If your stomach starts yelling at you
as soon as you finish a meal, you may be making one or more of these common
nutrition mistakes!
1. You Don't Drink Enough Fluids
Our bodies need a lot of fluids every
day to optimize cognitive and physical performance. The average woman should
drink a minimum of 96 ounces of fluid a day (about 12 cups), while the average
man needs at least 125 ounces (about 16 cups or 1 gallon).[1,2] That's a lot of
liquid for your average busy person to consume every day. And if you're
training, you need to drink even more.
For every 15 minutes you work out, you
should drink another 5-8 ounces of fluid. That means if your workout lasts 60
minutes, you need to get another 20-32 ounces. One of the easiest ways to drink
enough water is to carry around a water bottle. Not one of those tiny 8-ouncers,
either; invest in a container that will hold one-fourth to one-half of your
daily goal.
The mother of all fluids, water, can
do a lot to help you deal with hunger pangs. First of all, it helps create a
feeling of fullness. When you consume water (or any fluid), your stomach
expands, which sends a signal to your brain that you are full.
Then there are those times when our
bodies get confused. For example, we don't usually feel thirst until we're
already slightly dehydrated. And our brains can confuse thirst with being
hungry. Our brains tell us we need to eat, when all we really need to do is
drink!
Keep filling up on fluids—preferably
calorie-free fluids—and you can keep that relentless appetite of yours in line.
How to get more liquids: Keep a water
bottle attached to your hip. Bring it with you in the car and into meetings.
Put one at your desk during the day and on your nightstand overnight. Take a
gulp every time you look at it, and keep replenishing it with a variety of fluids.
Fill it with sports drinks when you're working out and with low-calorie juices
and water when you're not.
If your hunger really gets out of
hand, try drinking 12-16 ounces of water immediately before and after each meal
to make sure your brain gets the signal that you are full! Then, just keep
taking in those fluids until your next meal.
2. You Don't Eat Enough Fiber
Fiber is often one of the most overlooked
parts of our diets. We think a lot about getting our macros—our carbs, fats, and protein. But our
bodies need fiber too. In fact, the recommended daily intake for fiber is 38 grams
for men and 25 grams for women.[3]
But how much fiber people actually
consume tends to be a lot less than that: 18 grams for men and 15 grams for
women![4] Considering the powerful appetite-suppressing punch fiber packs, you
might want to make sure you're getting at least the daily recommended
amount—and it's not that hard to do.
How to get more fiber: Just by
swapping white carbs (white bread and pasta, white rice, and white potatoes)
for brown carbs (whole-grain breads and pastas, brown rice, and oats) you can
increase your fiber by 4-5 grams per meal. Another great source of fiber is
flaxseed. At 3 grams per tablespoon, flaxseed can give a big fiber boost to
your morning oats, post-workout smoothie, or nightly Greek yogurt!
3. You Don't Eat Enough Vegetables
I'm talking about a minimum of three
servings (one handful is a serving) of leafy greens and bright orange, red, or
yellow veggies such as carrots, beets, and peppers each day.
Vegetables suppress those feeling of
hunger, because they're about 90 percent water—and loaded with fiber.
Daily-double special! Veggies also contain very few calories per bite, so you
can eat just about all of them you want without breaking the calorie bank.
How to get more vegetables: Consider
sneaking in vegetables throughout your day by hiding them in smoothies, omelets
and scrambles, and sandwiches. Or just have them straight up; they're pretty
tasty fresh or slightly undercooked.
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