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Choose Foods Wisely

The foods you choose can affect your appetite levels, and of course as a result you weight.

Many people opt to skip breakfast all together or grab a high carbohydrate  high fat highly processed alternative like a pop tart or doughnut while others may grab just coffee, and still other a fat free breakfast. None of these approaches are shown to be optimal in regards to controlling fullness and maintaining a leaner physique.

Including protein in a meal can influence satiety by affecting insulin activity. There have also been several studies that indicate that high-protein meals are more effective than high-carbohydrate meals in decreasing serum ghrelin levels after the meal. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates hunger. Ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after meals and is considered the counterpart of the hormone leptin, produced by adipose tissue, which induces satiation when present at higher levels. High-protein meals delay stomach emptying and thus create a longer-lasting feeling of fullness. Another benefit of adding protein to a meal, is that protein contributes to thermogenesis, the process whereby the increases the metabolism of the body's adipose tissue (fat), generating heat.

Adding foods that contain fiber has also shown to be a good approach to increasing fullness and preventing over eating. Although soluble and insoluble fiber have slightly different mechanism in how they affect satiety, both have shown to be viable options to reduce over eating and increase fullness.  Soluble fiber builds up viscosity in the stomach, which affects gastric distention and how long it stays in the small intestine. Soluble fiber tends to maintain a viscosity, so consequently there's a delay in feeling hungry for a long time. Insoluble fiber's satiation effect is more the case of load. Insoluble fiber has a bulking effect without the calories and can provide a very fast effect on satiation and then fullness continues for a long time as long as the fiber stays in the digestive system. Dietary fiber helps maintain higher levels of cholecystokinin after eating. Cholecystokinin concentrations are significantly associated with satiety.

Soluble fiber is found in varying quantities in all plant foods, including:

• legumes (peas, lentils, soybeans, and other beans). Legumes are one of the most fiber-rich plant foods, according to the Micronutrient Center of the Linus Pauling Institute, with approximately 15-19 grams of fiber per US cup serving
• oats, barley, chia, and barley
• some fruits and fruit juices (including prunes, rubus berries, plums, bananas, and the insides of apples and pears). Fruits such as prunes (12 grams of fiber per serving) raspberry (8 grams of fiber per serving) and blackberry (7.4 grams of fiber per serving) are exceptional sources of fiber.
• certain vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and Jerusalem artichokes
• root vegetables such as potatoes, yams and onions (skins of these vegetables are sources of insoluble fiber)
• psyllium seed husk (a mucilage soluble fiber).

Sources of insoluble fiber include:

• nuts and seeds

• whole grain foods

• wheat bran (approximately 17 grams per cup), prunes (12 grams), Asian pear (10 grams each, 3.6% by weight), and quinoa (9 grams).

• corn bran

• Lignans. (e.g., sources include: flax seed, sesame seed, rye, oat barley, etc.) The lignans are a group of chemical compounds found in plants, particularly in flax seed. Lignans are one of the major classes of phytoestrogens which are estrogen-like chemicals and also act as antioxidants.

• vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and celery

• potato skins

• the skins of some fruits, including tomatoes

Reducing fat free food consumption can help control appetite. One weapon Americans have pinned their hopes on is fat-free foods, but the reliance on fat free foods has been shown in study after study NOT to be effective in helping people battle the bulges. The reason eating fat-free foods won't necessarily make you lose weight is because it's the amount of calories you take in, not the amount of fat, that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain weight. Fat free foods are often very high in calories and simple sugars. Used in moderation, though, fat-free foods can help reduce your daily calorie count. Another problem with fat-free foods is their low-level of satiety, which is why it's so easy to eat larger portions of fat free foods. The lack of fat doesn't satisfy hunger. Fat in food creates a feeling of fullness-the sense that you've had enough to eat. If there's no fat, it's more likely you will keep on eating until you're stuffed, ending up with many more calories than you would have gotten from eating a smaller serving of a food that contained a little fat. Several recent studies have shown that by choosing a fat-free breakfast satiety is often reduced. In addition, many people consume larger quantities of low-fat or nonfat foods than they do of regular foods, thinking because the foods are fat free that they will not cause weight gain.

Reducing process food and simple sugar intake can help control appetite. Studies have also shown that those who reach for highly processed foods and/or foods comprised of simple sugars also tend to gain more weight because this type of meal also does not increase satiety levels (fullness) optimally. Why?  Because simple sugars are rapidly digested by the body as opposed to complex carbohydrates, such as starch. This causes a person to feel hungry sooner. If carbohydrates are to be consumed they should be of the low glycemic kind, or they should be consumed with protein which increases satiety because the addition of protein delays stomach emptying and promotes the feeling of fullness.

Pump Up the Volume

Several studies over the past two decades have shown that expanding food volume with non-caloric ingredients, such as air and water, offers a means to control appetite. How does this work?  By adding VOLUME in the form of air, water and fiber the calorie density of your diet can be reduced. By lowering the calorie density of your diet you can eat more food, and lose weight.

One recognized study conducted by Dr. Barbara Rolls, Chairman of the Penn State Nutrition Department and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that adding air to foods can increase satiety levels and curb overeating. Rolls and her researchers took the same fruit smoothie recipe and blenderized it for different amounts of time, ending up with different volumes of the drink, same calories. They gave the different volume drinks to the men before lunch. The bigger the smoothie the men consumed, the less they ate at lunch. After consuming the largest volume smoothie, the men ate 12 percent - or about 100 calories -less lunch than they did when they drank the smallest one - even though both drinks contained the exact same ingredients and the same number of calories.

