Unlike what many think, getting hungry is no easy task. Cravings and being hungry are two different things, with cravings being very short-lived and specific.
To get hungry, you can however drink some lime juice, do exercises, drink a cup of hot cocoa or simply chug water. These activities will stimulate your appetite the right way, making you feel hungry.
Apart from these, here are a few more proven ways of getting hungry fast. So, let’s start.
Tips to become hungry real fast
Go for a walk
Unlike sitting and doing nothing, going out for a brisk walk can definitely kick in the production of digestive juices into your body. This in turn enables your stomach to speedily digest any remnant food that is giving you the bulky feeling and hence clear out the space for more.
What’s more? By walking you are also pressuring your leg muscles to stay toned and hence have a good sense of balance along with a great figure and stamina.
Go swimming or cycling
Two intense forms of exercises, rounding up a few swim laps or a good 30-minute of cycling is bound to leave you insanely hungry. As performing these requires the involvement of your whole body, you naturally end up with a greater appetite than before. You may also choose to do a few pushups, sit-ups or a few minutes of cardio and witness the hunger slowly rising up.
Additionally, it also helps fasten digestion of the food that’s still in your belly by creating more stomach acid. Therefore, doctors and health experts often advise exercising as a great way of maintaining good health.
By chewing some gum
A rather seamless thing, just sitting somewhere and chewing gum is also proven to help with stimulating one’s appetite. When we chew constantly, the action tricks our brain into producing more digestive juices in bulk quantities. As a result, with more and more juices pouring in, the brain eventually sends signals to the body to fill in the stomach, which we describe as hunger.
Aesthetically speaking, chewing gum also helps improve jawline definition and tightening of the chin area. Given the pressure on the facial and neck muscles, they gradually get toned up, giving a much clear, defined and raw look to your face.
Adopt Home Remedies
Improving one’s digestion is the ultimate solution to making yourself hungry real fast and hence with home remedies there are so many things you can try out without much effort. Starting from a glass of freshly squeezed lime juice, to drinking a cup of ginger tea or eating pineapple or papaya slices, you can do anything that is both tasty and helps increase your appetite.
While many other so-called experts may also advise vomiting as the fastest solution to feeling hungry, what they don’t say is that it can be severely hazardous to one’s health. Gagging up knowingly can put tremendous pressure on your stomach walls as well as your oesophagus, which can swiftly turn into more serious consequences.
Take Zinc supplements
Many-a-times the reason behind a reduced appetite is a zinc deficiency and hence taking zinc supplements is known to help with the case. Such individuals often suppose the symptoms to be a phase and hence may not give proper consideration to what they are feeling, thereby making it even worse. So, if you have been lately feeling awful every time you put on something in your mouth, it’s time to switch to Zinc supplements.
Vitamin B supplements also work well in improving appetite, enhancing mood and conserving energy. For best results, you can mix the two or take them individually as referred by your doctor.
Eat banana before meals
This sweet healthy fruit is full of carbohydrates and is not only a superb way of getting essential carbohydrates but is also known for its high hunger stimulating properties. Therefore, every time you munch up a banana, you are instigating your brain to produce digestion hormones and hence make you ready for the upcoming meal.
This is also the reason why doctors and nutrition experts often advise adding in a banana every now and then when trying to gain weight. Contrary to other unsafe methods of gaining a few pounds, why not try an all natural and delicious way of bulking up.
Eat small meals at a time
Rather than having bulky meals at certain parts of the day, you can also switch to a more wise and spreaded over feeding regime. This schedule will definitely go easy on your stomach and even make sure you feel aptly hungry while looking forward to the next meal.
However, the secret that lies in such a feeding regime is to add more fruits and veggies, and lessen caffeinated or junk food items. Munching up all that oily, spicy, salty snacks and carbonated drinks simply adds more and more gas to your stomach in place of real food.
Drink some yummy soup
And finally, what’s better than a bowl of hot, steamy, yummy chicken or veg soup. Known as appetisers, they work similar to home remedies, the only difference is the appetising after-taste which stays for longer as compared to other ones.
Additionally, regular drinking of soups is also proven to be highly beneficial for one’s body as they generally have a lot of nutrients and aid faster healing, and eradicate any muscle pain that you might be going through.
Use different size plates
If you trick your brain into eating less, you will get hungry faster. This is really helpful when you tend to overeat. Studies show that simply changing your plate size can make you eat less or more.
For instance, increasing your plate size lets you put more food in the plate. As a result, you eat more. If you aim to take more calories, you should serve food on a big plate. This will make the food appear in smaller quantities. As a result, you will end up eating more than you used to.
