Natural Appetite Suppressants Help You Ditch Diet Deprivation – Feel Full While Eating Less

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According to Statisticbrain, the top New Year’s resolution for 2014 and again for 2015 was to lose weight. Unfortunately, approximately only 8% of people actually achieve their resolution. Maintaining good health is so much easier if your body weight is within a normal range for your build. But losing unwanted pounds is easier said than done. The simple answer is to create a calorie deficit by eating less and expending more energy, but if it was this easy, there wouldn’t be a multimillion dollar weight-loss industry. Motivation wanes in the best of us as feelings of deprivation creep up and that’s why diets fail.

Many people have a sweet tooth that sparks food cravings or they battle with the afternoon munchies that sabotage healthy nutritional choices in the morning.

Obviously there are many factors that lead to food cravings and overeating, some include stress, hormones, emotional factors or learned behaviors (habits) and these need to be addressed otherwise the battle to lose weight will be even harder.

There are natural ways to make the journey to sleekness easier. These are tricks to kick-start the metabolism and take the edge off your appetite as you try to retrain your body and mind. The secret is in a selection of foods, herbs and drinks that act as mild appetite suppressants and reduce food cravings, especially for refined carbohydrates like sugar.

This list is not exhaustive and you need to obviously take your individual health, food allergies, dietary preferences and psychological health into account when trying any of these suggestions. Our bodies respond differently and what works for one person may not work for you. Please do buy the best quality and most organic/free-range/untreated/unprocessed food and supplements that you can find. If possible support local growers for fresh produce.

Oatmeal and Cinnamon

Oatmeal in the form of rolled oats or steel-cut oats is a great option for breakfast. It is low on the glycemic index, meaning it takes longer to digest and therefore your blood sugar level will remain stable. It is also high in fiber and contains some protein which keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Note that eating your oatmeal raw is also more beneficial that eating it cooked. Sprinkle some cinnamon on your oats for a further reduction on the glycemic index as well as helping satisfy that sweet tooth. This is especially helpful if you are trying to eliminate granular sugar from your diet. Cinnamon is also said to slow down digestion by slowing gastric emptying and assist with the digestion of carbohydrates. Other ways to include cinnamon in your diet are via capsule (supplement form) .

Increase Your Lean Protein Intake

People who eat a more protein based breakfast feel less hungry through to lunchtime compared with  people who opt for a more carbohydrate-rich breakfast. So, if you want to stave off your appetite then adding lean protein to your meals gives a feeling of satiety (fullness). This is because protein takes longer than a carbohydrate to digest. Common options for additional protein are free-range farm eggs, lean meat, fish and protein powder supplements. For vegans, vegetable protein powders are available too.

Snack On Red Pepper

Capsaicin in red peppers and capsiate in sweet peppers have been found to mildly suppress hunger. A study showed that red pepper, when eaten early in the day, decreases food intake later in the day.

Reach For The Dark Chocolate

An awesome reason to eat organic dark chocolate is because it contains stearic acid which helps make you feel fuller for longer. The bitter taste also helps curb sugar cravings. One study showed that even smelling 90% dark chocolate is enough to induce appetite suppression.

Keep Hydrated

It’s well-known that sometimes we feel the need to eat when in fact we are actually thirsty. Drink 8 ounces of water and find something to distract you for a while to see if your appetite disappears or at least diminishes. Even better, squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the water and add a bit of grated ginger. Green tea is another great option to drink during the day and has shown many positive results in studies on weight loss.

Chopped Up Vegetables

Preparation is key to success. Keep chopped up cucumber, carrots and any other raw vegetables you like in the refrigerator and snack on them when you feel like eating between meals. Distract your brain by doing something and then assess whether you are really hungry in half an hour. You can also make a large pot of vegetable soup and keep it frozen in single portions for a quick low calorie meal to fill you up.

Herbal Supplements

There are various herbal appetite suppressants available on the market and many of these are based on the fact that they were used by ancient people groups to assist them with controlling hunger during winter months when food was scarce. Some of these include Hoodia gordonii, Yerba Mate, Green Tea, Garcinia cambogia and  Caralluma Fimbriata. Always be sure to research the contraindications and side effects of any supplements you decide to take and ensure they don’t interfere with any medicine you might be taking or health issues you may have.

Remember that there’s nothing wrong with experiencing a bit of hunger from time to time, it is after all a normal bodily response to keep us alive. But don’t starve yourself or you’ll end up holding onto fat and losing muscle which will just ruin your metabolism. Keep making small healthy changes to your daily lifestyle because over time they add up too big transformations that last a lifetime.

“TheHealthyMom”  researches and writes for a health and nutrition website Detox For Life . Her passion is to make research available to those who are looking to improve their well-being and revolutionize their health through better nutrition and alternative medicines.

References

http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/diabetes/cinnamons_secret_health_benefit?page=2

http://idealbite.com/cinnamon-for-weight-loss/

http://www.fitness101.co.za/appetite-suppressing-foods-weight-loss/

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/24256823_Effects_of_capsaicin_green_tea_and_CH-19_sweet_pepper_on_appetite_and_energy_intake_in_humans_in_negative_and_positive_energy_balance

thehealthymom