Another recognized study on the effect of food volume on satiety was conducted by researchers at Penn State. In this study the researchers gave women one of three different first courses, each 270 calories, before lunch. The first was a chicken rice casserole; the second was the same casserole with a 10 oz. glass of water. The third choice was a soup that was actually the chicken rice casserole with the 10 oz. of water cooked into it. Only the soup reduced the amount of calories eaten at the lunch that followed, even though the calories consumed before lunch were the same. The women consumed 100 fewer calories, did not feel hungry nor make up the calories later. This study also concluded that increasing food volume, without increasing calories increased satiety. Increasing food volume, without increasing calories actually reduces calorie density; therefore the conclusion is that eating foods that are fewer calories dense can be an effective tool for controlling appetite and weight control.

Although water as a beverage does not enhance the feeling of satiety as well as heavier water-laden foods, such as soups, fruits, or vegetables, water can still be an effective tool for appetite control when added to foods during their preparation. Water dilutes the caloric content of a given amount of food which allows you to eat more food for the same calories. A good example where this can work is adding more water to oatmeal preparation, whereby you can eat a larger portion, and help increase satisfaction. This can work in several ways: (1) the larger volume of food can have an increases satiety effect (2) by taking longer to eat a larger meal it can allow the time needed for the brain to process the satiety signal from the stomach and (3) the emotional/visual response to eating a larger portion tends to also be favorable for appetite control and satisfaction.

As previously discussed fiber also provides bulk without calories, so you feel full sooner when you eat a high fiber meal.  

Do NOT Skip Breakfast

Breakfast is an easy meal to miss by many busy people. While cutting out one meal may appear to be a simple means to cut daily caloric intake, research indicates that this meal is the one not to be missed since missing breakfast may increase your hunger throughout the rest of the day. Focus on breakfasts that delay stomach emptying to increase satiety and control calorie consumption.

Stop the Grazing

Grazing, the act of eating small portions throughout the day with any regularity has shown to contribute to weight gain, according to a 2005 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study. When researchers asked women to eat at regular, fixed times or to break their usual amount of food into unscheduled meals throughout the day, they made a startling discovery: The women actually burned more calories in the 3 hours after eating the regular meals than they did after the unplanned meals. The women produced less insulin, too, potentially lowering their odds of insulin resistance, which is linked to weight gain and obesity. Grazing instead of eating regularly scheduled meals can contribute to mindless eating; a known source of weight gain and risk factor for obesity. Eating regularly scheduled meals keeps hormone levels (e.g., ghrelin, leptin, enterostatin, insulin and cholecystokinin) steady and quashes hunger pangs.

Portion Control

Researchers at the National Institute on Aging Studies found that middle-aged men and women who ate their daily number of calories in one supersize supper produced more ghrelin, a hormone that causes hunger, than when they ate the same number of calories in three square meals. Smarter move, eat smaller meals more frequently. 

Slow Down

For more than 35 years, dieters have been told to eat slowly to reduce their intake of food. The reason: it takes a while for the brain to realize that the stomach is stretching and allows the body time for the development of satiety [fullness]. Eating slowly gives the brain time to catch on.

A 2006 study reported at the North American Association for the Study of Obesity proved that it takes time for the brain to know that the stomach is full. In a study lead by Kathleen Melanson, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at Rhode Island University, 30 women made two visits to Melanson's lab, and each time they were given a large plate of pasta and told to eat as much as they wanted. When they were told to eat quickly, they consumed 646 calories in nine minutes, but when they were encouraged to pause between bites and chew each mouthful 15 to 20 times, they ate just 579 calories in 29 minutes. "Satiety signals clearly need time to develop,"Melanson concluded. "Not only did the women take in fewer calories when they ate more slowly, they had a greater feeling of satiety at meal completion and 60 minutes afterwards, which strongly suggests benefits to eating more slowly." The women also judged themselves as having enjoyed the meal more when they ate slowly than when they ate quickly, Melanson added. Because the study proves that it does takes longer for satiety signals to reach the brain letting the brain know the stomach know that it is full, it is recommended that people should eat slowly, pausing between bites and chewing each mouthful 15-20 times. This simple act can help reduce overeating.

Brush Your Teeth

Once you brush your teeth, your teeth have a fresh, clean feeling, deterring you from wanting to eat immediately after, especially foods that contain citric acid, which reacts with the fluoride in such a way as to create a horrible taste in your mouth. This flavor change has been shown to help deter people from wanting to eat more.

If you commit yourself to the minimum recommended brushing standard (two minutes three times a day) you can lose 1.5 pounds every year. This simple act alone can take 15 unwanted pounds off your frame over a ten year period. Adhering to this brushing standard not only ensures the much-needed weight loss as people age but it also ensures healthy and glossy teeth resulting in better self-esteem, outlook, and reduced bills/visits to your dentist.

The Bottom Line 

To maintain a healthy weight and curb your appetite the best things you can do in the fight against the bulge is to make smarter decisions about the types of foods you eat, manage portion size, control emotional eating, and incorporate daily exercise into your lifestyle. These are the real keys to appetite control and maintaining a healthy weight.

About the Author Jeff Behar

Jeff Behar, MS, MBA is a recognized health, fitness and nutrition expert, regularly writing about hot topics in the areas of health, fitness, disease prevention,