Wednesday, November 13, 2013

I'M SO HUNGRY!

Do you feel hungry all the time?  There may be a variety of reasons for that.  Discounting the sort of hunger that is emotional in nature - if your stomach is rumbling all the time here is a list of possible causes.

Amy Taylor has identified twelve reasons that stomach hunger may persist.  I found this a very interesting read.  See if you can identify any causes of your own, excessive hunger. (By the way, www.naturaltherapyforall.com is a great source of good quality information)

By Amy Taylor on November 12, 2013

You just ate your breakfast but you’re craving for something more. Our daily habits play a big role in our satiety levels. Here are 12 reasons why in some days, you tend to experience hunger pangs more frequently.
You didn’t have a good night sleep.
Lack of sleep has been widely linked to higher levels of ghrelin – the hormone that stimulates hunger, according to the German Universities Tubingen and Lubeck and Uppsala University in Sweden. Staying late also makes you more likely to snack on calorie-dense, high-carbohydrate foods. In this study, participants who only slept for 4 hours for two consecutive nights had reduced levels of leptin, a hormone that promotes a sense of fullness, and increased levels of ghrelin. This makes people in the graveyard shift or those who don’t get enough rest each night at a greater risk of obesity.
You camp out in front of the TV.
People who watch TV for more than two hours a day are more likely to become obese, according to the study by the USDA. It’s not that TV stimulates hunger. It’s the consumption of high-calorie snack foods like fizzy drinks, crisps and the like.
You drink too much.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Research rated alcohol consumption as a much bigger contributor to overeating than camping out in front of the television or staying up late at night. Scientists say that alcohol increases the amount of ghrelin in the body. Having a glass of wine or beer during dinner may also leave you feeling hungry, according to the researchers at Laval University in Canada. In their study, men who ate the high-fat appetizer while drinking alcohol ate more of their entrees and more of their dinners later that day than those who didn’t have a drink.
You eat a large meal for dinner.
There’s no precise explanation for this yet but most people who eat a heavy meal before bedtime experience feeling so much hungrier the next day. Scientists believe that this could be a result of the types of food we eat. For instance, overindulging in starches may cause dramatic changes in blood sugar that trick the brain into thinking you’re still not full, suggests a study reported in Healthy Living.
You’re near to your monthly period.
Published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, research by psychologist Kelly Klump from the University of Michigan found that during the pre-menstrual phase, women were less satisfied with their bodies. Also, the level of progesterone in their body increases, which could lead to a reduction in appetite.
You take certain medications.
Many medications can stimulate appetite. According to Dr George Blackburn of the Harvard Medical School Division of Nutrition, the number of prescription drugs that have such a side effect has increased from one in 10 to one in four. The good thing is that after taking them, your appetite goes back to normal.
You don’t drink enough water.
Even just a mild dehydration can cause sluggishness and fatigue. And just like when you sleep-deprived, thirst can also stimulate hunger and make you want to choose calorie-dense foods. Experts suggest drinking a glass of cold water then waiting for a couple of minutes before reaching for a snack to identify if it’s really hunger or just thirst.

You’re too stressed.
When you’re stressed, your body is in the ‘fight or flight’ mode for a certain period of time, in which it releases higher levels of hormones cortisol and adrenaline that give you extra energy to face potential threats. But after, your body needs to refuel, increasing your appetite. Stress also activates a brain chemical called neuropeptide Y that can stimulate cravings for fat and sugar.
You’re bored.
When you are bored, your brain looks for something to increase your dopamine levels – the chemicals in the brain linked to improved mood and higher sense of well-being.  That’s why most people tend to reach for a bag of cookies or a can of fizzy drink when they are bored. So when boredom strikes, divert your attention by reading a book, calling your best friend, sketching, and so on.
Your news feed talks about food all the time.
Just looking at delicious images of food light up your brain’s reward system and trigger you to overeat, according to a study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience. What’s more, food porn also drives up the levels of the hormone ghrelin, found another study published in the journal Obesity.
You skip your breakfast or you don’t get a good one.
Your breakfast meal has a huge impact on your satiety levels for the entire day. According to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who enjoy breakfasts high in protein are less likely to consume foods high in fat or sugar later in the evening.
You suffer from work burnout.
Research presented in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that women who felt burned out at work were more likely to report emotional or uncontrolled eating compared to those who were satisfied at their jobs.
Having a balanced diet does not only protect you from weight gain. It also lowers your risk of developing serious health problems.

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