The Atkins Diet and the Desire for Food

By Owen Jones


A very common, and surprising effects of following the Atkins diet is the suppression of appetite. A lot of the followers of the regimen report that the inter meal hunger pangs they used to experience just fade away and quite rapidly too. This factor makes it easier to stay on the diet and keep to lose weight. While other diets leave their followers hungry between meals, the Atkins diet offers relief from constant hunger. The Atkins diet, with its specific recommendation of foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing effects.

The first key component is the amount of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, more so than carbohydrates, has the capability to satiate hunger. If you've ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry afterwards, you know that carbohydrates don't have much staying power as a satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling full for much longer periods of time.

One of the most powerful appetite suppressing foods on the Atkins diet is the simple egg. Eggs are a great form of quick and easy protein. A recent report showed that having eggs for breakfast would actually keep hunger pangs at bay throughout the rest of the day. The study concerned two groups of women. One group ate only eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of bread and cream cheese.

The calorie count for both breakfasts was exactly the same. The subjects kept track of what they ate the rest of the day and answered questions about their levels of hunger and satisfaction throughout the day. The results of the study showed that the women who ate the eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied throughout the entire day and they ate less at each meal than the women who were in the bagels group.

Eggs contain about 6 grams of protein each, which helps to even out blood sugar and produces a feeling of satisfaction. Both of these factors help to curb cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been shown to have amazing effects on eye health. So it's important to eat the whole egg, and not just the white. Eggs contain choline which is important for maintaining brain function and memory. These nutrients are just an added benefit to the appetite suppressing qualities.

Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most recommended vegetables on the Atkins program, also have appetite-suppressant effects. These vegetables are very bulky and they help make your stomach feel full. When your stomach is full, it will actually create a chemical response in your brain. Your body will reduce its call for food because it believes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods. This happens regardless of what is actually in your stomach. You can achieve the same results with water and psyllium husk fiber. Both broccoli and cauliflower provide bulk in your diet and are essential vegetables on the Atkins diet.

The Atkins plan recommends eating small, protein packed meals a few times per day. This will help maintain your blood sugar level in a stabilized state and avoid carbohydrate-induced cravings. With high carbohydrate diets, you are riding a roller-coaster of carbohydrate highs. After you have eaten, you feel great and full. Then after a few hours, you come crashing down and are hungrier than you were previous to eating the carbohydrates. This cycle continues ad infinitum and, over time, you will eat more and more and eventually gain weight.

The protein, fat and vegetable meals of the Atkins plan put your blood sugar back in balance. They provide just enough of each type of food, with a proper amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its staying power. This combination helps suppress your appetite throughout the day.

The Atkins diet is really a craving control plan that helps suppress your appetite - your desire for food or calories. If you've had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating ie dieting will help regulate those cravings. The more you eat on the plan, the better your cravings will be controlled and the easier it will be to follow the diet - the more you practice the diet the easier it gets, because you won't want to eat carbohydrates all the time.




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