One of the most common, but nevertheless surprising results of following the Atkins diet is the suppression of appetite. Many followers of the plan report that the inter meal hunger pangs they used to experience just fade away and very quickly too. This factor makes it easier to remain on the diet and keep losing weight. While other diets have their followers starving 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 main component is the amount of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, a lot so than carbohydrates, has the power to assuage hunger pangs. If you have ever eaten a carbohydrate dense meal and then felt hungry again a few hours later, you know that carbohydrates don’t have much lasting effect as a hunger satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when it is combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling full for long periods of time.
One of the most sustained appetite suppressant foods on the Atkins diet is the simple egg. Eggs are a marvellous sort of quick and easy protein. A recent study revealed that having eggs for breakfast would actually keep hunger pangs at bay throughout the remainder of the day. The research concerned two groups of women. One group ate only eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of buns and cream cheese.
The calorie count for both breakfasts was precisely the same. The subjects kept track of what they ate for the rest of the day and answered questions about their hunger levels and satisfaction levels 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 those women who were in the buns group.
Eggs contain about 6 grammes 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 incredible 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 programme, also have appetite-suppressant effects. These vegetables are very bulky and they help make your stomach feel full. When your stomach feels full, it will actually create a chemical response in your brain. Your body will reduce its call for food because it assumes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods. This happens regardless of what is actually in your stomach. You can get 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 plan.
The Atkins diet recommends eating small, protein packed meals a few times a 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 wave 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 put on weight.
The protein, fat and vegetable recipes provided by the Atkins diet put your blood sugar back in equilibrium. They give you just enough of each sort of food, with the correct amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its sustainability. This combination suppresses your appetite effectively throughout the day.
The Atkins diet is actually a craving control plan that suppresses your appetite. If you’ve had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating 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.
If you would like to read a personal experience of the Atkins diet, please visit Appetite Suppression of if you want to read a lot more about the The Atkins Diet click the blue link.