There are many methods to curb your appetite that are natural, safe and easy. For many years, we often equated appetite suppression with diet pills or some other unsafe diet plan, but there are in fact safe and simple methods to curb your appetite that we can all use. I’ll admit I have days where I feel like my appetite has a mind of its own! If you feel like your appetite is ruling your life or you’re trying to lose some weight, I think you’ll find these easy ways to curb your appetite useful and easy to follow!
One of the best methods to curb your appetite is to drink water. It might sound too easy, but it’s really that simple. Drinking a glass of water when you start to feel your tummy rumbling is a smart and healthy way to suppress your appetite. Did you know that may people confuse dehydration for hunger? The next time you start feeling hungry, try drinking 8 oz. of water and waiting 10-15 minutes, you’re probably going to notice that you’re not as hungry as you were before or the feeling has passed.
Eating more often throughout the day is another way to suppress your appetite. Do you eat three square meals a day and rarely stray from your routine? Why not try eating smaller meals throughout the day, say every 2-3 hours? According to WebMD, eating more often helps boost your metabolism, so if you’re trying to shed some pounds, it’s a great way to go. Whenever you eat a lot with many hours in between meals, they say it actually slows down your metabolism.
You’ve probably heard it a million times - breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Well, if you want to curb your appetite, eating breakfast is crucial! When you skip breakfast, your blood sugar dips and your cravings are likely to be worse later on in the day. Even if you’re always in a rush, take a few minutes to eat something quick or prepare something like overnight oats so there’s no fuss in the morning.
Filing up on high fiber foods such as apples, oatmeal, salads and pine nuts will fill you up and keep you feeling full longer. Apples contain pectin which is a fiber found in fruits that have been found to reduce cholesterol, lower blood sugar levels and improve your intestinal health. Pine nuts have pinolenic acid in them which contain hormones that signal your brain that your belly is full.
For safe appetite suppression, pile your plate with protein. Make room for high protein foods like lean turkey, fish, cheese, beans, eggs and nuts to keep you feeling fuller longer. Protein shakes or smoothies are also a quick and easy way to get your fill of vitamins and nutrients while you’re on the go. WebMD states that diets rich in protein can help reduce blood fats, maintain lean tissue while burning fat for fuel.
Aside from eating slower, waiting for 20 minutes before you have another helping or course of your meal can help you consume less and curb your appetite. According to exercise physiologist Bob Greene, it takes 20 minutes for our brains to get the signal that we are full, so if we consume our entire meal and then some before that time is up, we can end up eating more than we need. He suggests waiting 20 minutes after dinner before ordering dessert and chances are, you won’t even want it.
If you have a hard time drinking water, reach for a cup of tea the next time your perceived appetite is calling for food. There are tons of different types and flavors of tea so there’s bound to be something you enjoy! Drinking tea can be relaxing and it’s a tasty way to take in some nutrients. Some great choices are peppermint, chamomile, rooibos, licorice, fruit flavored or green tea.
These tips to curb your appetite aren’t about denying yourself when you’re truly hungry. Sometimes, we might feel like we’re hungry, but we can often confuse false with true hunger. Things like boredom, feeling thirsty or even fatigue can lead us to mistakenly feel we’re hungry when we’re not. How do you curb your appetite?
Sources: exercise4weightloss.com, oprah.com, naturalnews.com, fitsugar.com, voices.yahoo.com, doctoroz.com, nowloss.com, webmd.com, loseyourappetite.com, livestrong.com, healthaliciousness.com, webmd.com