Foods That Suppress Appetite

There has been a lot of controversy in the news over natural appetite suppressants. Hoodia has been in the news. It has been painted with an evil brush, but what most people do not understand is that it has been eaten as a part of people’s diet for centuries. It is part of a naturally growing cactus that just happens to have the ability to suppress the appetite.

This made me wonder whether other foods have any appetite suppressant qualities. The first thing I learned was that most people are not hungry when they ‘feel’ hungry – they are thirsty.

Today’s diet has cross wired our brains messages. Most people feel the same whether they are hungry or thirsty. Next time you want to reach for a snack, pick up a bottle of water first.

If water doesn’t do the trick, then drink vegetable broth. The broth is better than juice. The juice may have starches added to make the drink thicker, smoother, or improve the color. Broth is primarily water and does are not ad calories.

Green foods will suppress the appetite. Any green or leafy vegetable will work. The simplest ‘food’ is apples. It works for people who are feeding their emotions, and it also curbs the appetite. Eat about 30 minutes before dinner and you’ll eat less food.

Another appetite suppressant food is a pickle. Trader Joe’s pickles have the benefit of having no added food coloring. But, read the ingredients. Some pickles are more ‘candied vegies’ than pickles. They have no dietary benefits.

If you must pop pills, then take fiber pills. Drink plenty of water with them. Without water they can cause digestive problems. Not only will they prime the digestive system so weight loss is easier, but the right ones will make the stomach feel full.

How I Learned to Like Myself

The day I over-heard my mother and aunt talking about my grandmother’s failing health became the most dramatic turning point in my life. According to my grandmother’s doctor, her failing physical health was partly due to un-forgiveness. It shocked me that a trained doctor would make such a radical statement. I first believed that my mother heard wrong, but over the years, I have seen many people overcome emotional and physical problems by learning to forgive. Doctors do not deny that some problems are stress related or caused by the bitterness and resentment we feel against people who hurt us.

Beth (not her real name) was always ill. She had heart problems at a young age, and spent several weeks at home in bed. This made it impossible for her to establish a career or even meet the bills. She did not imagine these illnesses. They included serious sinus and ear infections, which required antibiotics, headaches, and an ever-increasing list of allergies. After suffering for ten years, she was introduced to emotional healing. She learned to control her anger, stop procrastinating, confront problems, and forgive. Beth took charge of her life, and two years later a dynamic, energetic, happy Beth replaced the pale, struggling, old Beth.

The difference? Beth learned to make good choices.

When we think of making good choices, we think of money management, a career choice, entering or leaving a relationship, or changing the course of our lives. While these are dramatic turning points, these choices do not have the greatest effect on our lives.

Our most important choices are:
To love
To respect
To be kind
To forgive
To forget
To take control of today’s problems, and handle them today

These choices make the difference between happiness and some types of depression, peace and bitterness, anger and patience, high/low self-esteem, or contentment and turmoil.

Love

Love without action is dead. Many people complain that there is no fire left in their relationships, but when they list the things they do to build that fire, the list is pathetically short. We need to love the people in our lives. We do not love others with acts of kindness, compassion, affection, and friendship for their benefit, we do it because humans need to feel love.

There is a secret to feeling loved. It grows from the inside. You can pour years of love into a person with low self-esteem, and it will just drain out like water through a sieve. This is because love grows inside of us and reaches out, only then will we ‘feel’ the love others give us.

Respect and Kindness

These go hand in hand. People who do not respect others have a low self-esteem and emotional intelligence level. This is not because they are bad people, but they do not rejuvenate their inner person.

When I was little my mom asked, “Is your loving cup full?” She was referring to my self-esteem. How I felt about myself. When I grew up, I learned that life drains this ‘measuring cup’ on a daily basis. We refill it by doing something positive. One example is making cookies when you are depressed. Another example is being nice to people, especially when they do not deserve it.

By changing the things we do toward ourselves and others, we change the way we see ourselves and the way others see us.

I Write For SocialSpark

I’ve had a few questions about paid posts on my blogs. The paid post advertising is often confused with a paid review, or an endorsement for a product. Instead, they should be viewed in the same light as an advertisement in a newspaper. You would never throw away a newspaper because there was an ad beside the article.

However, there are paid post companies that expect their bloggers to write posts on any client, without any regard to the blogger or their readers. I do not sign with these agencies. I write only for companies that let me pick and chose the posts I want to write about. The newest, and already the best is Social Spark.

You will always know if I post for SocialSpark. There will be a bar at the bottom of the post. This lets me write a post for a client that I believe in, but lets you know that the advertiser sponsored the post. It also lets you know that I’ve handpicked the sponsors for this blog.

SocialSpark was built by IZEA to meet the needs of bloggers and their readers. You need good content, and I work hard to find information that will improve your life. Sponsors do not intrude on our blog, instead, they support the blogs so that the good ones do not go ‘off line’ because the blogger needs to spend more time at their job.

Enjoy the blog. I write it for you. Enjoy the sponsored posts – those companies believe in this blog and offered to sponsor it so it would stay online.

Foods That Help Dieting

I Am Hungry!

How do you diet when you feel hungry all the time? This can be one of the most difficult aspects of losing weight. I’ve resorted to some ‘no-no’ habits. I’ll pop some fiber pills if I am hungry. That works if I can force down a couple bottles of water afterward.

I’ve taken to having small fruit around. Sometimes I cannot down a full apple. But I’ll eat a few strawberries. I doubt I am really hungry, I just want to snack. My main problem is that I am a grazer. I like to eat a little at a time, all day. My problem is that I like crunchy foods. There is no natural substitute for crunchy and starchy foods.

Negative Calorie Foods
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Fennel
Leek
Lettuce
Peppers
Tomato

Negative Calorie Fruit
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Mandarin orange
Melon Cantaloupe
Peaches
Plums
Raspberry
Rhubarb
Strawberry
Grapefruit
Honeydew Melon
Tangerine

Understanding Your Need for Sleep

A Canadian study, published today in the medical journal Sleep, tested 276 adults between 21 and 64 years of age. They tested short and long duration sleepers. They found that 35 per cent and 25 per cent are more likely to gain 5kg (11lb) compared with average duration sleepers who maintained 7 hours sleep.

Short sleepers gained 1.98kg (4.3lb) while long sleepers gained 1.58kg (3.4lb).

The risk of developing obesity increases more than 27 percent for over sleepers.

Previous research suggested that sleep loss could disturb the production of hormones that control the desire for calorie rich foods. The level of ghrelin, the hormone released by the stomach to signal hunger, was 15 per cent higher in people who sleep five hours compared to those getting eight hours.

Lack of sleep leads to tiredness during the day, which reduces the level of physical activity.

The alarming statistics are for those who lack sleep. People who sleep five or fewer face a 70 per cent risk of dying from all causes - and twice the risk of death from a cardiovascular disease.

Professor Jim Horne, director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, said those whose sleeping habits exceed seven hours, or who regularly get less, should not despair. They are not at risk.

"There is a great deal of evidence now that sleeping less than five hours a night is linked with putting on weight," he said, "but it's a very slow weight gain over a number of years."

So, enjoy a full night’s sleep.