10 Ways To Stave Off Hunger and Cravings

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Whether you’re trying to lose weight or wean off unhealthy foods, successfully avoiding cravings requires determination and healthy habit change.

The magnetism of food is never higher than when you’re consciously trying to avoid it and this can become a struggle that takes focus away from important activities such as your job or other daily tasks. 

Thankfully, it doesn’t require an iron will to stave off hunger cravings if you know how the mind and body work.

So, what are some healthy hacks to keep hunger levels lower?

This article will get into 10 different ways to deal with cravings - whether it’s preparing your body for them before they come, or handling them when they eventually show up: 

1. Drink more water

Hunger and thirst are often confused by the body.

This is because they are controlled by the same mechanism within the brain - the hypothalamus - which sends out very similar signals to identify thirst and hunger. 

Next time you have a craving for something when you believe you shouldn’t be hungry, have a glass of water instead. You may find your cravings completely disappear with nothing more than a glass (or two) of H2O. 

If you’re still hungry ten minutes after drinking, chances are that your body really is in need of actual food.

2. Protein and fiber

These two nutrients are essential for people trying to stop hunger cravings.

They are by far the most important things to consume when you want to keep hunger at bay.

Protein prevents excessive hunger by releasing certain satiety promoting hormones, such as GLP-1, while also inhibiting hunger inducing ones, such as ghrelin.

One study showed that having a high protein breakfast significantly reduced cravings (Hoertel, Will, & Leidy, 2014).

Some protein rich foods include poultry, fish, beef, eggs, legumes, dairy (especially Greek yogurt), almonds, and broccoli.

Fiber, on the other hand, prevents cravings by adding bulk to food and making you feel satisfied for longer by slowing digestion. 

Some fiber rich foods include most fruits, legumes, oats, popcorn and sweet potatoes.

You can get the double effect of protein and fiber by buying or making a meal replacement shake that focuses on those two things. 

3. Do something else

Next time you have a craving simply do something else.

Take a shower, read a chapter of a book, play a video game or some other hobby that you have…just do something. 

Sometimes boredom manifests itself in the form of hunger.

So, by occupying your mind with something else, you are removing the idea that you are hungry from your head. 

Photo by Joseph Costa on Unsplash

Photo by Joseph Costa on Unsplash

4. Chew Gum

Chewing gum in particular has been shown by studies to be an excellent way to curb cravings.

In one study, participants who chewed gum prior to having a snack ate less than those who did not chew gum so not only does chewing gum curb cravings, it can help you consume less food (Hetherington & Regan, 2011). 

Another study found similar results where volunteers craved less and consumed less food at lunch on a day where they chewed gum after a controlled breakfast vs a day where no chewing gum was involved (Melanson & Kresge, 2017). 

5. Eat regularly

Don't allow yourself to get too hungry.

Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time each day. This will allow your body to get used to eating on a schedule, reducing cravings throughout the day. 

It may seem like a good idea to cut a meal out of your day if you are trying to lose weight; however, despite popular belief, this could lead to weight gain by changing your metabolism, causing you to binge, or both. 

6. Mindful eating

Discovering the difference between real hunger and cravings is perhaps the best way to curb cravings.

When you recognize that a craving is just a craving, you will be able to enjoy other activities instead of eating. 

Mindful eating involves being aware of your eating habits, how you feel, the intensity of your cravings, whether you’re actually physically hungry and acting accordingly. This helps to control impulsiveness and overeating (Dalen, et al., 2010).

Read more about mindful eating here or here. 

7. Spinach Extract

Spinach extract is a little known hack for fighting cravings, supported by many studies and anecdotal accounts.

The magic lies in its high concentration of thylakoids (Rebello, et al., 2015) which delay fat digestion, thereby increasing satiety hormones which tell the body that it’s not ready for more food just yet. 

8. Sniff Some Peppermint Oil

Peppermint oil has been long known to be an effective appetite suppression technique and several years ago, Reed, et al. (2008) performed a study seeking to prove (or disprove) this long standing hypothesis.

