So, it’s getting harder and harder to stop those midnight cravings?
Don’t worry it happens to the best of us, the important thing is to know how to avoid binging.
Sometimes it can be difficult to just look at a plate of French fries, a burger, and a chocolate milkshake without getting the attack of the growling stomach.
However, with the right natural tricks it is possible to curb your appetite.
Diet and Exercise
Diet plays a key role in almost every aspect of your life. Whether it’s how well you sleep or how clear your skin is, what you put into your body directly affects what you get out of it.
Sometimes eating more but doing it right is key, for example, not eating a breakfast in hopes of quickly dropping a few pounds can actually have the opposite effect, if it leads to mid-morning bingeing.
1. Almonds
Avoiding a filling meal in the morning leads to a craving pattern around three or four in the afternoon. What ends up happening is your body makes up for not having had a meal by overindulging later in the day. No one is saying you should have a mountain of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, but you should enjoy a healthy meal.
Having a handful of almonds is more than enough to give you an energy boost and last you until lunch time, keeping your appetite at bay. Almonds are high in protein, magnesium, and Vitamin E. One 2006 study found that these qualities help promote the feeling of fullness in consumers and aids in weight loss.
2. Eggs
If you’re allergic to nuts or want something a little more interesting, eggs are another great choice.
One study compared people with similar diets except one group ate eggs for breakfast while the other had bagels. Those who had eaten eggs reportedly felt fuller throughout a 24-hour period than this who ate the carb rich bagels.
What’s more, the same study found that the “egg group” consumed an average of about 300 calories less than their bagel eating counterparts did.
While it’s not wise to crack open four eggs in a pan smothered in melted butter, having a couple of boiled eggs is a great way to get in some amino acids, healthy fats, and stay satisfied throughout the day.
3. Water
There seems to be no limit as to how good water is for you, curbing your appetite is just another one of its many magical abilities.
This zero calorie drink will not only keep you from overindulging, but it will help you lose weight and make skin glow as well.
One 2010 study from Virginia Tech examined study subjects who drank water before a meal and found that those who had two glasses ate almost 100 calories less than those who didn't drink water.
In fact, scientific reports show that as little as 500ml of water is enough to stretch the stomach muscles and give a feeling of fullness. So drink up!
4. Ginger
Apart from its universal health benefits, ginger has been long thought of as an appetite suppressor.
A study cited in PubMed.gov noted that people who drank something resembling ginger tea (ginger powder and hot water) were less hungry after a meal and took longer to get hungry between meals.
Ginger improves metabolic activity and if consumed regularly can significantly increase the feeling of fullness.
5. Dark Chocolate
That’s right, you can have your cake and eat it too.
In the last few years, researchers and nutritionists alike have been revisiting the benefits of high cocoa level chocolates and their rather mythical healing properties.
With its heart healthy benefits, chocolate, namely dark chocolate is exceptional when it comes to curbing that appetite. The bitter and almost acidic qualities of chocolates that have over 70% cocoa signal the brain to feel less hungry and remain fuller for longer periods of time.
In fact, studies, which only examined smelling dark chocolate, found that the hormones that increase appetite and the feeling of hunger, were decreased, this study was published in the “Regulatory Peptides” book.
6. Exercise
Yep, it’s that one thing that not many wants to do, but everyone should—exercise.
A study conducted by The University of Western Australia noted that both aerobic and resistance training has been found to decrease and regulate the hormones which create cravings. Not only will this restore the body’s relaxed state of feeling full but not bloated but it will also aid in weight loss.
Exercise, like spicy foods and ginger, is key in having proper metabolic activity, which helps promote the feeling of satisfaction throughout the day instead of the need to constantly consume food.
At the end of the day, you are responsible for how you handle your cravings and no magic pill will keep you from eating the chocolate chunk cookie that your co-worker brought into the office.
But using these simple and natural tricks, you can significantly alter how you consume food.
Have a filling breakfast that’s high in protein, snack on some nuts and dark chocolate throughout the day, and consume plenty of water as you hit the treadmill.
These methods will help curb your appetite in no time.
