Excessive Hunger: What It Can Be and How to Control it

Constant hunger can be caused by a high-carb diet, increased stress and anxiety, or health problems like diabetes. However, it is important to note that increased hunger is normal, especially during adolescence, when the young person is in a phase of rapid growth and there are major hormonal changes in the body.

In addition, eating too fast also does not allow hormones to communicate at the right time between the stomach and the brain, which increases the feeling of hunger. Here are 5 problems that can cause hunger:

1. Dehydration

The lack of water in the body is often confused with the feeling of hunger. Remembering to drink plenty of water can solve the problem of hunger, in addition to being aware of small signs of dehydration can also help identify the problem.

In general, having dry skin, chapped lips, brittle hair and very yellow urine are easy to identify signs that reflect a lack of water in the body. Know how much water you need each day.

2. Too much flour and sugar

Eating a lot of white flour, sugar and foods rich in refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, crackers, snacks and sweets, causes hunger shortly afterwards because these foods are quickly processed, not giving the body satiety.

These foods cause blood sugar, which is blood sugar, to spike, causing the body to release too much insulin to bring that sugar down quickly. However, when lowering blood glucose, hunger reappears.

Watch the following video and learn what to do to reduce the desire to eat sweets:

3. Excessive stress and sleepless nights

Being constantly stressed, anxious, or sleeping poorly causes hormonal changes that lead to increased hunger. The hormone leptin, which gives satiety, is reduced while the hormone ghrelin increases, which is responsible for the feeling of hunger.

In addition, there is an increase in cortisol, the stress hormone, which stimulates the production of fat. Here’s what to do to combat stress and anxiety.

4. Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar is always high because cells cannot take it up for energy. As the cells cannot use sugar, there is a constant feeling of hunger, especially if the person feeds mainly on carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates, such as breads, pasta, cakes, sugar, fruits and sweets, are the nutrients responsible for increasing blood sugar, and diabetics cannot use them properly without the use of medication and insulin. Know the symptoms of diabetes.

5. Hyperthyroidism

In hyperthyroidism there is an increase in general metabolism, which causes problems such as constant hunger, increased heart rate and weight loss, mainly due to the loss of muscle mass.

Constant hunger appears as a way to stimulate the consumption of food to generate enough energy to keep the metabolism high. Treatment can be done with the use of medication, radiotherapy or surgery. See more about hyperthyroidism.

How to control excess hunger

Some strategies that can be used to fight hunger that does not go away are:

• Avoid foods high in sugars such as cakes, cookies, candies or ice cream, for example, as they rapidly increase blood sugar, which then also decreases rapidly, causing an increase in hunger;
• Increase fiber-rich foods such as wheat and oat bran, vegetables, fruits with skin and bagasse, and seeds such as chia, linseed and sesame, as the fibers increase the feeling of satiety. See the complete list of Foods Rich in Fiber;
• Eat protein-rich foods with every meal, like eggs, meats, fish, chicken and cheeses, for example, because proteins are nutrients that give you a lot of satiety;
• Consume good fats such as extra virgin olive oil, chestnuts, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, sesame and fatty fish such as sardines, tuna and salmon;
• Practice physical activity dailybecause it helps to release endorphins in the brain, hormones that give a feeling of well-being, relax, improve mood and decrease anxiety and the desire to eat.

However, if the symptoms of constant hunger persist, it is important to consult an endocrinologist to evaluate possible hormonal changes or the presence of any disease.

Watch in the following video everything you can do to not get hungry: