The common problem for most girls and women, It is open and excessive appetite, the inability to control it, Can you really control your appetite? Can you avoid eating huge amounts of food? The answer is definitely yes. but how! In this article, we will answer this question. We will help you control your appetite and eat moderate amounts of food. So stay with us.

responsible for appetite:

Before going into detail, We have to understand together, my dear, what is responsible for controlling appetite in your body. The answer is some of the hormones that are in your body.

There are two types of hormones that control appetite. They are ghrelin and leptin.

We’ll talk about each of them separately. And how it will help us control our appetite.

The hormone ghrelin

What is ghrelin?

• Also known as the hunger hormone, it is a hormone secreted by your stomach and other parts of your body such as the brain, small intestine, and pancreas, but in small amounts.
• It is the hormone that tells your brain that your stomach is empty and that you should eat.
• Ghrelin levels increase between meals and decrease when your stomach is full.
• Obese people often have low levels of the hormone ghrelin. While people who consume fewer calories have higher levels of this hormone.

Functions of the hunger hormone (ghrelin):

• Increases eating times, increases appetite.
• It helps your body store fat.
• Helps stimulate the pituitary gland to release growth hormones.
• It stimulates the digestive system to move food from your stomach through the small and large intestines.
• Contributes to controlling the secretion of insulin, which is the hormone responsible for dealing with blood sugar.
• It has a role in protecting your muscles from weakness, bone formation and metabolism (metabolism).
• It plays a role in protecting the health of your heart and blood vessels.

What triggers the hunger hormone (ghrelin)?

As we mentioned earlier, my dear, Your stomach releases the hormone ghrelin when it’s empty, and ghrelin levels are usually highest just before mealtimes. Then when you eat your levels of ghrelin will drop because your stomach is full.

Low ghrelin (hunger hormone):

Certain diseases of the digestive system are associated with a decrease in the hormone ghrelin. including:

• Chronic gastritis.
• Functional dyspepsia.
• pylori infection (a germ that infects the stomach and intestines).
• Irritable bowel syndrome.

Elevated ghrelin:

Is it possible that some people suffer from an increase in the hormone ghrelin? Answer: Yes, Some people may have increases in ghrelin levels if they reduce caloric intake. Like while on an extreme, strict diet.

Elevated ghrelin may also be associated with biological and genetic conditions such as:

• anorexia nervosa
• Celiac disease.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
• Prader-Willi Syndrome.

What can I do to maintain healthy ghrelin levels?

Now that we know more about ghrelin, We would like to know how to maintain normal and healthier levels by practicing good lifestyle habits. like:

• avoid unhealthy diet, You gain and lose weight frequently.
• Eat a diet rich in healthy carbohydrates. Like whole grains and lean protein like chicken or fish.
• reduce or eliminate processed foods, Especially foods high in sugar, high fructose corn syrup and salt.
• Sleep at least seven to eight hours each night.

What foods inhibit ghrelin?

Here, my dear, we can say that there is no specific food that inhibits the ghrelin hormone. In general, eating foods rich in healthy carbohydrates (such as whole grains) and protein can lower levels of the hormone ghrelin, which leads to better satiety and better appetite control.

leptin hormone

What is the hormone leptin?

• is a hormone produced by fat cells, It is a hormone that reduces appetite.
• It is called the satiety hormone or an appetite suppressant.
• Leptin levels are lower when a person is thin and higher when they are overweight.
• This hormone is the largest regulator of energy balance in our bodies.

Some researchers also believe that leptin helps regulate the hormone ghrelin.

• Some scientists have confirmed that many obese people have developed resistance to the appetite-suppressing effects of leptin. That is, they are not affected by this hormone.

Functions of satiety hormone (leptin):

• Leptin helps send signals to your brain, honey. It tells your brain that your body has enough energy stores as body fat, Thus, this will help you feel less appetite and thus control and reduce it.
• But many obese people do not respond to leptin signals even though they have high levels of the hormone.
• And as a general rule, my dear: The more fat you have, increased leptin in your blood, But the level varies depending on many factors, including the last time you ate and your sleep patterns.

What is the difference between ghrelin and leptin?

In this table, we will summarize the most important and clear differences between these two hormones to help us understand them deeper:

How to block appetite through hunger and satiety hormones

After we got to know the hormones that regulate appetite, Back to our main question, which is: Are there ways to control hunger and satiety hormones? Thus curb our appetite?

Answer: maybe, This is done by avoiding foods rich in fat. What is the relationship of food rich in fat to control appetite?

• when we eat, Nerve messages are transmitted to different parts of our bodies to tell us that we have enough food and energy to pay attention to eating the right amounts of food and nothing more. But when we eat fatty meals, this system does not work well and effectively, as eating fat leads to eating more calories, gaining weight, storing fat, and not listening to our body’s messages and signals, as researchers noticed some of these effects after only three days of dieting. High in fat.
• But the researchers also note that a diet rich in either “good” carbohydrates (such as whole grains) or a diet high in protein suppresses ghrelin more effectively than a diet high in fat.
• Thus, avoiding a high-fat diet is one of the keys to maintaining a healthy weight and controlling appetite.
• A secondary thing that might help (and certainly won’t hurt you) is getting enough sleep! In a study of 12 young adults, Sleep deprivation was associated with increased levels of the hormone ghrelin, appetite, and hunger compared to those who slept 10 hours per night.

