What to do if you’re always hungry?

What To Do If You're Always Hungry?

Physical hunger occurs when you really need to eat. The stomach is a muscular organ that expands and shrinks. When it stretches after eating and eating liquid, you start to feel fed. A hormone called leptin signals the body that you are fed up and you can stop eating. When the stomach is empty, it shrinks, causing hunger attacks. Blood sugar levels drop, and the stomach produces the hormone ghrelin, encouraging you to eat. But what if hunger haunts you all the time? Massage therapist and cosmetologist shared his advice with our readers.

Don’t get stressed!

You are drawn to food, trying to calm yourself, or from sadness, boredom, even from happiness. The problem is that if you eat more than your body needs to maintain life, it can provoke weight gain. Hunger can be physical, psychological or even combine both of these feelings. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to distinguish real physical hunger from emotional craving for food.

Psychological or emotional hunger is not caused by the need for nutrition. It occurs when you experience an emotional connection with a certain food or a desire to eat it because of habit, stress or external signs. Unlike true hunger, emotional hunger causes a craving for certain foods – usually sweet, salty or crispy. Unfortunately, eating salty, sweet or fatty foods can cause the release of health hormones in the brain, which only increases this eating behavior. The best way out: do the test. If you don’t want to eat protein, such as eggs, chicken or beans, then most likely you’re really not hungry.

Adjust the food.

If you don’t get enough protein, fat and complex carbohydrates, especially those rich in fiber, you are likely to feel hungry during the day. Each of these nutrients slows down digestion and contributes to a feeling of satiety. On the other hand, eating too many refined carbohydrates can cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which provokes the body to eat more food.

Don’t eat too fast.

It takes your body about 20 minutes to feel full. When you eat slowly and chew food thoroughly, your body and brain have time to notice that you are well-on.

Consider taking medication.

Medications such as steroids, anticonvulsants, some antidepressants and oral contraceptives can cause hunger stronger than usual. If you suspect that your medications cause hunger, talk to your doctor. Perhaps there is an alternative that does not cause the same side effects.

Get enough sleep.

Sleep and appetite are inextricably linked. The body produces more ghrelin and craves more calories when we don’t get enough sleep. That’s why you often feel hungry when you don’t get enough sleep.

Drink enough water.

Water not only helps you feel well-fed, but also helps your body absorb the nutrients it gets from food. Moreover, thirst can be mistaken for hunger. Not sure if you want to eat or drink? Drink a full glass of water before you start cooking or a snack.

Wait.

Take a break from the craving for food with some non-food activity, such as meditation, walking in the fresh air or a phone conversation with a friend. If you can wait at least three minutes, there is a high probability that the desire will pass.

Strive for balance.

Sometimes hunger between meals indicates that your diet lacks protein, fat and fiber, which takes time to digest. You will feel well-fed longer by eating a spinach salad with beans, boiled eggs, nuts or seeds than by eating a plate of spaghetti.

Keep a food diary.

Awareness is the first step towards change. You can achieve this by logging the amount of food consumed. Write down the type and amount of food eaten, date and time in your diary. In a few days, you will be able to identify certain patterns in food consumption and make appropriate changes.