Does Caffeine Abate Your Appetite?
There has been a lot of debate about whether caffeine is a good appetite suppressant or not. I feel that it is in some ways. But I also feel there are times when I drink something that is caffeinated and it actually fuels my appetite? How could this be?
Well, I think it depends on where you are in your blood sugar levels at the time you actually imbibe in the caffeinated treat. For me, if I drink coffee on an empty stomach, it is likely to act as a “tide me over” til I can get some food in me. That’s usually the first thing I do in the morning, and it really doesn’t make me hungry, it just makes me feel happy!
But if I drink coffee after I’ve already eaten and maybe I’m not full but I’m also not completely void of all food in my stomach, I feel like it actually can make me more hungry. For most people, caffeine does act as an appetite decreaser, and that is why it is included in just about every diet supplement under the sun today.
There is validity to it. However, there is also validity to the fact that once you crash off of one of these highly energized supplements, you may become totally ravenous, eating everything in sight and essentially undoing the entire day you went with eating the right things from being on the supplement and not eating a lot.
Using caffeine as a means to abate hunger is a tricky thing. It can definitely work for a while, but you have to be careful how much you’re taking in and how often as it is a highly addictive substance. I’ve noticed that if I even wait a few hours before having my typical morning coffee, I can a banging headache that is very hard to get rid of.
Use it wisely, and don’t abuse it, and it can be a terrific way to help control appetite.
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Watch the Sugar and Calories in Your Marinade
I used to think it didn’t matter much what I marinated my healthful, lean, organically farmed chicken breast in. I thought heck, the marinade itself barely gets into the chicken, right? But it actually does get in your chicken and saturates it – and so does all the sugar, sodium and other stuff that you may not want in your chicken.
Here’s a few rules to follow for a healthy marinade that won’t add tons of calories, fat or sugar to your healthy chicken and other leans cuts of beef or pork that you’d like to remain healthful when grilling off the fat :
1.) You should probably forgo the premade marinades on your store shelves and instead opt to make your own. This way you have complete control over the ingredients.
2.) When making your own, avoid sugar and instead use a naturally sweet vinegar as your tenderizing ingredient. Try using white wine, red wine or apple cider vinegar. These not only add a touch of sweetness, but they also help break down the fibers in meat and make it more tender and juicy as well as more flavorful. They also help to get the marined all the way in the meat for better penetration.
3.) Use sea salt if you want to use salt. It is slightly lower in actual sodium than regular table salt, and has additional healthy minerals in it that table salt is totally devoid of.
4.) A great marinade is home made Italian dressing made with pure organic virgin olive oil. Olive oil is a healthy fat, so it’s ok to get that fat in your meat. The spices in Italian dressing lend themselves well to flavoring just about any type of meat. I like to let my meat soak a minimum of two full days before using. This way it really soaks up enough of the marinade to be super-tender.
You can even marinade meat then freeze it right out of the grcoery store or meat market. This works very well. Then, you can just thaw it out and have a fast, ready to go meal that’s healthy and tastes delicious without waiting all that time for it to marinade.
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :The Best Natural Appetite Suppressants May Be In Your Fridge
Or…your cupboard for that matter. Yep, the best natural appetite suppressants may not even force you to buy them in tablet form, although some of the common foods I’m going to talk about are available that way. These are natural foods or drinks that help to quell your appetite by helping reduce hunger and stabilize blood sugar, which go hand in hand.
When your blood sugar is out of balance, your brain and body signal you to eat because it feels that it is “out of fuel” and needs more. This is where a very common household staple comes in. I’m talking about apple cider vinegar. This common household product which is used in recipes, dressings, marinads and a bevy of other common recipes, has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the past decade.
This is because it’s multiple uses have become of note to many interested in the field of natural health and wellness. Among its many uses is a natural appetite suppressant and blood sugar stabilizer. It can help regulate your glucose within minutes of taking it.
It also has other powerful properties such as helping treat acid reflux and indigestion, helping a sluggish digestive system, clearing the skin, it’s great for giving you hair a natural sheen when applied topically, and it’s also implicated in about a bazillion other health uses.
Another very common staple is found in most people’s cabinets, lazy susans and pantries. It is a spice that is used a lot in breakfast foods, cookies, cakes, pies, you name it. The spice I’m speaking of is cinnamon, which I recently spoke about for it naturally blood sugar stabilizing qualities.
Cinnamon has been found to help regulate insulin levels. It has even shown promise in helping diabetics control their blood sugar levels – specifically to help keep them from going in the stratosphere which is dangerous for anyone.
