6 Foods That Suppress Your AppetiteSunday, 18 Aug 2013 04:53 PM
While experts agree that eating healthy meals and avoiding snacks
during the day helps keep your weight in check, there are exceptions
to the rule.
“Choosing snacks that are rich in healthy fat and fiber helps keep
craving at bay so you’ll actually eat less at meals,” says
Orlando-based nutritionist Tara Gidus. “About five minutes after fat
enters the stomach, a hormone called enterogastrone is released,
causing it to empty at a much slower rate. Thus you feel fuller,
longer.
“The effect of fiber as a hunger suppressant actually starts the
moment you take a bite,” adds Gidus, nutritionist for the Orlando
Magic basketball team. “Foods full of fiber – think apples or whole
grain bread – require more work to chew. Increased chewing slows
down your eating so your body has more time to realize it’s full, so
you eat less.”
If you are trying to lose weight, but find yourself plagued by
hunger pangs, there are certain foods that can help you curb your
appetite.
Here, according to Gidus and other diet experts, are top foods for
fighting hunger:
1.
Almonds and avocados.
These excellent snacks are both high in fat and fiber, says
best-selling author and celebrity nutritionist J.J. Virgin, author
of The Virgin Diet. A handful of almonds or half an avocado
on whole grain toast calms the appetite quickly.
2.
Green tea. Virgin notes that this popular healthy beverage contains
EGCG, a chemical that has been proven in studies to curb the
appetite. Stay away from sugary bottled brands and brew your own
green tea from bags or loose-leaf tea.
3.
Spicy foods. Gidus says that adding spice to your meals slows your
appetite. “Just one spicy buffalo wing or a piece of Kung Pao
chicken can actually suppress your appetite. Even though these are
high-calorie foods you will eat less in the long-term.”
4.
Coffee. Just like drinking a glass of water before a meal
temporarily signals fullness to your stomach, research shows that
coffee works the same way. But coffee also contains caffeine, which
boosts metabolism and suppresses appetite.
5.
Fatty fish. Not only are fish like salmon, sardines, and herring rich
in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, they also suppress hunger by
altering the body’s level of the hormone leptin. Leptin is the
hormone that tells your body that it’s full so you’ll stay sated
longer.
6.
Lean protein. Craig Title, M.D., a New York weight-loss expert, advises
his patients to snack on high-protein foods. Egg whites, turkey
slices, or tofu can provide a prolonged sense of fullness without
the swings in blood sugar that carbs create.
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