Those of us battling the challenges of weight loss and exercise, avoiding the infamous junk foods can be difficult and often undesirable. However, is it really the junk food themselves or just the imagined cravings of those foods that are creating the strong pull to falling off the bandwagon. There is good news though to help overcome these never ending challenges, while be successful with your weight loss and maintenance and furthermore enjoying yourself. The key is to make sure you are consuming these types of helpful foods as a means to ease the pull of the cravings caused from the junk foods. Here is a list of the foods I'm speaking of:
Apples:
Your mother always said, “An apple a day will keep the doctor away.” Yes, it is important to make sure to fill your daily regime with fruits and vegetables, but what makes apples so important is what is found in them, pectin. Pectin, found in both the skin and fruit of the apple, is a soluble fiber that assists the body in regulating one's blood sugars, provides you with energy, while at the same time keeping you full. To put into perspective, one apple has more fiber than found in a slice of whole wheat bread. Another great thing about apples is they are easy to transport! Keep an apple at your desk or a bowl of apples on your kitchen counter, that way when that infamous craving begins to make its appearance you are already armed with your weapon.
Beans:
Another great source of fiber and a craving suppressant are beans. Why? Well, because beans increase Cholecystokinin (CCK) a digestive hormone responsible for stimulating the digestion of fat and protein. In addition to stimulating CCK, beans also assist in regulating your blood sugars, another means for fighting the feeling of hunger.
Salads:
Again with the vegetables scheme, but hey it can not be disputed howvegetables assist in fighting off hunger. Starting off any meal with a salad or any type of vegetable has been shown to also regulate and slow the release of sugars in the blood stream. Just remember it is not the vegetables themselves that are usually the culprit to society's ever expanding waist lines, it's the croutons, cheeses, candied nuts and high fat, high caloric dressings that we often douse the vegetables in. One suggestion is to use the juice of a lemon or lime, or balsamic vinegar as your dressing. If that just doesn't sound appealing to you, have the dressing on the side and dip the tip of your fork in the dressing. Plus, avoid putting all those extra bells and whistles on the salad. Another great way to increase the fiber in the salad is to add some beans to it!
Spice it up:
An easy way to help suppress the feeling of craving is to use spicy foods. Foods containing caspaicin, the hot factor in peppers, have been shown to suppress the feeling of being hungry resulting in the consumption of less food. So the next time you are cooking use spices such as black pepper, chilli pepper, jalapenos, and or curry.
Oatmeal:
This is a great snack or meal that easily makes you feel full and keeps you feeling full for a long while. The reasoning behind this is because oatmeal is high in fiber but registers low on the glycemic index. Thus, it takes a while to digest. It is quick and easy using HMR's oatmeal by just adding hot water to the package. However, if you don't have that, using plain oatmeal with some cinnamon and an apple is a great meal too!
Sure, we will probably always find ourselves at times faced with the feeling of craving those unhealthy food choices, but hopefully with these tips and food suggestions the cravings will be far less abundant. Just remember keeping yourself full on the whole, fresh, natural foods and enthusiastic about what you are doing will help ensure a long and prosperous road in weight loss and weight maintenance. Enjoy!
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