Are you tired of feeling like a slave to your appetite? Or do you find yourself constantly reaching for snacks, even when you’re not really hungry? It can be frustrating and overwhelming to constantly feel like your appetite is in control of you, rather than the other way around.
The culprit for this is the hunger hormones. These little guys are responsible for controlling your appetite and when they’re not functioning properly— it can lead to constant cravings and overeating.
Fear not! There are ways to tame your hunger hormones and keep your appetite— in check!
What are hunger hormones and how do they affect appetite?
Hunger hormones play a significant role in regulating your daily life, including your appetite, energy levels, and weight. These hormones, including ghrelin, leptin, cortisol, and thyroid hormones, can influence how much you eat, how you store energy, and even how much you weigh. If you’re experiencing fluctuations in weight or energy or problems with appetite, it’s possible that your hunger hormones may be the cause.
- Ghrelin – It is a hormone that makes you feel hungry. It is released when you are low on stored energy, fasting, or starving.
- Leptin – A hormone that is secreted by fat cells that suppress appetite, telling you that you should stop eating. It also has a role in long-term weight regulation, going down in periods of starvation and being higher in the obese.
- Cortisol – Cortisol has many functions in the body, including regulating salt, insulin, blood pressure, and immunity. When you are stressed, your body releases more cortisol, increasing your blood sugar by breaking down carbohydrate stores and inhibiting insulin. This can lead to diabetes, weight gain, and fat storage.
- Thyroid Hormones – People with thyroid conditions like hypothyroidism often have weight issues because thyroid hormones play a role in weight regulation. Hypothyroidism can cause low appetite, slowed metabolism, and weight gain, while hyperthyroidism can cause increased appetite, increased metabolism, and weight loss.
Primary dietary interventions
Here are some basic dietary strategies that can assist in maintaining your hunger hormones, and helping you to accomplish your goals, including remaining satiated, enhancing your energy, or keeping your weight in check.
- Exercise – Evidence shows that exercise is crucial for maintaining good health because it works to prevent obesity. Leptin sensitivity, insulin sensitivity, and ghrelin levels can all be improved with regular exercise.
- Don’t Consume Too Many Simple Carbs – Consuming a lot of carbohydrates in your diet will cause your ghrelin levels to surge after eating and you will experience a quicker feeling of hunger.
- Avoid Crash Diet – Crash dieting, which involves severely cutting back on calories, will cause a rise in ghrelin levels, making it difficult to maintain the diet long-term.
- Sleep – One study shows that sleep restriction may adversely affect changes in body composition. Regularly getting a good night’s sleep will help to lower your cortisol levels and maintain stable, controlled levels of ghrelin.
Takeaway
If you’re struggling to control your appetite, it can be helpful to understand how your hunger hormones work. Keeping your appetite in check, regular exercise, a proper diet, and enough sleep will help to regulate your hunger hormone.
Contact us today for a hearty and healthy meal that will keep your hunger hormone in line. At Hearty Health, we don’t just create appetizing meals – we also guarantee that they are nutritious and will help keep your hunger hormones in check.
If you’ve been collecting spices and dried herbs in your pantry for some time now, you may wonder if they expire or simply defy time.
In the traditional sense, they don’t really “go bad.” They basically just lose most of their flavor, potency and color.
Most commercial or store-bought spices print best-by dates instead of their expiration to indicate the time frame in which they retain their most potent flavor and quality. This means it’s still generally safe to consume spices and dried herbs that are past their prime, just minus their maximum flavor and aroma.
Shelf life of common spices and dried herbs
In determining the shelf life of dried herbs and spices, it’s important to consider several variables including their type, level of processing and storage.
As a general rule, the more whole and less processed a seasoning is, the longer its shelf life.
Whole spices, for example, stay fresh for about 4 years. This includes:
- whole peppercorns
- whole dried chili peppers
- coriander
- mustard seeds
- caraway seeds
- cumin seeds
- fennel seeds
- cinnamon sticks
- whole nutmeg
- Cloves
On the other hand, ground or powdered spices typically last 2 to 3 years. Common examples are:
- ground cinnamon
- ground turmeric
- ground allspice
- ground cardamom
- ground paprika
- crushed red pepper flakes
- chili powder
- powdered ginger
- garlic powder
Meanwhile, most dried herbs have a shelf life of 1 to 3 years. Examples include:
- Rosemary
- basil
- oregano
- thyme
- bay leaves
- cilantro
- Sage
- parsley
Salt, however, is an exception. Regardless of size and shape, they can be kept and used indefinitely without spoiling or losing flavor.
How to know when to keep it or toss it
Consuming a spice that has “gone bad” is unlikely to make you sick. However, they will no longer flavor your food as intended which will basically defeat the purpose of having them in your recipe.
If you are unsure how long you’ve had your spice in your kitchen, you can test if your spice is still potent enough by crushing and rubbing a small amount in your hand and then tasting and smelling it. If the aroma is weak and the flavor is no longer obvious, the herb and spice should be replaced.
Fresh spices are supposed to have a fragrant smell and should have a kick of taste as they play the important role of flavoring your meal.
To maximize shelf life and save a few extra bucks, always store your spice and dried herb collection away from heat, light, air, and moisture.
Are you the type that craves a snack when you start to feel your stress levels rising? Don’t worry, you’re not alone—the term ‘comfort food’ is popular for a reason, and that’s because whenever we’re anxious or troubled, a lot of us have been hardwired to turn to food. The problem is, not everyone goes for green leafy vegetables or any other healthier food option when stressed out. Instead, we choose junk food and for understandable reasons: these unhealthy options actually help reduce cortisol, the stress hormone itself, in our bloodstream—making the cycle of stress eating a habit that seems almost impossible to break.
But that’s not entirely true! There are steps we can all take to curb stress eating not only to stop this habit but also to introduce healthier coping mechanisms during times of stress. In today’s list, we introduce 3 ways that can help minimize—and even stop—stress eating for good.
- Hide or replace all that junk.
Those overly sugary, empty-calorie snacks you like munching on whenever you’re frazzled? Put them away where you can’t see them, and make sure they’re conveniently out of reach! Out of sight, out of mind: you don’t need temptation lying around and making it more difficult for you to stop yourself from stress eating. And here’s something even better: replace your junk food stash with healthier, more nutritious options altogether.
- Eat right.
By right, we mean two things: choose the best types of food that will keep you full for longer, and have set meal times to make sure you don’t end up so hungry that you opt for something quick and unhealthy. We already know that a quick snack, no matter how good, won’t satisfy hunger—so why not choose something more filling instead? That and if you eat on time, then you’re less likely to go looking for something to snack on even when you’re stressed.
- Manage stress.
Sometimes, it’s all about facing the problem head-on: what’s stressing you out? By figuring out your triggers, you can start looking at ways on how to manage stress. There are more effective ways to de-stress than just eating, and it’s just a matter of finding one that works for you. If you’re not sure how to proceed, here’s a list of stress management strategies to give you a headstart.
While it’s great if you could stop stress eating altogether and for good, don’t be so hard on yourself—breaking the habit can be a slow and gradual process. The most important thing is to make progress: start with the little things, like staying away from junk food, and then tackle the bigger, more complicated issues like pinpointing what’s causing you so much stress. Before you know it, you’re going for healthier options and managing stress like a pro. Good luck, and keep going. You can do it!
