In its ideal state, the human body should only feel hungry when it needs calories. But in the modern world, so many things are interrupting the ability of our bodies to detect when we genuinely need energy that it can make us a little confused.
We’ve all been there. We sit down to eat a substantial meal at lunchtime, and then by four o’clock, we’re ravenous again.
What’s Going On?
It turns out that this has to do with hormones and other signaling chemicals in our bodies. When we eat a regular meal we release something called GLP-1. What is GLP-1, we hear you ask? It’s simply a chemical that controls how much insulin your body releases in response to food. The more of it you have in your system, the more satiety you feel.
However, the problem with modern foods is that they’re not giving us real satiety. A pizza, for instance, might provide plenty of calories. But it doesn’t stay in the stomach for long. Eventually, it makes its way lower down the digestive tract, reducing the feeling of fullness you have after a meal. And that’s primarily why you are struggling to feel satiated when you eat. You’re just not getting the bulk that you need.
In this post, I’ll help you take a look at some of the ways that you can stop feeling hungry all the time. Check them out below:
Eat Warm Soups
Eating warm soups might sound like a strange thing to do when you want to feel full. But it turns out that adding bulk to your meals in the form of water is a great way to achieve higher satiation.
The reason it works has to do with the way the stomach communicates with the brain. The stomach itself can’t actually tell how many calories you gave it directly. Instead, it estimates the likely number of calories by sensing the pressure of its contents on its walls. If the pressure is high because you just ate a large meal, then it’ll send more satiety molecules to your brain.
Warm soups, therefore, are a great way to trick the stomach into thinking it is full. The heaviness of soups puts pressure on the stomach walls, causing them to release signals to the brain.
Add More Spices to Your Meals
Eating spicy food can be a lot of fun. But it’s also a great way to decrease feelings of hunger. It turns out that red peppers and chilies both contain a compound that actively interrupts hunger signals. So the more you eat these foods, the fewer hunger pangs you will experience.
Eat Bulky Food, Rich in Water
Humans evolved eating primarily plant matter, just like our ape ancestors. So our stomachs still expect us to eat a large volume of relatively calorie sparse food with high water content. Take oranges, for instance. This popular citrus fruit is over 95 percent water, with only 5 percent of it being a solid mass. The same goes for practically every fruit or non-starchy vegetable. Base your diet around these foods and watch the hunger disappear.
