The Atkins Diet And Hunger
One of the most common, and astonishing effects of ‘doing’ the Atkins diet is the suppression of appetite. Many followers of the regimen state that the inter meal hunger pangs they used to get just fade away and quite rapidly too. This fact makes it easier to remain on the diet and keep losing weight. While other diets leave their followers hungry between meals, the Atkins dieters receive relief from constant hunger. The Atkins diet, with its specific recommendation of foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing effects.
The main component is the amount of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, more so than carbohydrates, has the capability to satiate hunger. If you’ve ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry a few hours later, you know that carbohydrates don’t have much staying power as a satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling full for much longer periods of time.
One of the most powerful appetite suppressant foods on the Atkins diet is the egg. Eggs are a marvellous form of quick and easy protein. A recent study revealed that having eggs for breakfast would actually stave off hunger pangs throughout the remainder of the day. The study concerned two groups of women. One group ate eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of bread and cream cheese.
The calorie count for both types of breakfasts was precisely the same. The participants kept track of what they ate for the remainder of the day and answered questions about their hunger and satisfaction levels throughout the day. The results of the study revealed that the women who ate the eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied throughout the entire day and they ate less at each meal than those women who were in the buns group.
Eggs contain about 6 grams of protein each, which helps to even out blood sugar levels and produces a feeling of satisfaction. Both of these factors help to curb cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been shown to have incredible effects on eye health. Therefore, it is important to consume the whole egg, and not just the white. Eggs contain choline which is important for maintaining brain function and memory. These nutrients are just an added benefit to the appetite suppressant qualities.
Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most suitable vegetables on the Atkins diet, also have appetite-suppressing effects. These vegetables are very bulky and they help make your stomach feel full. When your stomach feels full, it will actually create a chemical response in your body. Your body will reduce its call for food because it believes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods. This will happen regardless of what is in your stomach. You can achieve the same results with water and psyllium husk fiber. Both broccoli and cauliflower provide bulk in your diet and are essential vegetables on the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet recommends eating small, protein packed meals a few times per day. This will help maintain your blood sugar level in a stabilized state and avoid carbohydrate-induced cravings. With high carbohydrate diets, you are riding a wave of carbohydrate highs. After you have eaten, you feel fantastic and full. Then after a few hours, you come crashing down and are hungrier than you were before eating the carbohydrates. This cycle continues ad infinitum and, over time, you will eat more and gain weight.
The protein, fat and vegetable meals of the Atkins diet put your blood sugar back in balance. They provide just enough of each type of food, with a proper amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its staying power. This combination helps suppress your appetite throughout the day.
The Atkins diet is really a craving control plan that helps suppress your appetite – your desire for food or calories. If you’ve had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating ie dieting will help regulate those cravings. The more you eat on the plan, the better your cravings will be controlled and the easier it will be to follow the diet – the more you practice the diet the easier it gets, because you won’t want to eat carbohydrates all the time.
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