general well being

Did you ever feel hungry after having eaten? Even though the meal may have been quite substantial? The latest research suggests that there are some food ingredients which send out the wrong signals to your body. Instead of receiving the much desired “ Hmmmm that was great, I’m full” it gets “Ahh! Tasty!….. So what’s next?” This often leads to you eating a high calorie desert type snack. This phenomena has been dubbed “Rebound Hunger” and as with any excessive eating, it can make your body go from fab to flab in no time.

By avoiding some simple things, tweaking what you’re eating and adding a little exercise, before you know it you’ve got the body you want.

EAT Breakfast

Trying to avoid sounding like your mother, but breakfast is a huge factor in stabilizing your weight. Researches followed over 2,500 people for 4 years & found those who ate a bigger breakfast were more likely to be healthier. Those who skipped breakfast or ate under 300 calories actually gained double the weight of those who ate well (500 calories plus). Breakfast is exactly what it spells, our Break – Fast (first meal after we fast from sleeping) Eating a big breakfast makes for smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin throughout the day. This means you will crave less at inappropriate times and stop reaching for the quick fix junk food in front of you.

Step away from that Soft Drink

Sweetened drinks are really just bad all round. They are packed full of calories and have no nutritional value. Included in this Soft drink category are iced teas and some fruit juices (with added sweeteners). These drinks are often sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. This affects our ability to use leptin, ( the “satiation hormone” that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat), which tricks your brain into thinking you are still hungry when in fact you are full & fine.

Eat your greens

Are you the person who gets the salad with your meal & just pushes it to the side? Youi’re not alone, most Australians do the same. Leafy greens are high in essential B-vitamin folate and vitamin K, help protect against depression, fatigue, and weight gain. They also affect insulin levels. Those who were trying to lose weight lost 8.5 times as much weight as those who didn’t eat their salads.

Canned Food

If your dinner or portions of it has come out of a can, ensure that it isn’t filled with the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, which the Food and Drug Administration recently stated was a chemical “of some concern.” Again this causes surges in leptin playing around with your body’s ability to know when it is full.

Tea

Jam packed with anti oxidants and polyphenolic compounds, black tea is great for suppressing “Rebound Hunger.” Research has shown that people who drank one cup of black tea after eating high-carb foods decreased their blood-sugar levels by 10 percent for 2.5 hours after the meal, keeping you fuller for longer, which leads to you not craving snacks.

Water

Did you know that dehydration often feels like hunger? Unfortunately when you are thirsty it means you are already dehydrated, so it’s important to keep up your intake of water. So have some water before, during and after you meal and see if that can curb your desire to eat more. It is recommended we drink about 8 glasses of water a day, more while exercising. 

Bored

We have all found ourselves in the situation where we are sitting on the couch with nothing to do & nothing on TV, and then before you know it you’re at the fridge looking for edible entertainment. Researchers at Flinders University in Australia found that visual distractions can help curb cravings. If you are still hungry after your meal, picture a juicy sizzling steak, if it is appealing then you are probably hungry, if not you are bored. Get up and go for a walk or go to the gym and try out one of their classes. This will stop your boredom and burn off loads of calories which are only two of the hundreds of benefits of exercise.