"I always feel hungry" is a statement many health experts hear from people daily. The most common reason for this is not eating the right foods that curb your hunger. There are foods that contain compounds whose role is to make you feel satisfied. Here are six natural appetite suppressants that everyone who wants to lose weight should have in their diet!
Read more ¿Qué más?: The 5 best fruits to lose weight
This post was originally published October 2, 2014.
Image via Corbis
Avocado
Research shows that the oleic acid in avocado has the ability to naturally suppress our appetite and stimulate weight loss. Besides that, an avocado is filled with fiber and monounsaturated fat, which further works towards keep you full. Now you can eat that guacamole guilt free!
Oatmeal
There is a reason why oatmeal is the favorite breakfast food for millions of Americans. It gives you bouts of energy till your next meal. It lowers your desire to snack. The dietary fiber content in oatmeal, which is indigestible by our body, promotes satiety. It also contains a type of soluble fiber called beta glucan that creates an increase in viscosity of the food, both in the mouth and our GI tract, which in turn triggers the production of appetite controlling hormones.
Greek yogurt
You can thank its creamy texture for its satiating power. Unlike regular yogurt which is laden with whey, from Greek yogurt it is filtered out leaving behind only the nutrients in a concentrated form. Also, Greek yogurt is high in calcium and loaded with protein, both of which is another reason why it is so satisfying.
Apples
Along with doctors, an apple a day might also curb those vicious hunger pangs. Actually, according to one study, eating an entire apple before a meal can make you eat up to 15% less. This doesn't hold true when it comes to apple juice or apple sauce. The fiber in apple is very satisfying. Besides that, there is also a psychological component to it. The fact that you are holding a whole fruit in your hand, will make your brain perceive fullness faster due to its size. Plus, it's crunchy, and the taste is sweet or sour. It engages your senses and most importantly requires some effort to eat, which is how it stimulates
Flax seeds
Flax seed is another natural appetite suppressant that everyone who wants to lose weight should add to their diet. Consuming a small amount of flax seeds before eating each of your main meal will reduce your caloric intake during that meal and curb your hunger. The fibers in flax seeds expands once it reaches our GI tract, which signals satiety to our brain. It also causes the food to move slowly along our tract, hence prolonging the process of gastric emptying. Also, note that the lignans and a-linoleic acid in flax seeds will shield you from cardiovascular diseases.
Green tea
Drinking a few cups of green tea a day will speed up your fat metabolism. It contains compounds called catechins that prompts our body to burn more calories. Furthermore, it also contains certain antioxidants that stimulate leptin- the satiety hormone.