If you aim to control your calorie intake, go for smaller plates. If your plate appears full, it tricks your brain into thinking you are eating more. However, the truth will be that you are eating less than before.
Breakfast is mandatory
Eating breakfast is an overall way to manage your food intake. It doesn’t make you overeat or consume fewer calories.
People are generally hungrier in the morning hours. This is because their stomach is empty, and their body craves energy. If you are moderately active, eating more during the morning is less likely to make you fat. This is because you have the whole day to burn the calories you consume.
Besides, eating a healthy breakfast such as eggs, toast, whole grain pancakes, or oats will keep you satiate for a long time. The food you eat for breakfast is used to fuel up your entire day. You will get hungry again as soon as your body digests the food.
However, skipping breakfast is really a bad idea. It will wreak havoc on your system. Starting your day on an empty stomach can produce a lot of gas in your stomach. An empty stomach build-up gastric acid. This leads to acidity, bloating, and stomach ache. In some instances, you may develop ulcers.
On top of that, a lack of food can lower your blood pressure drastically. This can also cause an electrolyte imbalance, making you prone to arrhythmia, irregular rhythm, or rate of heartbeat.
Cut-back on fiber
If your goal in getting hungry is to consume more calories, then cutting back on fiber will help. Foods high in fiber, such as lentils, beans, chickpeas, chia seeds, and whole grains, come with a high quantity of dietary fiber.
Experts say fiber makes you feel full and decrease calorie intake. This is why fiber-based foods are considered a superfood for losing weight. Eating a high quantity of fiber can kill your hunger.
The daily dietary fiber recommendation is 30-38 grams for men and 21-25 grams for women. One hundred grams of chickpeas has 17gm of dietary fiber. Similarly, one cup or can of black beans contains 15gm fiber. Check your foods’ fiber content before eating and ensure it doesn’t exceed the daily requirement. However, you may reduce your fiber intake further if you struggle to eat due to your lack of appetite.
Drink instead of eating
Eating is not the only way to consume calories. Drinking makes you full faster as well as makes you hungry sooner. This is a great way to consume calories throughout the day. If you struggle to eat, replace your solid food with a liquid diet.
Don’t worry; you don’t have to cut back on nutrition. Simply replace eggs with milk to get your protein. You can also use yogurt instead of milk for a different taste. During summer, you can start your day with buttermilk. This will keep your stomach calm and free from acidity.
You can make nutritious smoothies and milkshakes to your taste. Pack some juice to sip occasionally throughout the day. Orange juice works great to keep you energetic. The citric punch really kicks you out of a daytime slumber.
Eat your favorite foods
Everyone has a favorite dish, and even thinking about it makes them hungry. Studies say that people tend to get hungry when they sit in front of food they like. This is a great way to increase your appetite. Well, you don’t necessarily have to eat it, especially if you are on a diet.
Instead, you can keep a picture of your food. This will likely increase trigger your hunger pangs. Then you can eat something healthy to satiate your cravings.
If you go for your favorite dish, prepare them in advance. This is because hunger can be momentary for people. Especially, when you are triggering it from your memory. If you have a readily available meal, you are likely to eat them. This is an excellent idea for people who eat less to eat more.
Use herbs and spices in your food
Some foods, especially food with protein and saturated fats. They tend to make your stomach heavy, reducing your appetite for hours. Protein-rich foods like chicken and turkey don’t make you bloat. However, fatty foods and foods with too much salt can make you bloat and create flatulence.
This is where herbs and spices can help. Not only do they add taste to foods, but they also serve several health benefits. For example, spices like cumin, coriander, carom, and fennel seeds are known to improve digestion. They are also used in traditional medicines to improve appetite.
Other gut-friendly and hunger-promoting herbs and spices include peppermint, cinnamon, mint, ginger, and peppermint.
Gentian, centaury, and blessed thistle are some herbs known to stimulate the production of digestive enzymes. If you have a problem breaking down proteins or carbs, these herbs can help.
These spices and herbs increase bile production to break down fatty acids from food. This accelerates the digestive system, making you digest food faster. As a result, it increases your hunger.
Are there any side effects to making myself hungry?
Until and unless you are suffering from a severe psychological condition that causes you to develop unhealthy eating habits, following the above-mentioned ways is no big deal.
By stimulating your appetite you are just making sure that your body is getting enough nutrition and hence has optimal energy for daily chores. Eating consistently is also a good way for gaining muscles, although this needs to be done carefully.
Similarly, you might want to stay away from weight-loss pills or other medications that are marketed with the claims of making you feel hungry in seconds or minutes. They are a complete fraud and by choosing them you will only be risking your health rather than doing any good.
Because,
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”
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