WAYS TO CONTROL YOUR APPETITE IN WINTER
WINTER IS HERE!!!
Yes, of course, winter is the most pleasing time of the year when we get to breathe some cold waves of air bringing a sense of freshness in our mind, body and soul. But along with that, comes the unwanted uncontrolled appetite which becomes a task to deal with sometimes. And hence, here are 9 excellent ways for you to control it:
Go for natural foods
Any food we eat boosts our metabolism and warms us up. Technically, when your body says ‘warm me up’, your brain hears, ‘bring on the cheese and fries’. This is because we are not trained to think of salads, fruits and nuts to warm us up. But instead of running for the fat loaded food, try using a handful of mixed nuts or steamed salads, stir fry etc. as your warming options. These foods not only help you feel warm but also give you a fuller feeling thanks to their high fibre content.
Get your proteins
Proteins give you satiety which helps to keep hunger away for some hours. So try and include some right amount of protein-rich foods like sprouts, soyabeans, seesds, pulses etc in your meals.
Eat small frequent meals
Instead of gulping a heap of food at a time, distribute your meals into smaller quantities and include some high fibre, good fats and protein snacks in between meals to help you keep your voracious unwanted hunger pangs at bay. You can opt for peanut butter with gluten free toast or apple, idli sandwich, dosa roll, avocado etc.
Stock on fibre prior to main meals
As we mentioned as fibre-rich foods help you control your appetite, it only makes sense to have a plateful of salad before you lunch and dinner to help you eat less of all the other fatty foods and also to control your blood sugar levels thereby halting your annoying sugar and creamy food cravings.
Out of sight is out of mind
Most of us go weak in our knees just on the sight or smell of some sinful food. So the best way to avoid this is by not stocking foods like chips, cakes, pastries, chocolates etc. in your fridge and kitchen cabinets. Such appetite aggravating foods need to be kept away from you, especially during the winters when your hunger levels are at their peak.
Chew slowly
It takes 20 minutes for your brains to get the message that your stomach is full. Hence when hungry, eat your meals slowly and chew each morsel well to prevent overeating. Eating too fast can make you miss your feel full signal and might result in overindulgence.
Get enough sunlight
Vitamin D formed with the help of sunlight can help to control excessive cravings and also help to stabilize your mood swings. Make sure you get 20 minutes of early morning sunlight every day between 8-11 am.
Be warm
Creating a warm surrounding for yourself can help control your hunger levels. Wear warm clothes, sip warm drinks like green tea/soup etc., have a hot water bath. Add herbs to your food which make you feel warm like ajwain, elachi, cloves etc.
Make an activity plan
A bit of exercise daily will surely not harm you. Exercise is the best way to uplift your mood, thanks to the endorphins it helps to release. Once you give your body its dose of 30 minutes of exercise every day, you would stop craving for the fat and sweet loaded so-called “comforting foods”. Training is also by far the best way to tame your wild appetite by controlling the chemicals associated with hunger. If outdoor exercise feels like a task to accomplish, try some activities at home itself like spot jogs, jumping jacks, pushups, squats, lunges etc.
WISH YOU A WISE WINTER!!
