7 tips to feel full without overeating

How easy it would be to keep in shape if only we weren’t always hungry!

It seems impossible to change this, but small changes to our routine can actually result in a pleasant surprise without too much effort.

Here are 7 tips that help us to control appetite:

1. More proteins at breakfast

Toast with jam or chocolate spread? Cereal and milk?

Breakfast is a sweet way to start the day. A breakfast that gives us energy and satisfaction, but it undoubtedly tends to overlook protein.

According to recent studies, however, the increase of protein content can foster a better control of the appetite throughout the day.

So why not alternate our breakfast with something different, that perhaps we would consume in other times of the day?

A slice of toast with ham, for example, goes well with  freshly squeezed orange juice.

Or why not tryricotta, perhaps flavoured with a little bit of cinnamon: then let’s have a good espresso for an aromatic and nutritious breakfast.

2. Dried fruit as snack

Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts: dried fruit is one of the jewels of our Mediterranean Diet.

Whyconsume them only at the end of the meal as an addition, maybe when we have already eaten enough?

Fibres, proteins and unsaturated fats: nothing better than dried fruit for a mid-afternoon snack!

The portion recommended by experts is 30 g per day, an amount that’s just perfect for snack time.

3. A salad to start

There are foods, such as salad, that offer few calories in large volumes.

This helps a lot if we want to avoid overeating at lunch or dinner: when the stomach is empty, it releases a hormone called ghrelin, which makes us hungry.

But when the stomach gets full, its walls spread and don’t release this hormone any more. As a result, the grip of hunger loosens.

But, for all this to happen, it takes time; that’s why we should start our meal with a salad, which right away begins to fill our stomach without containing too many calories.

4. New life to legumes!

Legumes traditionally represented the main source of proteins and ensured a high intake of fibres.

Today, their use is instead very limited: from official data, less than a fifth of what it should.

So, why do not add to the traditional recipes new ways to cook them, taking inspiration from distant Countries: from the Middle Eastern hummus, for example, from the Indian lentils rissoles, or from the black beans with rice of Caribbean tables.

5. Much water

Let’s remember that drinking can also help to control our appetite.

Onn the one hand in fact water can help to fill the stomach and decrease the release of ghrelin, on the other hand it hydrates the fibres that we have ingested with legumes, vegetables and whole grains, thus making them more nutritious.

6. No hurry

The mechanisms involved in the feeling of satiety are not immediate: if we eat too quickly, we run the risk of ingesting large amounts of food before perceiving the stop sign.

So let’s try to dedicate enough time to the meal, approximately not less than 20 minutes, and chew each bite.

7. Eat, just eat

When we eat,we should pay our attention only to food.

To dine while watching TV or peeking at smartphone brings us inevitably to not “register” what we eat, with the natural consequence of ingesting more food than what we believe, we want, we need.

Let’s instead remain focused on what we have on the plate: we will find itsurely more tasty.