I love food.  But honestly..who doesn’t?  Food can make us happy at times and it can bring good friends and families together.  However, if you have an uncontrollable appetite for food, it can also make you fat in a flash.  Sometimes I find that my appetite just takes over and I just eat and eat and eat and eat….  

When I notice this happening I look towards these foods to help suppress my appetite.

Oranges and Grapefruits:

Oranges and grapefruits have soluble and insoluble fiber along with another type of fiber called pectin. The pectin fiber in these fruits curb your appetite while only containing about 70 calories. 

On the other hand if you choose to consume the juices of oranges and grapefruits you’ll intake about 130 calories from eight ounces of juice.  In addition, the juices are full of sugars, which cause your insulin levels to spike and over time the sugar can metabolize into fat.

Apples:

These popular fruits are another natural great hunger suppressant.  Just like the oranges and grapefruits they also contain soluble and insoluble fiber, including that special fiber pectin. 

With the skin on, apples contain about 4 grams of fiber, which combines with water in your digestive tract to form bulk your intestines.  This process decreases your hunger and makes you feel full, and satisfied longer.

The pectin suppresses your appetite at the same time by tricking your brain’s hunger center, which is called your appestat.  Your brain believes you’re full, when in reality you’ve only eaten one apple.

Apple Cider Vinegar:

This is another great food for reducing your appetite.  The unique thing about apple cider vinegar is that it contains several acids called malic and tartaric acids that perform as digestive enzymes and help break down carbohydrates slowly, which ultimately slows down their absorption into the bloodstream.

Because of the tart flavor, it also increases the production of saliva, which include enzymes that aid in slower digestion of carbohydrates. 

Simply add one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to salads for its appetite-suppressing effect.  Even non-fat raspberry vinaigrette dressing, contain some of these appetite-suppressing components.

But to keep things simple, any type of vinegar dressing, like balsamic vinaigrette, has the ability to suppress your appetite. Just keep in mind to use oil based dressings cautiously, as the calories from the oil will start to add up.

Foods That Encourage More Eating

On the flip side of things, if you eat a piece of cake, which has no fiber and tons of sugar, it’ll never stimulate your appestat to shut down.  Consequently your body doesn’t feel full before you’ve had time to eat another two or three pieces.

The same goes for burgers, french fries, and empty calories like soft drinks and alcohol. This is because these foods hold lots of fat and/or refined carbohydrates, which are absorbed quickly and increase the blood sugar and blood insulin levels, which then lead to hunger.

The next time you feel your appetite getting out of hand, shut it down one of these natural suppressants.