15 Ways to Beat Hunger!

Sound familiar? You just ate, but your stomach quickly growls again. Or maybe you're hungry all day long. Super frustrating, especially if you're trying to eat healthier or lose a few pounds.

In this blog post, you'll discover why you're always hungry and how to curb it. I'll share a step-by-step plan with quick tips you can implement immediately, as well as lasting, long-term solutions.

But first, I'll briefly explain the function of two important hormones that determine your hunger: leptin and ghrelin.

The hormones leptin and ghrelin play a key role in regulating your hunger and eating behavior.

Leptin is a hormone produced by your fat cells . It signals your brain to stop eating when your body has enough energy stored.(1)

Ghrelin is primarily produced in your stomach and is known as the hunger hormone. When your stomach is empty, ghrelin levels in your blood increase. This increases your hunger and encourages you to eat.

After eating, ghrelin production decreases again, making you feel full.

In short: the higher the ghrelin levels, the stronger your hunger.(2)

Do you often feel hungry, even after you've just eaten?

There can be several factors that cause constant hunger, and many of them have to do with how your body regulates hunger.

Let's look at the main causes:

Your hormones play a major role in hunger. As you read in the previous chapter, the hormone ghrelin stimulates your appetite, while leptin makes you feel full.

If these hormones are out of balance, you may experience constant cravings.
Factors such as age, BMI, and eating habits influence how these hormones work.(1)

Leptin is a hormone that makes you feel full. But sometimes your body becomes resistant to leptin, meaning your brain doesn't receive the signal properly.

The result? You still feel hungry, even if you have sufficient reserves.
Leptin resistance is common with obesity, poor eating habits, or prolonged stress, which can lead to overeating and weight gain.(2)

What you eat affects how quickly you get hungry. Meals high in carbohydrates can increase ghrelin levels, making you feel hungry faster, especially if you haven't eaten in a while.
Sugary snacks can cause your blood sugar levels to rise and fall quickly, which can also increase your hunger.

On the other hand, fiber-rich meals and proteins ensure a longer feeling of satiety, so you are less likely to get hungry again quickly.(1)

As you age, your body changes, and so does your appetite.

Younger adults often have a stronger ghrelin response, meaning they get hungrier more quickly.

Older adults often experience less hunger, which may be related to changes in stomach or intestinal function.(1)

Research shows that people with a higher BMI are often more sensitive to hunger. They experience the urge to eat more quickly, even when their bodies don't actually need nourishment.

This can be especially difficult when they have difficulty controlling their eating behavior, for example in stressful situations.

This constant hunger can ultimately contribute to weight gain.(3)

Stress also affects your hunger. It temporarily increases your ghrelin levels, especially immediately after a stressful situation (such as an important presentation or a conflict). This effect is stronger in overweight people.(4)

In addition, stress makes you less likely to crave healthy options and more likely to crave comfort foods like chips or chocolate.(5)

So your body often doesn't really need more energy when you're stressed, but your brain looks for quick rewards.

Research shows that drinking a large glass of water (about 350ml) before a meal can help reduce your hunger.

The water fills your stomach, making you feel full faster, even before you start eating.

So try a big glass of water before your meal – a simple way to suppress your hunger!(8)(9)

Adding protein to your meals, such as Greek yogurt, eggs, lean meat, fish, quinoa, and legumes, can help you better control your appetite and stay full longer.

Proteins are digested slowly, which keeps your stomach full for longer and keeps you from feeling hungry as quickly.

Research confirms that proteins effectively help to suppress your hunger.(10)

Scientific studies show that eating more slowly makes you eat less during a meal, but it doesn't make you hungrier later in the day.

So, if you eat more slowly, you won't automatically feel hungrier afterwards. It's a smart way to change your eating habits without feeling hungry afterwards.(11)

In addition, 29 studies with a total of 465,155 participants showed that eating more slowly can help reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.

People who eat faster are more likely to have health problems such as belly fat, high blood pressure, low cholesterol and high triglyceride levels.(12)

The following steps are more long-term, so you'll need to maintain these actions for a while to see results.

Fiber can help you feel full longer, reducing hunger. It slows stomach emptying and keeps you feeling full longer.

Research shows that different fibers have different effects, and a combination of fibers may therefore work even better.(13)

Increase your fiber intake by eating a mix of natural sources of soluble fiber, such as:

• Oats – An excellent source of β-glucan
• Legumes – Beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas are packed with soluble fiber
• Fruits – Especially apples, pears, berries and citrus fruits such as oranges, which are high in pectin
• Vegetables – Think carrots, sweet potatoes and kale
• Whole grains – Such as barley and rye

Sleep at least 7-8 hours per night, as too little sleep can increase your hunger.

Short sleep duration, such as less than 7 hours, is associated with increased levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and decreased levels of leptin (the satiety hormone).

This can lead to increased appetite and a decreased ability to regulate your hunger.

Therefore, it is important to get enough sleep regularly to better control your appetite and avoid hunger pangs.(14)

Mindfulness, or paying attention, helps reduce feelings of hunger that arise from stress.

By eating more mindfully and avoiding distractions such as your phone or TV while eating, you become more aware of your body and emotions.

This will help you learn to better distinguish between hunger and cravings, and you will be less likely to reach for food when you are stressed.(15)

One of the best mindful eating exercises is the "5-Sense Exercise." This involves focusing completely on your food by consciously experiencing every aspect. Follow these steps:

• Look - Look closely at your food. What stands out about the colors, shapes, and textures?
• Smell - Take a deep breath and notice the aroma of your food.
• Taste - Take a small bite and pay full attention to the taste, temperature and texture.
• Hearing - Pay attention to the sound of the food, for example, the crunch of a piece of fruit.
• Feel - Feel the food in your mouth and notice the sensations you experience.

Through this exercise, mindfulness helps you improve your eating habits and become more aware of your hunger feelings.

Research shows that a good breakfast can help you feel less hungry throughout the day. Participants who consumed most of their calories in the morning had fewer cravings compared to those who ate mostly in the evening.

This suggests that a hearty morning meal can be a good way to curb your hunger and make it easier to stick to your diet.(16)