If I want a quick fix and appetite suppression, I put a few sprinkles of this on my tonge. Be careful not to choke yourself, and have water handy so you can drink it right after.
Speaking of water….this simple beverage in and of itself can be an excellent appetite suppressant. Why? Because it helps to hydrate the body, and often times when we think we are hungry we are actually thirsty. Our body often misinterprets these signals, and we end up eating when really we are just thirsty and need to be hydrated.
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :High Fructose Corn Syrup
I wanted to take a minute to talk about a sugary substance that is a food additive to a TON of the processed foods we see on grocery shelves in America today. It is high fructose corn syrup, and it has very destructive effects on the blood sugar and on the human body in general by encouraging obesity and weight gain.
Parents should really try to keep their kids away from products sweetened with this sugary substance. It is used in so many foods to sweeten them today because it is a dirt cheap sweetener. My husband and I actually splurged on pancakes yesterday for breakfast, and I looked at the label on my “maple syrup” and found that the first and foremost ingredient in the stuff was high fructose corn syrup. Maple was nowhere to be found.
Is is found in most soft drinks, many other sweetened drinks, cookies, cakes, candies, ice cream and just about every other processed sweet goodie you can think of. It’s addictive too, so it makes the body crave even more sugar when you eat foods that have a lot of it.
It is one of those food additives that is like MSG – very destructive, yet still found everywhere because it is such a cheap, long shelf life additive. If you really want to avoid ingredients like this, you are unfortunately going to have to spend a little more money and read your labels.
The reason I say you’ll have to spend more money is that the brands that are aware of this, and do not have these types of ingredients, actually use “REAL” ingredients that are not as harmful to the human body. They don’t use these frankenfood additives, and they do accordingly have to charge more for their foods because they simply cost more to make.
Makes sense. I know it can be a bit more painful when you get up to the counter to pay, but it’s well worth if for you and your family. And guess what, in the end it all evens out because you and your family aren’t getting the same huge appetite and crazy cravings, so in the end, you’ll likely be eating less and buying less groceries any way.
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :Can Protein Supplements Aid in Weight Loss?
In the struggle to lose weight and gain a fit, sculpted body, have you considered turning to protein as an ally?
Essential to any animal’s diet, proteins and their component amino acids play a role in virtually every cellular process. Most importantly to those trying to maintain good health and lose extra fat, proteins are the literal ‘building blocks’ of muscle. Without them, no muscle growth would even be possible.
During weight loss, a quality protein will help keep your muscles from degrading and disappearing along with the fat, allowing them to grow when it seems like everything else is shrinking.
After a punishing workout, having ample protein in your system will prevent a reaction called muscle catabolism. This is when the muscle cells that have been damaged by your workout repair themselves by stealing nutrients from their healthy neighbors. This process will work against your efforts to build a lean, muscular physique, since your muscles will be basically cannibalizing themselves!
Protein also works to support your overall health in more subtle ways. It can help bolster your immune function, break down cholesterol, and deliver nitrogen, an essential element in your body development and DNA synthesis. There’s evidence, too, that it plays a role in boosting your metabolism, which is good news for those trying to burn up their fat reserves.
Many athletes the world over, pro and novice alike, have added protein supplements to their diets. This is due to the fact that most dietary sources of protein (meat, dairy, certain vegetables and grains) come with unwanted add-ons like trans fat and bad cholesterol. A quality protein supplement will deliver the health-supporting protein you need (usually derived from dairy sources), without any of these add-ons. And be sure to check the label—the highest quality supplements often come with an impressive array of vitamins and minerals, as well.
The powdered versions of protein supplements are probably the most widespread and the most versatile. They come flavored or unflavored, and can be used to add a protein punch to virtually anything—pancakes, cookies, muffins, smoothies, soups, you name it!
Eating more high-quality protein and less sugar can also help reduce blood pressure. Though managing high blood pressure will never be a matter of simply swapping out items in your diet, it’s generally agreed that your consumption of carbs can have a direct effect on your blood sugar. Supplementing out some of the flour and sugar in your baking recipes for a protein powder instead can help you take steps towards better overall health.
There are hundreds of sites and blogs online with recipes that include protein powders. With a bit of research you’ll find a brand of supplement that suits you, and then you can start raking in the health benefits!
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :Healthy Fiber Filled Smoothie Recipes
I recently had a “smoothie day”. I took a break from my low carb diet, which tends for me to not have enough fiber to keep things moving along. Some people don’t need a lot of fiber for this, I happen to need quite a lot of it in the form of dietary fiber, not a pill. I felt like I needed to “clean” my system from eating a lot of low carb foods like meats and cheeses. These smoothies help detox your body and get everything moving through again.
