Natural Health July 2017

FITNESS & Weight Loss
spikes in blood sugar followed by a
crash, which leads to appetite increase
and hunger. Complex carbs, on the other
hand, such as quinoa, oats, and whole
wheat, offer your body slow-digesting
energy and fibre that makes you feel
satisfied instead of starving.
Tip: Switch that bagel for homemade
overnight oats, choose whole wheat
bread over white bread, and use quinoa
or brown rice instead of pasta or white
rice.
6. Where is the fibre?
Despite the fact that the average adult
only eats 15g of fibre every day, men
need around 38g of fibre per day and
women need about 25g. That’s a lot of
missed fibre opportunities if you ask me.
Insoluble fibre is what keeps our digestion
moving (see ya later constipation!). But
soluble fibre actually slows down the
process a bit. Don’t worry; this is a good
thing!
Soluble fibre turns into a consistency
similar to gel and delays digestion so
your body has more time to absorb
nutrients and feel satisfied. The results
from one study show that eating fibre
and whole grains together makes you
feel fuller longer, which will definitely limit
your hunger cravings.
Tip: Get to know things like chia seeds,
nuts and other seeds. And include more
fibre filled veggies to make your meals
last longer.
7. You are not drinking
enough water
You may not know you’re dehydrated
until it’s too late. By the time you’re in
the full blown dry mouth/fatigue stage,
you’re already playing catch-up. Keep
drinking water throughout the day.
If you’re feeling hungry, drink a large
glass of water and wait 20 minutes for
the signals to get to your brain that you’re
‘full’. If you feel ok, you were probably
just thirsty. If you’re hungry because
you’re trying to lose weight and decrease
your caloric intake, water is going to be
your best friend.
Choose foods that pack
more volume than calories
For example, 100g of raw kale is 33
calories. However, 100g of french fries
from McDonald’s is 323 calories.
The thing is, you’ll get full on kale, but
you’ll be hungry soon after those french
fries. Choose foods that contain lots of
fibre and water to literally fill you up and
give your digestion something to do:
• Broccoli
• Leafy greens
• Apples
• Melons
• Berries
• Citrus
Now that you know you have to sleep
more, balance your diet, and stay
hydrated, the days of your hunger
pangs embarrassing you should be
long gone. We talked about diet and
lifestyle factors being reasons for your
constant hunger today, but keep in mind
that issues like hormonal imbalances,
certain medications, and extra hard
workouts may all be reasons your tummy’s
grumbling a little more than usual.
If you can’t fight off your hunger using
these tips, speak to your doctor in case
something’s up.
There’s no reason for you to be hungry
around the ones you live or work with, it’s
just not a good look for you.
A word of caution: Sometimes that hunger
you’re feeling isn’t hunger at all.
Cravings are not the same as hunger.
Hunger comes from the body; cravings
come from the brain. Hunger is when
your stomach rumbles; cravings are when
you have a bad day and your thoughts
go straight to the ice cream freezer even
though you just had dinner. But since
both show up as the desire to eat, people
often confuse them.
If you’re confusing hunger and cravings,
you might be trying to satisfy a craving by
eating healthy food.
Tip: Learn to recognise when you’re
physically hungry, and when you’re
“hungry” for love, comfort, stress relief,
attention, or something else.
Finally, I encourage my clients to maintain
a healthy, balanced diet while trying to
lose weight. This means making small,
manageable changes that can be
sustained over time.
Let health be your wealth.
Dr. Sharifa Shareen Sultan is a registered
doctor with an MBBS qualification. She
also holds a certificate of Diploma in Family
Medicine and Diploma in Human Nutrition.
She is currently practicing as a Medical
Consultant at Spectrum Of Life Wellness
Centre. Dr. Sharifa is highly competent in the
field of nutritional and lifestyle medicine as she
has practiced as a family physician for more
than 10 years.
Natural Health * July 2017 VOL 82
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