To maintain a healthy lifestyle we need to get used to eating well balanced meals with healthy snack in between. Eating a snack every hour or having the urge to snack mindlessly due to unknown hunger pangs can sabotage your healthy diet. If you have the urge to open up the pantry or snack on some junk food every day, then you might need to have meals that will keep you fuller for a longer period. The best ways to keep you full longer are to add foods that are an appetite suppressant.
If your well balance meals aren’t keeping you full, try out these natural appetite suppressants.
Almonds
A small handful of these delicious nut is packed with vitamin E magnesium and antioxidants. Almonds are known to have effects on hunger. Eating a handful of almonds for a snack will keep you feeling full for a long period, making weight management and consistent snacking in check.
Water
Drinking a few extra glasses of water before and after meals can keep your hunger pangs gone. A study done in August 2010 done on subjects who drank 2 glasses of water before a meal ate fewer calories than the subject who didn’t. Practice drinking 2 glasses of water before meals to lower snacking habits.
Apples
Apples are a great morning or afternoon snack. Not only is it low in calorie but it is also packed with fiber. Fiber keeps us feeling full longer. Apples also have a high water content that keeps suppresses the appetite. Pectin in apple also helps control blood sugar levels and prevent sudden spikes. Spikes in your sugar level will cause you to crave food or have spurts of hunger.
Mint
Mint has a calming agent that relieves stress in consumers. The smell of mint is a well-known appetite suppressant. If you feel like snacking try sniffing on some mint scented candles or sipping on some mint tea. Adding mint to your recipes can also help curb hunger.
Sweet Potatoes
According to recent studies a special kind of starch found in sweet potatoes fight digestive enzymes. Keeping digestive enzymes from working full time will make food stay in the stomach longer, making you full for a longer period of time. Sweet potatoes are also a great source of vitamin C and vitamin A.
Tofu
Genistein an Isoflavones found in tofu is known to suppress the appetite and lower the need to eat. Tofu can be used in stews and stir fry. It is also a great alternative to protein in certain recipes.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a well-known appetite suppressant. Oatmeal are packed with fiber that improve bowel movement and prevent hunger pangs. Oatmeal increases the hormone cholecystokinin in the body, this hormone regulates the appetite preventing over snacking.
Spices
Adding spices like cayenne pepper to your recipes can increase metabolism and keep the stomach full. People that add spice to their meals are more likely to eat fewer calories throughout the day.
These natural appetite suppressant can help curb hunger pangs and sugar cravings, but they are not used to promote skipping meals or losing weight. A healthy diet and exercise is still the best way to lose weight.
