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June 23, 2020 By Hajra Mithani Leave a Comment

How To Control And Fight Hunger Cravings

While we’re in lockdown, for most of us, our lifestyle has become sedentary. We are undergoing mental and emotional stress which often leads to binge eating. It is natural, when we are stressed, we find outlets to overcome it and the first thing that comes to mind is eating! A sedentary lifestyle coupled with irregular sleep leads to hunger cravings which ultimately leads to gorging on unhealthy food such as junk food, chocolates, refined foods, bakery products, juices, soft drinks, pizza, etc. that lead to weight gain. Let’s take a deeper look.

How Much Time Does It Take Food To Get Digested?

After having a meal, our GI tract slowly empties by pushing food through the stomach and from there it goes to the small intestine where it gets absorbed and then it reaches the large intestine. It takes approximately 2 hours for this entire process.
Hunger cravings occur 2 hours after having a meal when food gets digested. So, our brain picks up messages from the stomach and tells us that it’s time for our next meal.
This entire system is regulated by 2 hormones in our body which are known as hunger hormones – Ghrelin and Leptin.
Ghrelin stimulates appetite and is produced in the stomach when it’s empty and promotes fat storage.
Leptin controls appetite and signals the brain to stop eating.
If we eat after every 2 hours, ghrelin will not be released and there won’t be any overeating.

Tip To Control Hunger Cravings

Eat before you feel hungry at an interval of 2 hours.
Have 6 meals in a day: 3 main meals and 3 mid meals and eat slowly. Have a fruit as a mid meal and avoid having fruits with the main meals.
Snack on nuts like foxnuts, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, mixture of various seeds to help you stay full.
Add spices and chillies in your food as it increases the satiety.
Avoid fasting: Skipping meals can cause your body to go into a fat storing starvation mode, making it harder to burn calories.
Have jaggery, jaggery powder, stevia leaves and honey to curb sugar cravings.
Include proteins in all your meals. Proteins are the building blocks of our body. It takes longer to digest than carbohydrates and is considered to be more satiating than carbs and fats. It keeps your energy levels up and appetite down.
Have fiber rich foods since it helps in regulation of bowel movements and helps you feel fuller for a longer duration. It doesn’t add calories to your diet and cannot be converted to glucose. Include leafy green vegetables, fruits with the peel like apple,pear, plum and even berries, sweet potatoes with skin, potatoes, oatmeal, fenugreek seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon powder, drumstick, garden cress seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, figs, raisins and prunes.
Quench your thirst to control your appetite by drinking plenty of water. Drink 12-15 glasses of water throughout the day. Have 1 glass of water before and 1 after having your meal, as water is a no calorie quencher, you’ll be able to decrease your hunger before you start eating so you aren’t starving at the table. In case you don’t like the taste of plain water, have green tea, cinnamon tea, buttermilk, coconut water, lemon water or detox water.
Exercise for 30 mins everyday: since it lowers the level of ghrelin. It increases the feeling of fullness, increases your metabolism and helps in burning more calories. Indulge in yoga, pilates, cardio, stretching, skipping, dancing, etc.
Have a wake up and sleep schedule: To avoid midnight hunger pangs, don’t stay awake for a longer time post dinner and have soups, salads and protein rich meals for dinner to avoid eating junk food. Make a habit of having 1 tsp flax seeds post dinner since it has fibers that will make you feel satiated.

We hope this article helps you understand your hunger cravings and helps you curb them. For more tips on controlling hunger cravings, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to expert nutritionists on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, eat healthy and #BeTheForce

May 13, 2020 By Madhu Soni 7 Comments

Easy Hacks To Control Hunger Pangs During Lockdown

Hunger is an important signal which should not be ignored but how often have you felt that this is a genuine one especially during this lockdown? Although growling and gurgling in the stomach are real signals to watch out for, here are some simple and effective hacks to control hunger pangs.

Effective Ways To Control Hunger Pangs

Chew Well: This has probably been repeated several times since our childhood but often ignored. Mindful eating begins by sniffing the aroma and relishing every bite. When we chew the food properly, the flavors of the food linger in the mouth and this brings about a satiety value because of the feeling of fullness. This helps us tide over binge eating.
Stay Hydrated: Quite often, our body is shouting for hydration and we end up stuffing food. Getting confused between thirst and hunger is very common. Drinking water from earthen pots quenches thirst as compared to refrigerated water. You can add nimbu pani and buttermilk to your diet. Summer coolants like aam panna and kokum sherbet are great too.
Adequate Protein: If in spite of eating breakfast, you are growling in anticipation for lunch then you probably need to look into the protein content in your diet. Research has shown that adequate amounts of protein help one stay full for a longer period of time. Ghrelin, an appetite-stimulating hormone which signals to eat is lower with high proteins.
Soup: is a great rescue from the immense hunger pangs, especially in the evening. The high water content along with high fiber due to the veggies in the soup control hunger pangs. Having a warm intake surprisingly reduces the appetite. Stick to broth-based soups and not creamy ones.
Spice It Up: Major Hunger pangs occur due to bland and unsatisfactory food. Adding a few spices not only curbs your appetite but aids digestion too. Spicy food is known to increase satiety. A simple salad can become interesting if you add a dash of lemon, sprinkle some chaat masala or throw in some mint dip!
Healthy Snacking: What one eats when hungry during odd hours plays an important role to control hunger pangs. Having a small mid-meal snack is good but watch out for the quantity and quality. Seasonal fruits will keep you full and healthy. Nuts and seeds being rich in proteins are good as well.
Excessive Sugar: There is a direct link between sugar consumption and increased hunger pangs. Besides keeping a check on high sugar food intake, watch out for all the hidden sugar in food labels. Opt for natural sugar like jaggery, dry fruits and fresh fruits.
Exercise: Majority of us have that notion that with exercise our appetite increases. Contrary to our belief, with regular aerobic exercise our appetite decreases
Sleep: Lack of sleep can have an impact on our eating pattern. Incomplete sleep leads to low energy levels. To compensate for lower levels of energy, we tend to choose high sugary foods which make us fall in the vicious circle of empty calories and overeating.

