Have you ever not eaten for a few hours and then want to eat everything in sight? In today’s busy world, people often don’t have time to sit down and eat a meal every few hours. As a result, you might experience increased feelings of hunger. Hunger pangs are influenced by the type of food you ate at your last meal as well as hormonal changes.
Meal Frequency
Eating small, frequent meals throughout the day is one of the most effective ways to minimize hunger and increase satiety. In fact, reduced meal frequency might increase your hunger, according to a study conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Scientists studied the effects of consuming one or three meals daily on hunger sensations for eight weeks. They discovered that subjects in the one meal group experienced significant increases in hunger compared with those who consumed three meals per day. The findings were published in the April 2007 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”
Leptin and Ghrelin
One main reason you might feel hungry if you don’t eat every couple of hours has to do with leptin and ghrelin, hormones that regulate food intake. Researchers at VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands discovered that leptin decreases hunger while ghrelin increases it. When you don’t eat for a period of time, your stomach releases the hormone ghrelin to signal your brain to increase your appetite. Possible abnormalities in leptin and ghrelin could make one person hungrier than another throughout the day, according to research reported in the January 2007 issue of “Obesity Reviews.”
Type of Foods
The type of foods you eat plays a role in hunger pangs. Eating simple carbs instead of complex carbs at meals might boost your hunger between meals, according to researchers at TNO Nutrition and Food Research in the Netherlands. Scientists observed that subjects consuming a breakfast with complex carbs had greater feelings of satiety three hours after their test meal compared with those who had simple carbs. Limit your intake of simple carbs, such as white bread, soft drinks and candy, and increase your intake of complex carbs, including sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread and oatmeal. In addition, eat high-fiber fruits and vegetables, such as broccoli, raspberries and avocados. The findings were published in the June 2003 issue of “International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders.”
Meals
If you can’t increase your meal frequency, make sure you include protein, complex carbs and healthy fats at the meals you do eat. This type of meal helps slows down the digestion of food, helping you feel full for longer.
References
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; A Controlled Trial of Reduced Meal Frequency Without Caloric Restriction in Healthy, Normal-Weight, Middle-Aged Adults; K.S. Stote, et al.
- Obesity Reviews; The Role of Leptin and Ghrelin in the Regulation of Food Intake and Body Weight in Humans: a Review; M.D. Klok, et al.
- International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders; Effect of Two Breakfasts, Different in Carbohydrate Composition, on Hunger and Satiety and Mood in Healthy Men; W.J. Pasman, et al.
Member Comments