“Why do get hungry again so quickly when I’ve just eaten enough?”
“Why do only think about eating all day long, without chewing something in your mouth is uncomfortable. “
“Why do want to eat something even though I am not hungry?”
“After eating so much, why do I still feel that I am not full? “
……
So many questions all revolve around one word: Hunger!
Hunger is the body’s way of protecting itself, it tells you it is time to replenish energy. After eating enough food, hunger will usually disappear temporarily. But in some cases, the feeling of hunger will not disappear for long before it returns. What is it that causes the constant feeling of hunger? How can I control my appetite?
What is the Cause of an Often Hungry Stomach?
01. Dieting
People who use dieting to lose weight usually deliberately restrict calories. When you eat fewer calories than your body consumes, that is, when you can not meet the needs of normal metabolism, the body will produce a hormone called Ghrelin.
Ghrelin is also known as the hunger hormone, which causes hunger and increases appetite. When the body needs more food, the stomach will release the hunger hormones to remind you that it’s time to eat. If your calorie count for each meal is low, it will increase the release of Ghrelin, so even if you just finished eating, you may soon be hungry again.
02. High Sugar Diet
Many foods and drinks have added sugar, which may increase your appetite. Consuming too much sugar, especially fructose, can increase appetite. A diet high in sugar may cause your body to produce more Ghrelin and affect the activity of specific areas of the brain, making you feel less full.
03. Low Protein Diet
It’s almost basic common knowledge that eggs can increase satiety and that this type of food, rich in high-quality protein, can lower the levels of hunger hormones and help you reduce your appetite. So if you do not eat enough protein, it will be easy to get hungry.
04. Dehydration
Keeping your body hydrated is good for your health, including promoting brain and heart health and keeping your skin and digestive system healthy. Drinking enough water can also reduce hunger, especially half an hour before a meal, and just one glass of water can make you eat less and prolong the feeling of fullness. Eating more water-rich foods, including fruits and vegetables, also helps to replenish the body’s water.
05. Fiber Eat Too Little
If you lack fiber in your diet, you may feel hungry often. Dietary fiber can help you control your hunger, in addition to helping digestion and preventing constipation. High-fiber foods slow down the emptying of the stomach and take longer to digest than low-fiber foods. Dietary fiber can also reduce the number of hunger hormones released.
In addition to this, eating more fiber-rich foods can reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. But not all fiber is created equal, and soluble fiber works better than insoluble fiber.
06. You Don’t Sleep Enough
Frequent late nights or lack of sleep can lead to increased levels of hunger hormone (ghrelin). That’s why you’ll want to eat more when you can’t sleep. Adequate and high-quality sleep also helps the body secrete more leptin, which is a hormone that promotes satiety.
07. Refined Carbohydrates to Eat Too Much
Refined carbohydrates in the processing of food fiber, vitamins, and minerals removed, such as refined rice and white flour and a variety of foods made with them. In addition to the taste of these foods will be better, there is little nutritional value, especially the lack of important fiber, which will make them easily digested. So if you often eat such refined carbohydrates, you will often feel hungry.
Another important reason is that refined carbohydrates cause a rapid spike in blood sugar, which prompts the body to release more insulin to lower blood sugar. Eating a refined high-carb diet for a long time can cause unstable blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, all of which can increase your hunger and appetite.
08. Not Enough Fat to Eat
Fat is less digestible than carbohydrates, it stays in the stomach longer and increases the feeling of satiety. A study that included 270 obese adults found that compared to low-carb diets, those on low-fat diets had significantly more cravings for carbohydrates and high-sugar foods, and their hunger was stronger.
09. Not Concentrating on Mealtime
Your work, study, and life are very busy, and to compete for time, you often have to eat while reading, typing, playing games, and watching TV. However, distractions at mealtime are not only harmful to your health but will make you eat more without realizing it.
10. Exercise a Lot
You may have had the experience that every time after running or swimming, you will feel very hungry and eat more. This is because exercise will speed up the metabolism, thus burning more calories. Your body needs food to replace the energy consumed. When this happens, it’s best to eat foods rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fats. They will not only increase your satiety but also repair the muscles damaged during the workout and improve muscle strength.