And that’s it! Do follow these hacks to control hunger pangs. If in spite of following all these tips you still feel ravenous, then do consult a doctor. Do check out other articles for healthy recipes and for more topics on hunger, food, nutrition and health, tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

Stay home, stay safe, eat right and #BeTheForce!

January 12, 2018 By Kajree Korade 2 Comments

Know your emotional hunger!

Have you ever made room for dessert even though you’re already full? Out of nowhere in the middle of doing something important, you start feeling hungry? Do you feel hungry before any important meeting? If yes, then you should check your emotional status.

Emotional eating is the practice of consuming large quantities of food, usually ‘comfort’ or junk foods in response to feelings instead of hunger. Emotional eating is a maladaptive coping strategy used by many of us to deal with negative emotions.

Emotional eating can be caused by many reasons like stress, tension, depression, boredom, and sometimes due to excitement.

Today, let’s focus on stress as 69% of people are suffering from stress related disorders in India. Under High stress, your biological age can be 30 times higher than your calendar age.Modern life is full of frustrations, deadlines, and demands. For many people, stress has become a way of life. When stress becomes overwhelming, it can damage your health, mood, relationships and quality of life.

Stress also affectsour food preferences. Emotional distress increases the intake of food high in fat and sugar, and you sleep excessively under stress. Also, some people consume alcohol and all this leads to gaining weight around your abdomen and unfortunately, abdominal obesity puts you at specific risk for diabetes and heart attack.

In stress, adrenal glands release a hormone called cortisol, which makes you crave for carbohydrates, sugar and fatty foods. Food is soothing due to the chemical changes it creates in your body. Chocolate is an excellent example.

When junk food is calling your name, it’s possible to put boundaries on your emotional eating habits. Ready to break free from stress eating?

The solution to emotional eating is less about eating than it is about emotions.

When you’re tempted to snack for emotional reasons, try moving instead. Just walk for 10 minutes.
Try a quick breathing exercise. Slowing down your breathing can trick your body into thinking you are going to sleep, which in turn relaxes your body. Close your eyes and slowly breathe in and out.
Sip black tea. A study in the journal ofPsychopharmacology hasfound that subjects who consumed black tea experienced a 47% drop in their cortisol levels.
Try self-massage. It can be as simple as sitting down, rub your feet, one at a time, over the top of the heel until they feel relaxed.

You’ll eat better and healthier foods if you don’t let your emotions guide your food choices.

December 13, 2015 By Komilla Pareek 4 Comments

Hidden Hunger: Are you suffering from it?

22 year old Rita loves to eat and keeps on munching easily accessible and addictive junk foods. As a result she has gained excess weight but feels dull and drained throughout the day.

Her health checkup revealed nutrient deficiency, which was hard for her to believe.

In this modern day of being time-poor and money-rich, there is nothing more appealing than fast and convenient meals, which unfortunately gets translated to junk food. Junk food or Empty calorie foods refer to calorie-containing foods (and beverages) that are low in or completely devoid of nutrients.

Rita is not an isolated case. Many of us might have experienced same.

This is Hidden Hunger. WHO defines Hidden Hunger as lack of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).As the name suggests, micro nutrients are required by our body in very small quantity. They enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other essential substances. They also play a central role in metabolism and in the maintenance of tissue function. Hidden hunger occurs when the quality of food we eat does not meet our nutrient requirements.

Left unnoticed, long term deficiency of micronutrients may lead to impaired cognitive and physical development. Short term deficiency can be treated by nutrient rich diet.

General symptoms of hidden hunger are-unexplained tiredness, dullness, poor concentration and lack of interest in activity.

A balanced diet, that contains items from all major food groups in appropriate quantities ensures adequate intake of micronutrients. Major food groups to be included in meals are:

Cereals, Pulses and Millets- Rich source of B vitamins and minerals like iron, selenium etc., when consumed in whole (unprocessed) form.
Dairy and Meat products- Rich source of several vitamins and minerals esp. Vitamin B12, Vitamin A, Iron, Iodine, Calcium and Zinc.
Vegetables and fruits -Rich source of all vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (phyto chemicals) esp. Vitamin C, Beta carotene, Folate, Potassium, Magnesium etc.
Nuts and oilseeds – Powerhouse of minerals (Magnesium, Zinc etc.) and fat soluble vitamins. They are good snacking option between meals.

Check your meals, modify them to include all food groups and revert back to your original active energetic self.
Are you ready for a healthier you?