Choose slow-digesting fibrous foods that will keep you feeling fuller for longer, such as whole-grain bread, oatmeal, bran flakes, apples and berries. Add some healthy fats and protein from nuts, such as almonds, walnuts and cashews — they’ll also satiate your appetite for longer. People need some saturated fat (with cholesterol) for health, plus it makes you feel full and stops cravings, so add some eggs, butter and yogurt to your breakfasts a few times a week. A combination of these food groups packs health benefits and provide a complex carbohydrates, protein, fibre and small amounts of fat which makes you feel full for hours.
Sugar rush has a negative impact on emotions as well. Blood sugar levels can rise quickly due to consumption of foods rich in refined sugars, leading to problems with concentration. If you must drink coffee in the mornings and afternoons, drink it with a splash of unsweetened alternative milk, like oat or almond milk, and switch to decaf. Caffeine can make your mind race and lose focus on your dietary routine. Drink purified water or herbal tea after breakfast and throughout the day, as they won’t impact your blood glucose or hormone levels.
The idea is to choose the right foods so that you’ll last about five hours between main meals — for example, 7:30am for breakfast, 12:30pm or so for lunch, and around 6pm for dinner. Keep this routine for lunch so your body gets trained to digest fibrous whole foods and then go without calories for about five hours. Eating lunch closer to 1:00pm (assuming you make healthy choices) should eliminate any hunger pains and cravings by mid-afternoon around 3:00pm or so.
Kidney beans, black beans and lentils are not only complex carbohydrates with low glycemic indexes, but they are good sources of fiber, amino acids and minerals. Natural food fibre in unrefined carbohydrates is responsible for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and controlling appetite. Other types of refined carbs to avoid for lunch include most muffins, bagels, cookies, hamburger/hotdog buns, tortillas and noodles.
Some saturated fat is also needed in the human diet and it can be found in meats, poultry, eggs and dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt. The fats to really avoid for health reasons include hydrogenated trans fats, which tend to clog arteries and spike blood cholesterol levels. Remember that these items are also high in calories, so don’t go overboard. A medium avocado, for instance, has about 250 calories.
Although some saturated fat is essential, you don’t want to overdo it with the cholesterol, so choose lean meats for lunch, such as chicken breast, salmon filet without the skin and roast beef with the fat trimmed off. Good vegetable sources of protein include soy products (tofu, edamame); flaxseed products; quinoa; and virtually all nuts and seeds.
Gulping the water down will get more air into your stomach and make it feel fuller, but it may also make you feel bloated and uncomfortable, so sip the water instead. Chewing on ice cubes and swallowing the water can also be effective for fooling your stomach/brain and getting you through the afternoon without snacking.
Be cautious with this strategy because for some people chewing gum can actually increase hunger pains and cravings. Don’t chose peppermint or spearmint flavored chewing gum because it can stimulate digestion and make you feel a little hungrier.
Find ways to alleviate stress at work, whether it’s personality conflicts, long hours, physical discomfort or a lack of money. Change your mindset so that you reward yourself with healthy snacks and more nutritious meals, instead of sugary treats. Try stress-relieving practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, and positive imagery exercises.
Obsession with processed junk foods is much like a drug addiction and involves the same brain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine. Food addiction is not often about a lack of willpower, but rather a chemical dependency that’s developed over months / years. You may need professional counseling to break your food addiction.
In the privacy of a bathroom at work or in the stairwell, do some light calisthenics, such as jumping jacks, for a few minutes. Don’t exercise too hard or else you’ll probably make yourself more hungry for mid-afternoon snacks.
If you count calories, write down your caloric intake for the day or week and keep the number within view at your work station or at home in your kitchen. Another motivating factor is money and snacks can be expensive, so write down how much money you’re saving by not caving into mid-afternoon food cravings. Watch the number grow week by week and plan a holiday with the savings.