11. Often Drink Alcohol
Studies show that alcohol inhibits the body’s secretion of appetite-reducing hormones such as leptin, making your hunger increase. Especially if you drink alcohol before and during meals, you will be more sensitive to the aroma of food and thus eat more. Not only that, but alcohol may also damage some of the nerves in the brain, reducing judgment and control.
12. Thyroid Problems
The hormones secreted by the thyroid gland can control metabolism as well as help the body to use energy properly. If the thyroid gland is dysfunctional, it can directly affect normal metabolism. An overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism can cause a variety of symptoms, including increased hunger.
13. Type 2 Diabetes
If you often feel hungry, you should also be alert to the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes. One of the causes of type 2 diabetes is that the sugar in the blood cannot be transported to the cells. High blood sugar levels can lead to insulin resistance, which blocks the brain from receiving and sending signals of satiety, and you will always feel hungry.
14. Mental Tension or Stress
Stress can increase cortisol levels, cortisol is a hormone that has been shown to promote hunger and cause appetite. When people are nervous, depressed, or stressed, it is easy to use food to soothe their nerves.
15. Leptin Resistance
Leptin is a satiety hormone, when the stomach is filled with food, leptin will transmit signals to the brain to tell: I am full, stop eating. So, every time you finish eating, your body’s leptin levels will rise. But if the body has leptin resistance, it will block its normal signaling pathway with the brain, many overweight or obese people will produce leptin resistance, which will make them feel hungry more easily.
16. Some Drugs
Some drugs will affect the body’s metabolism and increase appetite. The most common drugs include antipsychotics, such as clozapine and olanzapine, as well as antidepressants, mood stabilizers, corticosteroids, and anti-epileptic drugs. In addition, some medications used to treat diabetes, such as insulin, insulinotropic hormones, and thiazolidinediones, can also increase hunger and appetite.
17. Eating Too Fast
People who wolf down their meals eat more and get hungry faster than those who are used to chewing and swallowing slowly. Slow down when eating, and chew each bite of food in the mouth a little longer, which will increase the feeling of fullness and reduce the amount of food eaten. If you eat too fast and do not fully chew, the brain is not ready to release anti-hunger hormones, you have over-eaten.
18. Female Physiological Period
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, there will be an increase in appetite, which is normal, you need more nutrition to ensure the recovery of the body and the growth of the baby. While the appetite and weight gain that occurs during menopause are due to hormonal changes in the body, estrogen levels decline as a result.
19. Eating Because You are Bored
Many times you want to eat it not because you are starving, but maybe because too bored and want to use food to beat the time. When you have nothing to do, you may lose the ability to judge and choose food correctly, and become an “emotional eater”. And most of the time, you will eat more junk food than usual. Eating too much of this unhealthy food can lead to high blood sugar and insulin resistance.
How to Solve the Problem of Being Hungry All the Time?
Against these reasons above, you should already have a clear idea why you always feel hungry or not full, and I guess you already know what to do.
Here is a summary of a few ways to follow that will certainly have an effect:
01. Eat a low-carb diet
02. Add protein and good fat to your daily meals
03. Eat fewer sweets
04. Focus on the meal, chew, and swallow slowly
05. Drink more water, especially a glass of water before meals
06. Eat more soluble dietary fiber
- Coarse grains such as oats and barley
- Fruits such as blackberry, avocado, lemon, citrus, apple, pineapple, banana
- Vegetables such as cabbage, kale, peas, fava beans
- Seeds such as flaxseed and chia seeds
07. Drink black coffee, and green tea, eat dark chocolate
08. Drink apple cider vinegar
09. Less alcohol
10. Do not diet! Do not diet!! Don’t diet!!!
11. Try to reduce stress for yourself
- Listen to music, walk, exercise, talk with friends and family, do yoga, meditation
12. Ensure that you get enough sleep
- At least eight hours a night
13. Supplement enough Omega-3 fatty acids
- Studies show that insufficient intake of Omega-3 fatty acids can increase the release of hunger hormone (ghrelin).
14. For the increase in appetite caused by disease, such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, etc., need to be treated as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Most of the time, hunger is just an illusion, your body does not need extra energy. With a little change in diet and lifestyle habits, a little more confidence, and self-control, you can reduce hunger. If you want to lose weight, this is also a necessary tool.
