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When it comes to controlling our
weight
and losing those extra kilos that have accumulated after several weeks of excess, it is essential
to control
hunger
,
because quite often, the majority in a country like ours, we eat without it.
This is the case, for example, of
emotional hunger,
which is responsible for much of the overweight we suffer and which can be kept at bay with Dr. Marisa Navarro's three-minute technique.
Also, sometimes, hunger that comes associated with an increase in a very little-known hormone, ghrelin, responsible for much of the binge eating and excesses that lead us to gain weight.
It is also the hormone that hinders our attempts to maintain a light or low-calorie diet.
"Hunger does not depend on willpower, but on ghrelin," emphasizes Dr.
Luis López Tajall,
master in anti-aging medicine and specialist in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery who has developed his work in renowned hospitals in Seville, New York. , Rio de Janeiro and Miami.
He is also the author of the book 'Damn
Hormones
'.
Ghrelin, explains the doctor, "is produced in the stomach and alerts the central nervous system, causing the sensation of
hunger
."
According to the expert, "its multiple biological effects include an anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular
action
," and also, and the most important, "an increase in appetite and food intake, as well as
fatty
deposits and body weight."
The hunger hormone
"
Ghrelin
is known as the hunger hormone," adds nutritionist and dietician Alejandra Pou Escarrer.
"Its function focuses on stimulating certain neurons, causing an increase in appetite and thus ensuring our nutrition."
For this reason, the expert explains, "this hormone increases during fasting and induces eating."
Thus, the latest
research
affirms that ghrelin levels in the blood are inversely proportional to the Muscle Mass Index (BMI) and fluctuate with long-term weight variations: they decrease when it increases and vice versa.
Weight loss due to caloric
restriction
, sustained intense exercise, or anorexia, for example, correspond with increased levels of ghrelin.
Also stress, as highlighted by a study from the University of Valladolid, which links this hormone to
anxiety
states .
More fatty tissue
But ghrelin is not only responsible for the hunger that makes us
eat
at all hours, although we try to avoid it by force of will when we follow a
weight control
plan .
It also works against us due to its direct role on adipose tissue, since it reduces energy combustion, reduces the use of fats and influences the metabolism of
adipocytes
.
That is, it not only encourages us to consume more than necessary, but also to store it in the form of fat;
pure spirit of survival of the species that today makes it very difficult, for example, to maintain a diet.
"In vitro studies show that in addition to producing hunger, ghrelin increases fatty tissue," says Dr. Tallaj.
Ghrelin
production
occurs in the form of spikes, explains Dr.
Tallaj
, which occur around lunch, dinner, or breakfast.
There is also a slight rise towards midnight.
Two hours later, the levels drop radically, even though no
food
has been eaten , which means that if you do not eat at that time, ghrelin disappears and you stop feeling
hungry
.
Its lowest levels are recorded at 09:00 a.m., after the longest period without eating due to night rest.
A circumstance that "facilitates the practice of intermittent fasting as a way to
control
weight naturally."
Control the desire to eat
This being the case, it is easier to follow a diet and control our weight if we also have under control the levels of
ghrelin
and the hormone with which it works in tandem, leptin, responsible for suppressing appetite to regulate energy balance.
And in this sense, "it has been shown that
proteins
and healthy fats can reduce ghrelin levels in the body," say the
Comprehensive Nutrition Center
of the Balearic Islands, which recommends not skipping meals: "Ghrelin is produced when the stomach is empty."
What are the foods that help us control our
appetite
?
To start, proteins.
"Dieting should not affect the amount of protein that should be consumed, an estimate of between 0.8 - 2 gr/kilo of weight," explains the
René Quinton Foundation.
"It seems that protein drinks are the ones that keep ghrelin levels low for the longest time after ingestion," they point out.
Among others, eggs
, lean meats and legumes, sources of vegetable proteins,
are included in the list of allies .
SHUTTERSTOCK
Foods that help
Along with
proteins
- "They must be included in all meals," add the nutritionists of Dieta Coherente -, the ideal diet to maintain ghrelin levels at their optimal concentration is, according to these experts, "rich in
unsaturated fat
, moderate in carbohydrates of carbon with a favorable glycemic index and low in fructose".
In addition, among the allies for losing weight they point out "
spinach
, beef, lamb, seafood, cocoa, broad beans, beans, mushrooms and pumpkin. They contain
zinc
, which reduces appetite by acting on ghrelin. ".
When it comes to controlling ghrelin levels, it also helps to add " resistant
starch
to the diet , present in foods such as plantains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, long grain rice or oats," explains the nutritionist and dietitian
Macarena Bustamante,
who recommends taking them at breakfast to increase the feeling of satiety at the next meal.
"Another trick is to let the
pasta
cool before eating it; leftover pasta is less fattening than freshly cooked pasta," add the Coherent Diet experts.
Healthy fats also help control ghrelin.
Among others, foods like
avocado
, despite its reputation for being high in calories.
Rich in oleic acid, it has the power to 'fill' quickly.
The best thing, experts recommend, is to take it during breakfast and with a quality protein, to increase the feeling of satiety.
And one last piece of advice, what to
avoid
: "Both sweeteners such as sucrose and fructose inhibit leptin receptors and increase ghrelin receptors," concludes Macarena Bustamante.
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