A very common, and astonishing effects of ‘doing’ the Atkins diet is the suppression of appetite. A lot of the followers of the plan report that the between meal hunger pangs they used to have just vanish and very quickly too. This fact makes it easier to remain on the diet and continue losing weight. While other diets have their followers hungry between meals, the Atkins dieters receive relief from constant hunger. The Atkins diet, with its specific recommendation of foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing qualities.
The first key component is the amount of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, more so than carbohydrates, has the capability to satiate hunger. If you’ve ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry afterwards, you know that carbohydrates don’t have much staying power as a satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling satisfied for long periods of time.
One of the most powerful appetite suppressing foods on the Atkins diet is the egg. Eggs are a marvellous sort of quick and easy protein. A recent report revealed that eating eggs for breakfast would actually stave off hunger pangs throughout the rest of the day. The study concerned two groups of women. One group ate eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese.
The calorie count for both breakfasts was exactly the same. The subjects kept track of what they ate for the rest of the day and answered questions about their hunger levels and satisfaction levels throughout the day. The results of the study showed that the women who ate the eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied throughout the entire day and they ate less at each meal than those women who were in the buns group.
Eggs contain about 6 grams of protein each, which helps to even out blood sugar and produces a feeling of satisfaction. Both of these factors help to curb cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been shown to have incredible effects on eye health. So it’s important to eat the whole egg, and not just the white. Eggs contain choline which is important for maintaining brain function and memory. These nutrients are just an added benefit to the appetite suppressant qualities.
Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most recommended vegetables on the Atkins program, also have appetite-suppressing effects. These vegetables are very bulky and they help make your stomach feel full. When your stomach is full, it will actually create a chemical response in your brain. Your body will reduce its appetite because it believes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods. This will happen regardless of what is in your stomach. You can achieve the same results with water and psyllium husk fiber. Both broccoli and cauliflower provide bulk in your diet and are essential vegetables on the Atkins diet.
The Atkins diet recommends eating small, protein balanced meals a few times a day. This will help maintain your blood sugar level in a stabilized state and avoid carbohydrate-induced cravings. With high carbohydrate diets, you are riding a roller-coaster of carbohydrate highs. After you have eaten, you feel fantastic and full. Then after a few hours, you come crashing down and are hungrier than you were previous to eating the carbohydrates. This cycle continues ad infinitum and, over time, you will eat more and more and eventually put on weight.
The protein, fat and vegetable recipes provided by the Atkins plan put your blood sugar back in balance. They provide just enough of each sort of food, with a proper amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its sustainability. This combination suppresses your appetite effectively throughout the day.
The Atkins diet is actually a craving control plan that suppresses your appetite. If you’ve had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating will help regulate those cravings. The more you eat on the plan, the better your cravings will be controlled and the easier it will be to follow the diet – the more you practice the diet the easier it gets.
If you want to read our personal experience of the Atkins diet, just go along to Appetite Suppression of if you want to read loads more about the The Atkins Diet click the blue link.