How to Fight Hunger Pangs

It’s very easy to eat more than necessary, and many diets will leave one with increased hunger pangs.  Some foods are more successful than others in battling hunger, and Linda Ohr has done us all a favor by writing a useful review in the current issue of Food Technology Magazine.  Being able to push away from the table is not just a matter of will power.  The food we eat can provide help in producing greater satiety, and Linda Ohr references some of the most useful of these ‘assistants’: 

Whole grains (from oats, barley, rye, and corn) are beneficial in preventing cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.  They are not always very palatable, which helps satiation.  In particular, rye eaten at breakfast (as rye bran or sifted rye flour) suppresses appetite longer than wheat.  And low-fat popcorn eaten as a daily snack has been shown to curb hunger.

Fiber has different effects on hunger, depending on type.  Resistant starch, found in maize or high-amylase corn, resists digestion in the small intestine and increases feeling of satiety.  Oligosaccharides are complex carbohydrates found in beans and other legumes; they also resist digestion in the small intestine, slow gastric emptying, and help stabilize blood sugar levels.  Soluble fiber derived from oats is under investigation as a specific satiety-inducer.

Protein: different protein sources can be used to enhance everyday foods such as soup, yogurt, or breakfast cereal.   Soy, whey, and casein are quoted as stimulating the release of cholecystokinin (CCK) or other gastrointestinal hormones that play a role in appetite suppression.

Lipid emulsions may reduce appetite by different mechanisms.  If their digestion can be delayed in the stomach and upper small intestine (jejunum), passage of oil droplets into the lower small intestine (ileum) signals that the body is satisfied.  Other lipid preparations stimulate the release of the hunger-suppressing hormone CCK.

Almonds are often recommended by weight loss programs as a snack food that promotes satiety; this effect has been demonstrated in a clinical study.  It’s likely that other nuts may have the same effect.

There seem to be plenty of options for those trying to suppress their appetite.  People should experiment a bit with new approaches, and find one or two that will help them resist temptation.