Trying to Curb Your Appetite? 5 Ways to Stop Hunger Pains

Before you start snacking, try one of these easy tips!

“Food isn’t the only thing our body craves,” said the experts at the Cleveland Clinic. “Not drinking enough water can also cause your body to send a message, ‘Water, please!’ through hunger pangs! Dehydration can cause hunger pangs because your body may mistake thirst for hunger.” So, drink plenty of water throughout the day to help stay satisfied.

Per the folks at Herbalife: "When you eat small meals every few hours, it helps keep your blood sugar levels more stable throughout the day. This is important since dips in your blood sugar can cause your hunger to spike.” It’s also good advice to chew slowly, as that will make you feel more full eating less food.

When it’s combined with water, soluble fiber can slow down digestion and help make you feel fuller for longer. “[And] because of its fiber content, flaxseed helps you feel full,” said clinical dietitian Cheryl Mussatto, author of The Nourished Brain. Other sources of soluble fiber include apples, black beans, oats and sweet potatoes.

Hot sauce, or foods with the chili pepper extract capsaicin, can cure your pangs. As dietitian Grace Derocha, national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, explained: “Capsaicin acts on the part of the brain that controls hunger and fullness cues to make one eat less and feel satisfied sooner.”

“Being sleepy may cause you to have an increase in appetite and a craving to increase your calorie intake,” the experts at Georgia’s Piedmont Healthcare explained. “Sleep loss interferes with leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone, and ghrelin, a peptide secreted by the stomach to stimulate appetite.” In other words, go take a nap!