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It doesn't matter how much you fill up on certain foods, you never seem to feel satiated. I’ve learned over the years that whole foods fill you up and processed, junk foods can bring on the pangs of hunger as if you didn’t eat anything at all. This results from the fact that much of the nutrient density is depleted in processing.
And no matter how much your will power attempts to hold strong, certain foods are addictive. No matter how bad they make you feel, you just can’t stop. I mean you could stop, it’s not like you’re tied to the kitchen table being force-fed, but you get my drift.
What are these foods? What foods should you avoid when you're trying to get the most for your hunger buck?
1. Chewing Gum
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Chewing gum stimulates the gastric juices, producing saliva. According to Faddiets.com the saliva that is produced while chewing goes down to the stomach and fools the stomach into thinking there is food to be digested, making you hungrier.
2. Diet Soda
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While the label may read diet, don’t be fooled. Studies prove that diet soda makes you hungrier.
"Artificial sweeteners could have the effect of triggering appetite but unlike regular sugars they don't deliver something that will squelch the appetite," Sharon Fowler, obesity researcher at UT Health Science Center at San Diego and a co-author on both of these studies, told the Daily Mail, seen on CBS News. According to Fowler, sweeteners could inhibit brain cells that make you feel full.
3. High Fructose Corn Syrup
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While the commercials claim that it’s fine in moderation, the truth is that the whole problem with high fructose corn syrup in the first place, is that moderation is seemingly impossible.
The syrup interferes with the body’s metabolism so that a person can’t stop eating. It’s truly hard to control cravings because high fructose corn syrup slows down the secretion of leptin in the body. Leptin is a crucial hormone in the body that tells you that you’re full and to stop eating.
4. Frozen Dinners
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Frozen dinners, especially diet frozen dinners, often don’t have enough calories to fill you up. Additionally, they’re isn’t enough roughage, specifically, fresh fruits and vegetables to expand in your stomach. As I said above, processing depletes nutrients. If you’re going to eat frozen meals, do it rarely and make sure you accompany the meals with a salad or cut up fruits and vegetables.
5. Pastries and Baked Goods
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Pastries, though ooey, gooey, and delicious do little to fill you up. White sugar and flour has no fiber or nutrients. They send you through the roof and then you come crashing down much hungrier than you were before. And it's a pretty fast process. Choose baked goods made with ancient whole grains and as little sugar as possible.
6. Sugary Breakfast Bars
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Unless breakfast bars are loaded with protein and minimally sweetened, they might as well be a pastry. High processed and sugary, these guys may seem like a short cut but in reality, you'll just need another meal anyway. While today you can find some high quality, organic meal bars in stores, it's still better to make breakfast. Consider oats with fruit, honey, peanut butter, and coconut milk instead--a much better way to start your day.
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