Increased Appetite: That’s How You Get Ut Under Control!

Increased appetite or food cravings always occur when you need them least. But where does the sudden gnawing hunger come from in the first place, and how do you get it under control again?

What is increased appetite?

According to nutritionists, sudden cravings are like a cry for help from the body for nutrients. And these should be supplied as immediately as possible, which is why such ravenous hunger attacks feel so unpleasant: often you feel a nagging hunger pangs, sometimes even nausea occurs. The body practically does what it can to ensure that its needs are not ignored.

Why it has to be mostly sugar?

As soon as you have decided not to eat sweets for your desired bikini figure or simply for health reasons, the increased appetite is already there. Because sugar can act like a drug on our body: it drives up the blood sugar level and supplies us with energy for a short time.

The problem: As fast as the blood sugar level rises, it also falls again – and the increased appetite returns immediately. This is the beginning of a vicious circle in which we need more and more sugar as well as quickly digestible carbohydrates – both are available in vast quantities in sweet things like chocolate.

Causes of increased appetite: The power of habit

Humans are creatures of habit. Those who always got dessert as a child when they finished their plate often retain the sweet “reward” after the main meal as adults. And the body gets used to it. If the chocolate suddenly stays away after eating, the brain thinks it could fall into hypoglycaemia and sounds the alarm, which can then manifest itself as increased appetite. Losing weight becomes difficult or even impossible.

The thyroid gland as culprit

The thyroid gland can also be the trigger for constant cravings. Because in the case of hyperthyroidism, the metabolism is constantly running at full speed and burning energy, which also means that we are always hungry. A hormonal adjustment by the doctor can help here.

Tips against increased appetite

Those who are already struggling with the nagging feeling will hardly be able to force themselves to reach for something healthy like nuts. The following tips can help here:

• Chewing gum (peppermint is best): The strong taste neutralizes hunger for sweets. By the way, brushing your teeth has the same effect!
• Drink water: Sounds crazy, but often you are just thirsty when your stomach suddenly growls excessively. Therefore, if you have a ravenous appetite, it is best to drink a large glass of water first!
• Movement: Stress is one of the main triggers for ravenous appetite. If you can, you should get up and walk around a bit, at best outside around the block.
• Distract: Cravings usually only last a few minutes. It is best to find a good short distraction and write an unanswered mail or call a friend to chat.

How can I prevent increased appetite attacks?

It is best to avoid ravenous appetite from the outset. These tips will help:

• Plan in between meals – they should only be healthy. Nuts, some fruit and vegetables are best
• Make sure that you consume enough protein in the form of lean meat, fish, eggs or dairy products – because protein lasts longer
• White flour products cause the blood sugar level to skyrocket – it is better to use whole grain. This causes the blood sugar level to rise and fall more slowly.

What sugar has to do with diabetes

Normally, the hormone insulin ensures that glucose is transferred from the blood into the cells, where the sugar molecules are needed for energy production. In type II diabetes, the cells no longer respond so well to insulin – this resistance causes the sugar to accumulate in the blood. This is why most of those affected have to administer insulin by injection.

Those who continue to eat high-sugar foods now theoretically need more and more additional insulin and burden the body with it. This is why diabetes patients in particular are advised to eat a low-sugar diet.

You get hungry all the time at night? These 11 tips will help!

• Becoming active: If you control yourself a lot during the day while eating, your willpower may be lost at night. Instead of giving in to cravings at night and running to the kitchen, it is best to get active and do something that has nothing to do with food. Clean up or do something that needs to be done anyway. This is distracting and makes you happy.
• Take time out for dinner: Go to bed hungry – very bad. It is just as unfavourable to eat irregularly or too little or to do without breakfast. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have found out The nocturnal urge to go to the refrigerator often affects people who start the day on an empty stomach or who just chow down quickly in the morning.
• Diversity on the plate: Observe how often the nocturnal desires occur. If the nocturnal excursion to the food sources only occurs from time to time, a lack of nutrients may be behind it. It helps if you eat a varied diet during the day and not one-sided, so that no nutrient is missed out.

• Cause Research: Those who have an appetite for special treats at night – such as spicy chips or nut chocolate – often try to satisfy an unfulfilled need. Perhaps you are dissatisfied with your life situation, do not feel valued or underchallenged in your job. Then eating becomes a fulfilment, at least in the short term. In the long run you should get professional help.
• Sniff aromas: A bottle of mint or vanilla aroma at the bedside works wonders: sniff it when needed, it makes your serotonin level rise and slows down your appetite.
• Accumulating proteins: Lettuce and greens are important and a fine thing, but protein is easily neglected by women. That’s why it’s best to eat eggs, dairy products, lean meat or fish during the day, they are filling and are more beneficial for the metabolism in the evening than an excess of carbohydrates. According to a study by the University of Missouri, even a protein-rich breakfast can inhibit the desire to snack later. Because the reward center in the brain gets its money’s worth.
• Avoiding carbohydrates: Instead of pasta and light bread for dinner, eat a piece of fish or poultry. Add vegetables and wholemeal rice or quinoa. These foods do not raise the blood sugar level so high. On the other hand, a larger charge of simple carbohydrates activates the reward region in the brain, which later demands its rights and makes you wake up hungry.
• Strengthening self-regulation: You know sport is good for and against everything! Between 10 and 40 minutes of moderate endurance training are enough to better supply the brain with oxygen. This not only makes you happy, but also strengthens the control centre in the brain.
• Going in circles: If the desire for a nightly snack overcomes you: A little meditation can bring the world back into balance.
• Breathing away your appetite: Stress is a typical trigger for cravings at night. With the yoga exercise “Nadi Sodhana” stress can be breathed away. This is how it works: sit upright, press the index and middle finger of your right hand against the ball of your thumb, stretch out the remaining fingers. Breathe in, close the right nostril with your thumb, breathe out on the left. Short pause, inhale on the left. Close the left nostril with your ring finger, exhale slowly on the right. Short pause and continue alternating, about 15 times. Finally exhale through both nasal passages.
• Keeping calm: Watching television until the early morning, correcting work in bed or preparing the presentation for the next day, this completely disrupts the bio-rhythm. Already the appetite is showing. As stupid as it sounds, but the recommendation: if possible always go to bed at the same time and sleep for at least 7 hours is one of the best strategies against ravenous appetite at night.