During the study, volunteers were instructed to sniff peppermint oil consistently every two hours for 5 days, then inhale nothing for another 5 days. This was done during separate weeks.

For the inhalation period, the participants didn’t only have fewer cravings but actually consumed less calories, fat and sugar. 

Jasmine oil is also quite effective for reducing cravings.

9. Exercise

Exercise affects many functions and hormones within the body, one of which is ghrelin.

If you remember we mentioned ghrelin earlier in the article - it is called the hunger hormone because it is responsible for appetite stimulation. 

Broom, et al. (2009) showed that exercise (especially aerobic exercise) reduced ghrelin levels in volunteers. Increases in peptide YY levels were also noted, which indicated a suppression of appetite.

10. Reduce Stress

Stress eating is a well documented phenomenon that is usually seen in individuals with chronic or long term stress.

The problem with stress is that sometimes it’s such a constant in our daily lives that we don’t even notice - but our bodies do. 

Elevated stress levels increase cortisol which in turn stimulates appetite and drives us toward high fat and/or sugary foods so cravings can sometimes be reduced by lowering stress levels.

Effective stress reduction techniques include exercise, aromatherapy, meditation and listening to music. 

Stress eating is much more common in women.

Studies:

  1. Broom, D. R., Batterham, R. L., King, J. A., & Stensel, D. J. (2009, January 1). Influence of resistance and aerobic exercise on hunger, circulating levels of acylated ghrelin, and peptide YY in healthy males. Retrieved from https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpregu.90706.2008

  2. Dalen, J., Smith, B. W., Shelley, B. M., Sloan, A. L., Leahigh, L., & Begay, D. (2010, December). Pilot study: Mindful Eating and Living (MEAL): Weight, eating behavior, and psychological outcomes associated with a mindfulness-based intervention for people with obesity. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21130363/

  3. Hetherington, M. M., & Regan, M. F. (2011, October). Effects of chewing gum on short-term appetite regulation in moderately restrained eaters. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21718732

  4. Hoertel, H. A., Will, M. J., & Leidy, H. J. (2014, August 06). A randomized crossover, pilot study examining the effects of a normal protein vs. high protein breakfast on food cravings and reward signals in overweight/obese "breakfast skipping", late-adolescent girls. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25098557

  5. Kristeller, J. L., & Hallett, C. B. (1999, May). An Exploratory Study of a Meditation-based Intervention for Binge Eating Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22021603

  6. Melanson, K. J., & Kresge, D. L. (2017, November 01). Chewing gum decreases energy intake at lunch following a controlled breakfast. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28733151

  7. Montelius, C., Erlandsson, D., Vitija, E., Stenblom, E. L., Egecioglu, E., & Erlanson-Albertsson, C. (2014, October). Body weight loss, reduced urge for palatable food and increased release of GLP-1 through daily supplementation with green-plant membranes for three months in overweight women. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24993695

  8. Rebello, C. J., Chu, J., Beyl, R., Edwall, D., Erlanson-Albertsson, C., & Greenway, F. L. (2015, June). Acute Effects of a Spinach Extract Rich in Thylakoids on Satiety: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26029978

  9. Reed, J., Almeida, J., Raudenbush, B., & Wershing, B. (2008, September 01). Effects of peppermint scent on appetite control and caloric intake, Appetite. Retrieved from https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/elsevier/effects-of-peppermint-scent-on-appetite-control-and-caloric-intake-blAtT8XzK8

  10. Stenblom, E. L., Montelius, C., Östbring, K., Håkansson, M., Nilsson, S., Rehfeld, J. F., & Erlanson-Albertsson, C. (2013, September). Supplementation by thylakoids to a high carbohydrate meal decreases feelings of hunger, elevates CCK levels and prevents postprandial hypoglycaemia in overweight women. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23632035

  11. Stenblom, E. L., Egecioglu, E., Landin-Olsson, M., & Erlanson-Albertsson, C. (2015, August). Consumption of thylakoid-rich spinach extract reduces hunger, increases satiety and reduces cravings for palatable food in overweight women. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25895695