Although it is definitely challenging to drink all your meals instead of eat them for a whole day, I did feel better after doing this. At dinner time was when I was really craving “solid” food, and so I did end up having a very light dinner, but up until then it had been all smoothies and a little bit of raw mango in between.
I made the smoothies in such a way that they weren’t pure carbs so my blood sugar wouldn’t bottom out unexpectedly. I added whey powder, which is pure dairy protein, and I also added peanut butter to one of them, so I got that satisfying protein in with it which helped it stick to me longer. See our previous articles on the drawbacks of the juicing diet, and why using whole fruits with the fiber intact is better.
Here is my first recipe – I drank this one in the morning. It contains a whole banana to add bulking fiber and some protein. Oh, and adding greens powders can add a real nutritional punch to these smoothies without impacting flavor very much. There are many available, it’s just a matter of taste. Most contain wheat grass, oat grass, and other powdered “green” veggies and nutrients.
Smoothie Recipe #1 :
1 whole banana
½ pineapple, cored and skinned and diced for easy blending
1 whole orange, peeled and sectioned for easy blending – use the whole orange rather than juicing it as this adds more bulk and fiber for fullness
½ cup plain yogurt
4 T. powdered whey protein
1 T. coconut oil (it will be solid)
1 cup ice
Blend all ingredients together. You get a nice coconut flavor that tastes almost like a pina colada from mixing the pineapple and coconut together. The whey protein adds more body to the flavor. Add a dash of stevia for additional sweetness if desired.
Smoothie Recipe #2 :
This one has a PB&J sort of flavor since it has fruit and peanut butter in it. You might even add some carob powder if you want a little chocolate in there too.
1 whole banana ½ orange, peeled and sectioned
8-12 strawberries washed and sliced
½ cup plain yogurt
4 T. powdered whey protein
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup ice
Add some stevia for sweetness to this one, there’s not a lot to naturally sweeten this other than the oranges and the strawberries, and this smoothie is much better when it tastes more naturally sweet. You can even add hunger suppressants such as raspberry ketones or hoodia powder, so that you can get your appetite control right in with the smoothie.
These smoothies are very high in fiber and vitamins. They will definitely make you feel “cleaned out” after a few of them. You can eat them for breakfast and lunch, then have a light dinner. You’ll feel full of energy the next day, trust me!
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :Does Everyone Gain Weight in College?
It’s funny that there is an idea out there that you gain weight when you hit college. I personally have seen both this happen, and the complete opposite happen, where some of my girlfriends really thinned down when they went away to college. The funny thing is, it was mostly guys that I knew that gained the famous “freshman fifteen” and then some, the girls seemed to actually lose the weight.
Unfortunately that whole “vaccine for weight loss” thing we reported on a while ago hasn’t materialized, otherwise this freshman weight gain wouldn’t be much of a concern 
At least that was my own experience with the people around me. It’s easy to either gain or lose weight when you leave the nest for the first time. There are so many nerves going on about being away from home, trying to succeed in school, and generally being nervous about never knowing where you’re going or how you’re going to eat that day half the time because you’re broke.
Of course, this is how it was for me, I can’t say that’s how it was for everyone else. I had a job in college too, and it was waiting tables, which kept me in great shape. Not only did the constant cardio of being a server shape me, but I also happened to work out at least five days a week back then. Yeah, I was single and I care way too much about what I looked like to the guys back then, but hey, that really kept me in shape, let me tell you!
I sometimes wonder if I should go back to waiting tables, just for the great shape it kept me in through college! And the tips were nice too, because I always had cash on hand of course!
If you go to college, just make sure you don’t only drink beer, and that your only meals are pizza and cheeseburgers. It’s easy to eat a lot of crap food when you’re in college because there are a ton of restaurants open late tha thave delicious food to cater to drunk college students.
Just staying away from eating late at night will save you a boatload of weight gain! Now if only I can get a handle on my Sunday football pigouts, I’ll be good to go.
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :Snookie and JWOW’s Big Weight Loss
So I know I’m always behind the eight ball on pop culture stuff, but I just noticed that Snookie and JWOWW of Jersey Shore fame have both lost significant portions of their previous body weight lately. Actuall, JWOWW showed her major weight loss on last season of the Shore in Italy. Snookie was still in the process of taking it off at that point, but she definitely still lost some, you could tell.
Snookie has said that she now works out religiously and tries to not drink sugary drinks and eat junk all the time like she did on the first two seasons of the show. She also has opened up about struggling with anorexia and bulimia (possibly bulimia, definitely anorexia) in high school and getting down to a dangerously low weight.
