OUTSMART YOUR HUNGER: How to choose the most satisfying foods for weight loss and overall health
OUTSMART YOUR HUNGER: How to choose the most satisfying foods for weight loss and overall health
By Julie Adams, RD
The most motivated of weight-loss seekers can be thrown off-balance when hunger strikes. Reward signals in our brain combined with an overly processed food environment are a set-up to lose control. The first step in outsmarting the body’s physiological response to food is understanding the gut-brain signals that control hunger and satiety. Choosing foods that leverage satiety hormones and quell hunger will work to your advantage in more ways than one. Spoiler alert: satiety-promoting foods are the same ones that support long-term health and wellbeing. A win-win!
HORMONES FIGHT TO DEFEND OUR FAT STORES
Complex hormonal feedback mechanisms are designed to preserve our energy stores and promote survival – even during modern times of plenty! An empty stomach triggers the release of the hormone “ghrelin” to tell our brain it’s time to eat. As we lose weight, ghrelin levels tend to increase, making us feel hungrier than we did before. Meanwhile, hormones that control satiety such as leptin, GLP-1 and peptide YY, tend to decrease as we lose weight. Eating three modest, regularly scheduled, balanced meals throughout the day helps to stop hunger hormones from taking over. Over time, consistent choices can make an enormous impact over the feedback mechanisms that control hunger, satiety and appetite.
PROTEIN
Research suggests that in comparison to carbohydrate and fat, protein foods do the best job of suppressing hunger. This shouldn’t be misinterpreted as advice to overconsume protein. Simply try to include a lean source of protein at every meal and snack, aiming to spread total protein intake evenly throughout the day. Americans tend to consume most of their protein at dinner, skimping on breakfast and lunch. Incorporating Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, nut butters, lentils, or quinoa in breakfast and lunch dishes is a great way to meet protein needs and feel satisfied.
FIBER
Protein in combination with minimally processed, high-fiber fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts/seeds and legumes is the ultimate way to stop hunger in its tracks. It appears as though fiber stimulates GLP-1 from the gut, inhibiting appetite signaling in the brain. Soluble fiber in particular swells and activates stretch receptors in the stomach so we feel full. Good sources of soluble fiber include beans, oats, barley, apples and citrus fruit that move slowly through the GI tract, helping us to feel satisfied for a longer period of time.
VOLUME
CDC-reported research suggests that feelings of fullness coincide with the volume of food eaten, not the number of calories. A plate brimming with low-calorie, fiber-rich vegetables, fruits and whole grains is more satisfying than a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Check out the bounty of summer produce at your local farmer’s market or grocer and fill 75% of your plate with colorful plants!
EMOTIONAL VS. PHYSICAL HUNGER
True biological hunger and emotional hunger are easy to confuse. It takes about 20 minutes for satiety hormones to send fullness signals to the brain, so enjoy your meal slowly and stop when you are 80% full. Avoid skipping meals since low blood sugar increases the odds of reaching for the immediate satisfaction of sugary or starchy convenience foods.
DOUBLE DUTY PLANTS
While high-fiber plant foods control appetite, they do double-duty by improving the health of our gut bacteria. Research demonstrates that a diverse microbiome plays an important role in regulating our body weight. Eating lots of different plants increases the abundance of health-promoting bacteria that protect against inflammation and rising metabolic markers.
If you would like to learn more about optimizing your diet to manage your weight and improve metabolic health, contact us today at 224-407-4400 or through our website at www.compgihealth.com. We have a multidisciplinary team ready to help you meet your goals!