Do you ever STILL feel hungry, EVEN THOUGH you just ate.. .
Do you every have that? Where sometimes you feel ravenous, even though you just had something? I call that time all day, every day at my house.
Since I'm always hungry, I did some research and here are the 6 most common reasons why this may be happening to you too.
#1 You Drink Too Much Soda
Sodas, iced teas, and other sweetened beverages are our biggest source of high-fructose corn syrup. And fructose can trick our brains into craving more food, even when we're full.
#2 Your Dinner Came Out of a Can
Many canned foods are high in this chemical called 'bisphenol-A', or BPA, which the Food and Drug Administration recently stated was a chemical "of some concern." Exposure to BPA can cause abnormal surges in leptin that leads to food cravings and obesity.
#3 Your Breakfast Wasn't Big Enough
So this is what happened to me for the past couple days. I knew I should have gone to Denny's. And interestingly enough, I discovered a study that followed 7,000 healthy people for almost 4 years.
During those 4 years, 3,500 of these people ate just 300 calories for breakfast. And the other 3,500 ate 500 calories for breakfast.
What happened was that the people who ate 300 calories gained almost twice as much weight as those who ate 500 calories or more for breakfast.
The reason is that eating a big breakfast makes for smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin throughout the day, meaning fewer sudden food cravings.
#4 You Skipped the Salad
Most Americans don't eat enough leafy greens, which are rich in the essential B-vitamin folate and help protect against depression, fatigue, and weight gain. Leafy greens are also high in vitamin K, a nutrient that helps quash cravings.
Best sources: Romaine lettuce, spinach, collard greens, and radicchio.
#5 You're Not Staying Fluid
When you're dehydrated you often 'feel' like you're hungry. If you've just eaten, drink a glass of water before eating more, and see if your hunger goes down or not.
#6 You're Bored
It's a little weird but true. When you're bored you eat more. To see if this is true for you, envision a huge, sizzling steak. If you're truly hungry, the steak will seem appealing. But if that doesn't seem tempting, chances are you're in need of a distraction, not another meal. So keep this in mind next time you feel hungry after eating. It may just help you avoid some very unnecessary calories.
