5 Ways to Calm Hunger Pangs

Do you start getting hunger pangs at 11:50 a.m. in anticipation of lunch? We’ve all been there. The cause is the hormone ghrelin; released when the stomach is empty, it sets off a chain reaction in the body to make you hungry. In general, you want to keep levels of ghrelin low during the day so you can keep hunger in check. Apart from an empty stomach, there are several factors that can raise ghrelin levels, including drinking alcohol, eating too few calories, and eating greasy, fatty foods. Here are some strategies that will help you manage these triggers and keep your ghrelin levels from rising:

Have a substantial breakfast. One study showed that people who ate a higher-calorie breakfast produced 33 percent less ghrelin throughout the day and felt satisfied for a longer period of time. Try a whole-wheat English muffin with organic peanut butter, a cup of strawberries, and some yogurt.

Choose complex carbs and get more fiber. Insulin and ghrelin go hand in hand. When insulin goes up after you eat, ghrelin goes down. If you eat the wrong kind of carbohydrates — refined carbs such as white bread and pasta — your blood sugar rises dramatically. In response, your body releases a surge of insulin to clear that sugar from the bloodstream. The insulin does its job very efficiently, and the resulting low blood sugar causes hunger sooner. These constant blood sugar ups and downs can wreak havoc on your metabolism, so it’s best to eat complex carbs and fiber, which delay the release of sugar into the bloodstream so that insulin levels are kept stable and you feel full longer.

Eat on a schedule. Research has found that ghrelin levels rise and fall at your usual mealtimes, so eating on a schedule prevents spikes in ghrelin. If you’re running errands and are away from the kitchen at one of your typical mealtimes, carry a small bag of almonds or other nuts with you — you can eat a little something to keep your stomach satisfied until you can get home and have a real meal.

Emphasize high-volume, low-calorie foods. Levels of ghrelin remain high until food stretches the walls of your stomach, making you feel full. High-volume, low-calorie foods, such as salads and soups, reduce ghrelin levels long before you’ve overeaten. All green veggies and any foods with a high water content count as high-volume, low-calorie foods.

Eat protein. Protein-rich foods can also suppress ghrelin levels — they help create a long-lasting feeling of fullness. Try adding whey protein to a low-calorie smoothie. (If you’re sensitive to gluten, just be sure to check the ingredients list; some whey protein products contain gluten.) One study found that whey brought about a prolonged suppression of ghrelin.

 Here is a recipe with the high protein grain quinoa and lots of filling fiber and veggies. You can even eat it for breakfast…

 Quinoa Vegetable Soup

Serving Size  : 10    
   3/4  cup           quinoa
   1      Tbs           canola oil
   2                    onions, finely diced
   3                    carrots, peeled and finely diced
   3                    stalks celery, finely diced
   2                    zucchini, finely diced
  1/2  cup           yellow corn kernels
   1                    red bell pepper, finely diced
   1      Tbs           minced garlic
   2      tsp           sea salt
  12      cups          low-sodium vegetable stock
   1                    28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes
   1      Tbs           ground cumin
   2      tsp           ground coriander
  1/3  cup           finely chopped fresh cilantro
                        Freshly ground black pepper

1. Rinse quinoa well, and drain. Heat large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add quinoa, and stir constantly for 10 minutes, or until the moisture
evaporates and the quinoa crackles and becomes golden. Transfer quinoa to a bowl, and set aside.

2. Heat oil in large, heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 12 minutes. Add zucchini, corn, red pepper,
garlic, and salt. Sauté 3 minutes longer, or until vegetables begin to release their juices.

3. Add stock, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the toasted quinoa, and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for 10
minutes or until quinoa is almost tender.

4. Squeeze the tomatoes into the soup, and add the juices from the can; then stir in the cumin and coriander. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally,
for 10 minutes or until quinoa is tender.

5. Stir in the cilantro, and season to taste with pepper and more salt, if desired

Recipe From Real Food Daily, Los Angeles

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 If I am not having a protein shake as I dash out the door,  I love having soup or leftovers for breakfast.  What is your favorite breakfast food?