This could be worrisome, since women who have previously struggled with eating disorders would probably cave in to the immense pressure when they are in the spotlight constantly on a show that got so big like this one did, so I hope she’s keeping the weight off in a healthful way.
My husband and I have only watched the first two episodes of the Italy Jersey Shore, but we can already tell that their eating habits have changed. You don’t see Snookie or JWOWW eating pizza and other fattening things, instead you see a lot of salads and the like. They made chicken cutlets, but they were very lightly breaded, so it looks like so far they may be doing things the low carb way.
JWOWW has recently come out and said that her face looks so different because she lost a ton of weight, but there is speculation that she has had something done to her face, such as lip injection or Botox. I agree it does look a bit suspicious, but I also do know that losing a lot of weight can radically change the way your face looks for many people, so the weight loss definitely has at least something to do with it.
The two have not come out and endorsed any weight loss supplements or programs that I know of – but I’m sure that deal is in the works somewhere!
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :Aromatherapy for Weight Loss?
Aromatherapy is truly a wonderful gift for many people. Some people really do think that inhaling various aromas from real essential oils (oils that are pressed from various plants or flowers) has real effects on their mood or state of mind. This may also include appetite as some studies have suggested.
Any why would that really be all that surprising? We know that certain aromas definitely cause stirrings of sexual desire, or make us feel relaxed, or happy, or maybe even sad. So hunger is definitely many times connected to some of these emotions. It’s not really much of a stretch that aromatherapy could help us to lose weight by potentially reducing our appetite, or at least putting our mind on something other than hunger, which is what aromatherapy can often do.
Cinnamon is one of the oils that can be used to help curb appetite. Just as it curbs appetite when taken (ingested) orally – just a teaspoon is supposed to not only regulate the appetite internally but also balance the blood sugar and stave of cravings – cinnamon also is a scent that makes us not want to eat as much when we inhale it.
Curiously, another herb that has a strong fragrance to it which also works as an appetite suppressant internally has the same effect when inhaled. That is mint. Mint tea is a great way to help reduce the appetite and give one a feeling of satiety without eating much of anything.
Combining the two scents may be even better to help reduce hunger and cravings. What I would do is buy the essential oils since they are pretty reasonable. Be careful as cinnamon oil should not be applied to the skin as it can produce a burning sensation, so be careful when letting it come out of the container.
These two essential oils will last you a very long time because a little goes a long way. Heck, you can even try to just inhale right from the jar every time you feel the urge to eat nonsensically. That won’t even cost you much at all since you can use and re-use the jar.
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Lady Gaga Skewered Over Eating Comments
Posted by EatingToLive on April 18, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Lady Gaga, everyone’s favorite pop star weirdo (besides Nicky Minaj I guess) endured a lot of criticism over a recent tweet she posted. The star, who has acknowledged her struggles with bulimia after detailing how she barfed up fried chicken recently, actually posted that pop stars don’t eat on her twitter.
Of course, the comments sparked some outrage and some very screaming responses back, which they actually deserved. What makes me the most bad about an irresponsible comment like that is that millions of young, impressionable girls love her music, and they probably listen to what she has to say, as evidenced by her thousands of twitter followers.
When a pop star admits that she starves herself to look good, what kind of precedent is this setting for already-insecure teens that probably want to have a body like hers? And it definitely doesn’t help that she has been a bulimic herself, and knows how she got that way was from pressure from the business of looking good.
I felt like her comments basically just promoted not eating. After she posted this comment, she further says how she’d love to eat a cheeseburger. Although this comment can be construed as funny, it’s really kind of sad that she’s depriving herself and sharing this deprivation with millions of fans.
Perhaps it was an attempt to be honest, which I definitely appreciate, but as someone myself who has struggled greatly with an eating disorder in the past, I feel like what may have been an attempt at humor and letting her fans get to know her better fell pretty flat.
Obviously, I write about dieting, but I write about it more so to get my endeavors to stay healthy down and share them with people. I don’t promote starvation, but I definitely do promote eating healthy so you can feel great, and having the willpower to stay away from certain foods at times.
I feel like Lady Gaga’s slim figure has come from unhealthy body image, and obviously she has struggled with eating disorders, and I don’t advocate getting super skinny like she is that way. Isn’t it her that says “born this way”? Her latest statements definitely don’t back that up….
BOOKMARK OR SHARE :Filed under Celebrities and Diets, Daily Diet Blog, bulimia, cheeseburger, comments, disorder, eating, lady gaga, pop star don't eat, twitter, twitter comments · Tagged with