How to suppress appetite and get rid of hunger at night:

After we got acquainted with the role of hunger and satiety hormones in controlling appetite, We put in your hands, my dear, some additional methods that will help you control your appetite:

1. Eat enough protein

• Adding more protein to your diet can increase feelings of fullness and satiety. lowering levels of the hunger hormone, It can also help you eat less at your next meal.

2. Choose foods rich in fiber

• Eating large amounts of fiber helps you feel full. This is by slowing down the digestion process and affecting the secretion of satiety hormones that increase the feeling of satiety and regulate and control appetite.
• In addition, eating fiber helps produce short-chain fatty acids in your gut, which are thought to promote feelings of fullness as well.

3. Drink plenty of water

• Honey, the evidence suggests that drinking water may suppress hunger and promote weight loss in some people.
• One study found that people who drank two cups of water immediately before a meal ate an average of 22% less than those who did not drink water. Thus, drinking water has a direct effect on appetite control.
• Scientists also believe that about 500ml of water may expand your stomach and send signals of fullness to your brain.
• Interestingly, starting your meal with a brothy soup may have the same effect. Where the researchers noted that eating a bowl of soup before a meal reduces hunger and reduces the total calories eaten from the meal by about 100 calories.
• Some studies have found that thirst and drinking water influence your preferences for some foods more than others. Which affects hunger and the amount of food you eat.

4. Eat wisely.

• Under normal circumstances, your brain helps your body know if you’re hungry or full.
• However, eating too quickly or while you’re distracted makes it harder for your brain to notice these cues.
• One way to solve this problem is to eliminate distractions and focus on the foods in front of you, which is an essential aspect of eating wisely. Therefore, we advise you, my dear, not to eat while watching TV or soap operas, Because that will distract your brain from telling your mind the appropriate amount of food and when to stop eating to reach the stage of satiety, not glut.

5. Eat slowly

• When your appetite or hunger levels are high, It is easy to eat more than you would like to eat.
• Slowing down how often you eat may be one way to reduce your tendency to overeat.
• One study found that people who ate faster took larger bites and ate more calories overall.
• Another study found that foods eaten slowly were more satiating than those eaten quickly.
• Interestingly, some recent research suggests that the rate at which food is eaten can influence the endocrine system, including levels of hormones in the blood that interact with the digestive system and signals hunger and satiety, Like insulin.

6. Exercise regularly

• As we all know, my dear, Exercise helps reduce appetite. By decreasing activation of areas of the brain associated with food cravings, This may lead to decreased motivation to eat high-calorie foods and increased motivation to eat low-calorie foods. This is what girls notice most when they start exercising.
• Also, exercise reduces levels of the hunger hormone while increasing the feeling of satiety.
• Some research shows that cardio exercise and resistance training are equally effective in affecting hormone levels and meal size after exercise. Although they also indicate that high-intensity exercise has greater aftereffects on appetite.

7. Get enough sleep

• Getting enough quality sleep may also help you reduce your hunger and protect against weight gain. Studies show that lack of sleep can increase feelings of hunger, appetite, and cravings.
• Sleep deprivation can also cause an increase in – the hormone ghrelin – as we mentioned earlier, dear reader.
• You may be wondering now how many hours of sleep are enough, And here comes the answer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep, while 8-12 hours is recommended for children and teens. How many hours do you sleep?

8. Control your stress level

• As most of us know, Excessive stress raises levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone.
• Although its effects can vary from person to person, my dear, However, it is generally believed that higher levels of cortisol increase food cravings and the drive to eat. It has also been linked to weight gain.
• Strangely enough, one study found that severe bouts of stress actually reduced appetite. Thus, the effect of the stress hormone on people is relative and varies from person to person. What kind are you, my dear?
• And we will list for you, my dear, some methods that will definitely help you control stress and overcome it:

1. Eat a healthy diet rich in stress-reducing foods such as nuts and dark chocolate.
2. Do regular exercise.
3. Enjoy the taste of green tea daily after the main meal.
4. Try yoga or stretching.
5. Watch the amount of caffeine you drink during your day.

9. Avoid depriving yourself of food

• You should know, my dear, that the relationship between appetite, hunger, and cravings is complex and involves many biological pathways and neural messages specific to every female’s body.
• Researchers are still working to understand exactly what happens when you try to stop eating certain foods. and whether doing so is an effective approach to reducing cravings for those foods.
• For most people, deprivation means more appetite for food that they are deprived of. You may also have had this problem. Therefore, modern diets tend to avoid depriving the body of what it craves. But it should also be eaten in moderation and within the permissible daily needs, no more.
• If you crave a certain food, You can enjoy this food in moderation, thus it will help you reduce your cravings and reduce your appetite in general.

at the end, We wish you, dear, health and safety, Pay attention to the factors that affect your appetite and excessive food intake. whether by controlling your body’s hormones, or pay attention to the quality of your food and exercise, Through your drinking water and your effective and safe sleep.

Written by: Marah Mohamad

Sources:

clevelandclinic

webmd

healthline