Curb Your Hunger

So I love MSN's Power Points on various health issues, as they are a simple way of breaking down different strategies that might otherwise seem complicated or hard to remember. This past one I've noticed involves how to curb your appetite, which I feel is more important now, considering how much we as a nation tend to snnack int he winter time.

Step 1: Pile on the Protein: Protein shakes and even smaller snacks such as nuts give the body the adequate amount of fiber to make us feel fuller, longer. For this reason, don't skip out on this important area of nutrition just because you may feel like fat is bad. Some fats are essential to the body, and they provide the adequate vitamins needed to make us look and feel healthy.

Step 2: Fill up on Fiber: Like I said before, fiber has the great benefit of making you feel fuller, longer, not to mention that it keeps you regular! Stick to the veggies and whole grains.

Step 3: Go Nuts!: And I quote from the article:

A hormone called ghrelin stimulates appetite and makes your stomach growl, says Mehmet Oz, MD, vice chair of surgery and professor of cardiac surgery at Columbia University and co-author of You on a Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management. But just a handful of nuts can cause ghrelin levels to take a dive.

Calorically, the most dangerous part of a meal eaten out is the first 10 minutes when you arrive, famished, and clean out the breadbasket, says Oz. "If you eat a few nuts 30 minutes before dinner, your hunger will drop off dramatically," he says. "By the time you sit down for the meal, you'll be able to slow down, enjoy the food, and stop before you're stuffed."

Step 4: Take a Brisk Walk: A lot of times, you feel hungry even when you're not. This can be attributed to the fact that your body has a difficult time telling the difference between extreme hunger and axtreme fatigue. Taking a walk can help you to relax and understand if you are really hungry at all. Maybe you're just exhausted or stressed, causing your body to think that food is what it needs instead of, say a good night's rest or some excercise.

Step 5: Keep your Hands Busy: As an avid knitter, I can attest to this one. When you're working on a project that involves working with your hands, whether it be crafts or even writing a paper, you don't have time to worry about snacking. Most of the time, we eat out of boredom, a terrible habit to give in to. So take up a hobby or get ahead on your schoolwork and drop some pounds at the same time.

Step 6: Soothe Your Taste Buds: Many times, your mouth just wants the taste of something, and often a minnt or some gum will do the trick, so start off slow, and think about why you are hungry rather than just leaping for the chocolate.