 

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Why Canned Soups Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

Why Canned Soups Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

The food processing world is reeling right now one day after a shocking new series of tests released by Consumer Reports revealed that many leading brands of canned foods contain (BPA)—a toxic chemical linked to health risks including reproductive abnormalities, neurological effects, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems.

BPA is used in the lining of cans and the toxin leaches from the lining into the food. According to Consumer Reports just a couple of servings of canned food can exceed scientific limits on daily exposure for children.

The federal government is currently studying the dangers of BPA and advocates are calling on the FDA to ban the use of BPA in food and beverage packaging by the end of the year. Companies in other industries, including Wal-Mart, Target, Nalgene, and Babies R Us have already made commitments to stop using BPA.

Consumer Reports’ tested 19 name-brand canned foods, including:

• Soups
• Juice
• Tuna
• Green beans

The results were discouraging. Nearly all of the tested canned foods were contaminated with the endocrine disrupting chemical (BPA), and this included organic canned foods as well. BPA was even found in some cans labeled “BPA-free”!

According to their estimates, just a couple of servings of canned food can exceed the safety limits for daily BPA exposure for children.

The Worst Offenders

In general, canned green beans and canned soups had some of the highest BPA levels of the foods tested. The worst offenders during their tests included:

• Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans had BPA levels ranging from 35.9 ppb to as much as 191 ppb
• Progresso Vegetable Soup had BPA levels ranging from 67 to 134 ppb
• Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup had BPA levels ranging from 54.5 to 102 ppb

BPA and Your Immune System

That low-level exposure to BPA can be hazardous to your health has been established (but hotly debated and denied by industry) for over 10 years. According to Washington State University reproductive scientist Patricia Hunt,

“Exposure to low levels of BPA — levels that we think are in the realm of current human exposure — can profoundly affect both developing eggs and sperm.”

But fetuses and infants are not the only ones at risk. Researchers are also finding that BPA exposure can affect adults.

There are more than 100 independent studies linking the chemical to serious disorders in humans, including:

• Prostate cancer
• Breast cancer
• Diabetes
• Early puberty
• Obesity, and
• Learning and behavioral problems

Industry is Putting Up a Fight

Consumer safety advocates are currently calling on the FDA to Ban the use of BPA in all food and beverage packaging. Industry, of course, is fighting back. They dismissed Consumer Reports’ findings above, stating that: “The use of bisphenol A (BPA) in can linings is both safe and vital for food protection.”

Personally, I believe BPA is neither safe nor vital for food protection.

Remember, you’re not just consuming traces of BPA from a can here, and a can there. You’re also exposed to BPA from a host of other sources. Not to mention other chemicals that act in a similar fashion as BPA. When added together, it can amount to a significant amount of damage, especially in children.

What Can You Do NOW?

It’s important to realize that you have a CHOICE, and by exercising it, you can influence industry to do the right thing.

For example, you can avoid canned foods entirely and stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, or switch over to brands that use glass containers. Choosing fresh foods is clearly your best option — ideally organic (to avoid exposure to pesticides), and grown locally (to reduce environmental impact and help your local economy).

In addition, Change.org has started a petition asking Campbell’s to live up to its new “nourishing people’s lives everywhere, every day” slogan, and be a leader of the industry move away from the use of BPA laden packaging.

Posted by: Dr. Mercola

Here is a quick and easy recipe to make your own fall soup….

 Autumn Veggie Soup

 Sweet potatoes, spinach, and edamame (fresh soybeans) make a tasty combination in this soup

Serving Size  : 4

   1      Tbs                 extra-virgin olive oil

   1                               small onion, chopped

   1                               garlic clove, minced

   4      cups                vegetable broth

   1                              small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes

   1      cup                 frozen shelled edamame beans or garbanzo beans

   2      oz                     baby spinach (2 cups)

                       Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and

garlic, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring frequently, until

softened, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.

2. Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Add sweet potato and

edamame, reduce to a simmer, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5

minutes. Stir in spinach and heat until wilted.

3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

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