33 fixes for an empty stomach
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17. Don’t eat by candlelight Dim light can spark overeating, says a US study by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 18. Bag dried fruit Go for 2 cups of grapes over ¼ cup raisins – both are 420kJ, but the grapes’ water content makes them feel more filling. 19. Slurp a smoothie Make it with low-fat yoghurt and fruit for a satiety trifecta: protein (to decrease hunger), fibre (to fill you up without many kilojoules), and calcium (to help burn fat). 20. Whey your options Boost that smoothie with 1 to 2 tablespoons of whey powder. New studies suggest that in addition to a protein punch, whey may affect the hormones that make you feel full. 21. Go fruity Mixed fruit can curb a sweet tooth, and it has plenty of fibre, which helps regulate your blood sugar. 22. Have a seaweed spritzer When you mix agar-agar, a fibre-rich thickening agent derived from seaweed, with fruit juice, it soaks up the liquid, making you feel full. Pick it up at Macro Wholefoods. 23. Go for cocoa Participants in a study were significantly more satisfied 30 minutes after they drank low-fat chocolate milk than after a soft drink. 24. Be antisocial People who eat with one other person consume about 35 per cent more than when they dine alone; at a table of four, that rises to 75 per cent more; and in a party of eight you’ll almost double your intake. 25. Go blue Studies show blue to be an appetite suppressant. Use blue plates, napkins and placemats. 26. Boost your bean count High-fibre beans cause glucose to release slowly into the bloodstream, preventing sudden slumps that cause hunger spikes. 27. Dig pop culture It’s mostly air, so popcorn’s twice as filling as chockie, with fewer kilojoules. Try Riviana Air Popped Popping Corn (380kJ per 25g). 28. Skip soft drinks High-fructose corn syrup, the main sweetener in soft drink, doesn’t spur insulin production to make the body process kilojoules, or trigger leptin, which tames appetite. 29. Start a pack-a-day habit Chewing gum suppresses your sweet tooth. (But if you prefer chips, banish the gum – it may make salty cravings worse.) 30. Trade your corkscrew for a stubbie holder. Participants in a study ate more while drinking wine than while drinking beer. 31. Watch horror films Nausea is responsible for a lack of appetite. 32. Find berry treasure Raspberries are one of the most fibre-rich fruits, packing 8g into a cupful – that’s more than a quarter of your RDA. 33. Make miso When your metabolism drags and energy dips, you crave things that give you a quick lift. New research reveals that protein-rich miso soup boosts metabolism. And in the near future... 34. Pop a pill Italian scientists looking to make a more absorbent nappy lining ended up creating a cellulose pill that expands in your stomach to ward off hunger for up to seven hours. Pending safety trials, it should be around from May 2008. 35. Chew on this London researchers found that moderate doses of the “feeling full” hormone, pancreatic polypeptide, reduces the amount of food eaten by 15 to 20 per cent. They’re working on a chewing gum, but a finished product is about five years away. This article is re-printed courtesy of Women's Health magazine. |