Have you ever eaten a huge meal and still feel as if you have room for extra helpings, snacks, or dessert?
Sometimes these feelings of hunger after a meal can be perplexing and frustrating, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. On the other hand, if you’re being physically active and exercising a lot more than usual, sometimes it’s perfectly okay to feel hungry after eating lightweight meals, and perhaps you need to eat more filling foods such as lean protein and fiber-rich vegetables.
However, if you’re not being active enough to drive up your metabolism, and you notice that you constantly feel hungry after eating, it might be because you’re eating the wrong types of foods that are tricking you into thinking you’re hungry.
Here are five reasons behind why you might feel hungry following mealtimes.
1. You don’t drink enough water
Dehydration can fool your body into thinking it’s hungry when it’s really not. Stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking plenty of water, and take sips of water whenever you feel hungry at times you shouldn’t. Drinking water and staying hydrated will also help flush toxins out of your body and help you meet your weight-loss goals.
2. You’re still drinking soda products
When you’re trying to lose weight, cutting all soda products out of your diet is a great place to start. There are multiple reasons soda can make you feel hungry — the most important being that the sugar content and ingredients in soda can affect your hunger hormones and trick your body into craving food when it’s not truly hungry. Eliminate soda from your diet for good to help regulate your appetite and hunger hormones.
3. You’re lacking leafy greens in your diet
Leafy green vegetables contain a number of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that will naturally curb your food cravings while also regulating insulin and battling depression, fatigue, and weight gain. Eat leafy greens such as spinach, romaine lettuce, and kale every day whenever possible by adding them to salads, soups, and other meals.
4. You eat canned goods on a regular basis
Foods that come out of a can have been exposed to the elements in the cans, which are not always healthy. A common toxin found in canned foods is BPA, which is a chemical that has been proven to alter the hunger hormone leptin and lead to food cravings. Instead of buying canned goods, veer toward the produce section and buy fresh fruits and vegetables that can be steamed or eaten raw.
5. You’re eating a light breakfast or skipping breakfast
Skipping breakfast may make it seem as if you’re consuming less calories on that particular day, but in truth, skipping breakfast will more than likely cause you to consume more calories throughout the day. Eat a healthy, hearty breakfast to regulate your body’s insulin and reduce your cravings for junk foods.
