A very common, but nevertheless unexpected effects of ‘doing’ the Atkins diet is appetite suppression. Many advocates of the regimen report that the inter meal hunger pangs they used to experience just fade away and very quickly too. This factor makes it a lot easier to stay on the diet and continue losing weight. While other diets leave their followers starving between meals, the Atkins dieters get relief from constant hunger. The Atkins diet, with its specific recommendation of foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing effects.
The main component is the amount of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, much more so than carbohydrates, has the power to assuage hunger pangs. If you have ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry again shortly afterwards, you know that carbohydrates don’t have much lasting effect as a hunger satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when it is combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling satisfied for much longer periods of time.
One of the most powerful appetite suppressant foods in the Atkins diet is the egg. Eggs are a great sort of quick and easy protein. A recent study showed that eating eggs for breakfast would actually stave off hunger pangs throughout the rest of the day. The research concerned two groups of women. One group ate eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of buns and cream cheese.
The calorie count for both types of breakfasts was precisely the same. The participants noted down what they ate for the remainder of the day and answered questions about their hunger 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 bagels group.
Eggs contain about 6 grams of protein each, which helps to regulate blood sugar and produces a feeling of satisfaction. Both of these factors help to control cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been proven 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 additional benefit to the appetite suppressant qualities.
Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most suitable 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 call for food because it believes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods. This happens regardless of what is actually in your stomach. You can get 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 wave of carbohydrate highs. After you have eaten, you feel great 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 gain weight.
The protein, fat and vegetable recipes provided by the Atkins diet put your blood sugar back in balance. They provide just enough of each sort of food, with the correct amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its staying power. This combination suppresses your appetite effectively throughout the day.
The Atkins diet is actually a craving control diet that helps suppress your appetite. If you’ve had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating will help regulate those desires. The more you eat on the plan, the better your cravings will be controlled and the easier it will be to follow the diet. Really, the longer you follow the plan, the more it works and the easier following the diet gets.
If you would like to read a personal experience of the Atkins diet, just visit Appetite Suppression of if you would like to read tons more about the The Atkins Diet click the blue link.