Hunger is your body telling you it needs sustenance so it can operate optimally. But there are some days where our hunger can seem a little…excessive. We’re talking about those days where your stomach’s rumbling 20 minutes after lunch or two protein-packed snacks don’t seem to cut it. You know you think you’re eating enough, so why are you visiting the office vending machine – again?
First and foremost, it’s essential to listen to your body’s natural cues and eat when you’re hungry. But if making multiple trips to the fridge in an hour is getting in the way of your health goals, a few tweaks to your daily habits can help you maintain a regular – but still super satisfying – diet.
Here are a few reasons why you’re hungry all the time, even when you just ate something.
- You’re not eating often enough. The total amount of calories you consume in a day might be right for your nutritional needs, but if those meals are spaced several hours apart with no snacks in between, you’ll likely find yourself munching on fistfuls of cereal late at night. “Eating enough” doesn’t just mean counting calories – it also means you’re eating frequently enough to sustain yourself throughout the day, so you’re not compensating for skipped snacks late at night.
- You’re secretly thirsty. Our thirst and hunger cues come from the same part of the brain, the hypothalamus, making it difficult for our bodies to know the difference between them. If you find yourself thinking about food within minutes after a meal, drink a full glass of water and see how you feel.
- You’re not getting the right balance of nutrients. Satisfying snacks have three components: protein, fiber, and healthy fats. All three slow digestion and keep your blood sugar levels stable. Refined carbs do the opposite: they are absorbed quickly and send your blood sugar levels skyrocketing without delivering the long-term energy you crave. Try building more complete snack plates with cheeses, fruits, vegetables, nuts, lean meats, popcorn, whole-grain crackers, and more!
- You’re not getting enough sleep. Sleep plays a role in most aspects of your health, including hunger. Sleeping enough helps regulate ghrelin, the appetite-stimulating hormone. You’ll have higher ghrelin levels when you’re sleep-deprived, which is why quite often, tired people feel the temptation to eat more.
- You’re super active. Research shows that those who exercise vigorously regularly tend to have faster metabolisms, which means that they burn more calories at rest than those who exercise moderately or live sedentary lifestyles. If the best part of your day is taking a run, hitting the gym, or chasing after your kids, then you need to fuel your body with more food.
Whether you’re an athlete who’s looking to cool off with a smoothie or a cold-pressed juice or you’re in the market for more nutritious snacks, you can find a vast selection of healthy (and filling) meals, drinks, and snacks – like our “Stop the Hunger” smoothie- here at The Juice Hive. Stop by Mon-Sat (8 am-4 pm) or Sun (9 am-2 pm), or click here to view our full menu.
