muffins made with canola oil were rated as more filling than those made with butter.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia-fy Your Foods
Those seeds that make Chia Pets grow could help you shrink. Slayton tells clients to add chia seeds to salads, soups, and smoothies, since they soak up water and swell during digestion. A hundred calories of chia seeds last far longer, from a hunger perspective, than a hundred calories from almost any other food. Steel-cut oats and ground flaxseed also expand during digestion, helping you stay sated.
Give In to These Munchies
When you can't get around the fact that you want to stuff your face, accept that you're looking for volume-then choose foods that won't do too much caloric damage. Things you can demolish when necessary (and sometimes it just is) include high-fiber GG Scandinavian bran crispbread, raw veggies, egg-white omelets, and up to three cups of plain air-popped popcorn.
Multiply and Conquer
Instead of a giant sandwich, have half a small one, a side salad, a piece of fruit, and a cup of tea. Or pass up a big bowl of pasta in favor of a piece of seafood, sauteed veggies, and a few whole-wheat noodles on the side. The meals with multiple lower-calorie elements looks like more food, so you're tricking your brain into being satisfied.
Sip a Bit of the Bubbly
Carbonation expands the intestinal tract, which makes you feel as if you have a gut full of food. (That's not a license to chug soda; sparkling water, unlike its artificially flavored counterpart, hasn't been tied to weight gain or other issues like tooth-enamel damage.) Out on the town? If booze isn't a binge trigger for you, sip club soda with a splash of cran and vodka, or go for a glass of champagne.
Get a Dose of D
When your vitamin D levels are low—and most women's are—it has a negative impact on leptin, the hormone that tells you you've had enough food. (That may explain why studies have linked low D with obesity.) You can get it from fish like salmon, but it's also smart to supplement with 1,000 IUs of D3 drops like Carlson or Bluebonnet brands.
I hope this helps. Stay healthy and live longer.
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