You’re not alone if you constantly feel hungry, even after eating. Hunger is a natural signal that your body wants more nourishment.
Similar to how a car needs fuel to run, our bodies need food to produce the energy they need to live and grow. When the tank runs dry, the body has to be replenished.
However, emotional emptiness can also be an indication of hunger. You turn to food in an effort to comfort yourself, as well as in times of despair, boredom, or even delight. Problematically, eating more than your body requires to sustain your everyday activities can result in weight gain.
In this post, we will share with you the top reasons why you’re always hungry and what you can do about it.
1. You’re having trouble sleeping
Weight gain can occur if you don’t receive the seven to nine hours of sleep every night that is advised. For the management of hunger, sleep is necessary. How does that function? Our immune systems and brains get stronger while we sleep, helping to control the hunger hormone ghrelin.
The best way to encourage your body to repair and regenerate is through sleep. So, if you have trouble sleeping through the night, a quick nap or even just some physical relaxation may be helpful.
2. You eat a low-fat diet
Your appetite may be improved by including foods high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, tuna, sardines, walnuts, or flaxseed.
However, if you don’t get enough healthy fat in your diet, you could start to crave sugary and carb-heavy items. So take into account the balance of your diet; it all comes down to needing those three macronutrients in order to feel satisfied and full.
We require all three of those macronutrients because of how they are made. You only need to slightly increase your intake of healthy fats to reach that degree of satisfaction.
3. You should consume extra fibre
Fibre is beneficial for a variety of factors. But when you’re hungry, choose fibre-rich meals like fruits, vegetables, lentils, beans, and oats to help your body release hormones that suppress your appetite.
Fibre causes your belly to grow. It encourages the early onset of fullness.
4. You consume refined carbs
Avoid foods manufactured with refined carbohydrates like white rice or wheat (and yes, foods like candy and baked goods contain refined carbs).
Since they were processed, much of the minerals and fibre were lost. If you consume too many refined carbohydrates, you won’t feel satisfied for very long. In fact, it raises your blood sugar, which makes you hungry again when it falls.
Because each time we consume a small amount, our energy level increases, we frequently crave carbohydrates and sweets. Therefore, when you’re fatigued, you turn to food rather than your natural sources of energy for energy.
5. You’re ignoring what you’re eating
Some may think that cracking open a bag of chips and binge-watching Netflix is the perfect Friday night but try to be more aware of how much food you’re consuming while following plot lines.
When you eat mindlessly, you don’t pay attention to what or how much you’re taking in. Even though you are aware in your subconscious that you did consume food, you seem to be downplaying it. The fact that you’ve eaten is not detected by your brain.
Portion control is crucial to prevent mindless eating. Before watching TV, driving, or even just scrolling on your phone, it is advised to divide out the right number of snacks.
6. You are breastfeeding or expecting a baby
The body needs more calories and macronutrients during pregnancy in order to feed the development of the fetus. For a healthy newborn, these calories and macronutrients directly feed the growth and development of the fetal brain as well as the skeletal, muscular, and adipose tissues.
A woman’s body is also put under a lot of stress while breastfeeding, which may cause her to feel particularly hungry. The average daily calorie need increases by 300 during pregnancy, and this number might increase to 330 to 400 during breastfeeding.
7. You’re just thirsty
In addition to making you feel full, water aids in the body’s assimilation of nutrients from food. Additionally, hunger and thirst can be confused. Uncertain whether you are hungry or thirsty? Before you even consider cooking a meal or snack, down a full glass of water.
8. You’re anxious
The effects of stress on hunger. Your body erroneously believes you require additional nutrition to meet your daily needs. In reality, the stress hormone cortisol has the ability to drastically lower your blood sugar levels, which can cause hunger and food cravings. If you feel down or stressed, grab your fitness equipment and get moving to increase those happy hormones too!
How to Feed Your Hunger and What You Can Do About it
Regardless of whether your hunger is physical, psychological, or a combination of the two, it’s critical to address it and reduce overeating. Several important tactics:
Be patient
Use a non-eating activity, such as guided meditation, a walk outside, or a phone conversation with a friend, to divert your attention from your desires. If you can resist the need for even three minutes, it’s likely to go away.
Create a balance
Hunger between meals can occasionally be a sign that your diet is deficient in fibre, protein, and fat, all of which take time to digest. A spinach salad with garbanzo beans, hard-boiled eggs, and almonds or seeds can leave you feeling satisfied for longer than a dish of spaghetti will.
Keep an eating log
The first step toward change is awareness. By keeping track of your food intake, you can get there. Include the type and quantity of food you eat, the date, and the time in the journal. You might also answer concerns like, “Am I hungry?” Why do I eat? What am I eating here? While I’m eating, am I doing anything else? How am I feeling? You might be able to spot certain patterns in your food intake after a few days and adjust as necessary.
Take a step back and think about the cause of your hunger if you constantly feel hungry and consume more calories than you need. Are you hydrated? Overtired? Stressed? Do you require a diet rich in fibre? Whatever the reason, before you try to satisfy those cravings with processed foods and snacks, reach first for whole fruits and vegetables, or a hard-boiled egg.
You still have no idea why you continue to be hungry, right? Speak to a medical expert. Constant hunger could be a symptom of diabetes, hyperthyroidism, depression, or pregnancy, among other medical disorders. While addressing those hungry pangs, it’s crucial to screen out any underlying medical concerns.
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