Hungry soon after a meal? Here’s why

MAY 27, 2013 BY SOLAADE AYO-ADERELE. Do you sometimes feel hungry almost immediately after a sizeable meal? You are not alone, as many people experience hunger pangs not long after a reasonable portion, making them to reach for snacks or sugary beverages to assuage a growling stomach. Without intending to support your likelihood to indulge, researchers at Flinders University in Australia have provided answers to your unspoken questions. They are of the view that one of the reasons you seem hungry after you have just eaten is because you are bored and that’s why you can’t stop thinking about food! They suggest that you need visual distractions of sorts to steer your mind away from food. The step is simple, they suggest. “To test yourself, envision a huge, sizzling steak. If you’re truly hungry, the steak will seem appealing. But if that doesn’t seem tempting, chances are you’re in need of a distraction, not another meal,” the researchers say. Again, what are the unspoken ingredients in your food? Experts are of the view that the more additives you have in a meal, the more the likelihood of experiencing hunger even after you may just have eaten a sizeable portion of what you call food. Nutritionists say, for instance, that if your food contains much artificial sweeteners, you will only be laying foundation for food cravings even after you have just eaten. They explain it this way: “When you eat something sweet but do not take in any calories, your body will crave more calories than if you had eaten real sugar. And that’s why people gain weight even when they are on a diet.” Here, the sweet stuffs may be the soft drinks that accompany your meal, according to a research from the University of California at San Francisco. “This can trick your brain into craving more food, even when you’re full. It works by impeding the body’s ability to use leptin, the satiation hormone that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat,” the scientists argue. A dietician, Dr. Grace Omolayole, says it’s a vicious cycle that people are ignorant about. She says if your lunch consists of foods spiced with artificial sweeteners, for instance, they cause your body to starve itself simply because the foods are of poor nutritional quality and therefore deprives the body of the essential nutrients it needs to function optimally. To get round the problem, researchers at Pennsylvania State University advise that you eat more low-calorie, high-volume foods. The lead researcher, Dr. Barbara Rolls, and her colleagues describe such foods as those high in water and fibre, like fruits and vegetables. Rolls says, “We have found in numerous studies that when you allow people to eat as much as they want of foods that are high in volume yet low in calories, they eat less at the meal or during the day.” Omolayole explains further that foods that contain water, air, or fibre have fewer calories than other foods and also cause the stomach to stretch and empty slowly. “The best part is that choosing foods low in caloric density helps you lose weight without feeling like you’re on a restrictive diet,” she says. She also says many people deceive themselves that in order to lose weight or stay in shape, they must cut down their meal intake drastically. She explains that this is one of the fastest routes to food cravings. The reason, she argues, is because when you eat wholesome foods in good quantity, they make for smaller rises in blood sugar and insulin throughout the day, resulting in fewer sudden food cravings. Nutrition expert at MART-Life Detox Clinic, Mrs. Idowu Ashiru, also advises that to get more out of meals and stave off unhealthy cravings, “Eat slowly and mindfully, do not engage in multitasking like reading e-mails, working or watching television while eating. Instead, concentrate on your meal.” She recommends spending 30 minutes to finish any meal. “To prolong the meal, you can chew slowly or put your fork down between bites, or simply take smaller bites,” she says. Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition notes that people who drank one cup of black tea after eating food rich in carbohydrate decreased their blood-sugar levels by 10 per cent for two and a half hours after the meal, which means they stayed full longer and had fewer food cravings. The researchers credit the polyphenolic compounds in black tea for suppressing rebound hunger. Ashiru also says dehydration often mimics the feeling of hunger. “If you’ve just eaten and still feel hungry, drink a cup of water before eating more, and see if your desires don’t diminish,” she counsels. Don’t forget also that if you are in the habit of eating canned foods, you will forever remain hungry. Researchers at Harvard University explain it this way: “Many canned foods are high in the chemical bisphenol-A, or BPA, which can cause abnormal surges in leptin that leads to food cravings and obesity.” Scientists are also of the view that the kind of foods you crave after a reasonable meal might also explain whether or not you are emotionally sound. These are the findings of two scientists, Dr. Judith Wurtman and Prof. Richard Wurtman, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who note that the craving for carbohydrate foods like biscuits, cookies, cakes, bread, sweets, etc., is related to decreases in the feel-good hormone serotonin, which is marked by a decline in mood and concentration.