Health and Lifestyles

6 Surprising Foods That Make You Feel Hungrier Throughout the Day

April 1, 2022

467

Whether snacking or having a meal, most people assume the food they eat is satisfying their hunger. Did you know certain foods make you feel hungrier after eating them? Here are the most common “unsatisfying” foods.

1. Salty Snacks

Have you ever grabbed a full bag of chips from the pantry, and found an empty bag 15-minutes later? Notice… your hunger isn’t gone. That is because of salt.

Salty snacks (like chips and pretzels) have excessive amounts of sodium. High sodium content can dehydrate you and cause you to eat more of the snack, without making you feel full. They often don’t have any fiber or protein either. Typically, fiber or protein makes you feel full.

2. “Low Fat” or “Fat-Free” Foods

“Low fat” or “fat-free” foods are often loaded with added salt and sugar to give them their flavor. Excess salt and sugar can make you hungrier than before you ate. While some people look at “fat-free” options as the “healthy choice,” in reality, they trick us into eating more at once because it’s not filling!

3. Sugary Foods

You have probably had a little too much cake or eaten too many of grandma’s famous chocolate chip cookies at some point. People often eat more than they should when faced with refined sugar because they’re addictive. When you eat them, your body is immediately drawn to more. This can make you overeat… without satisfying your hunger.

4. Artificial Sweeteners

It is difficult, however, artificial sweeteners should be completely avoided altogether. These sweeteners are notorious for tricking your brain into thinking it is getting pleasurable food. Which, unfortunately, leaves you craving more sugary food afterward.

5. Refined Grains

These have been stripped of the fiber that makes most grains filling. Refined grains, like white bread and crackers, are easy to over-consume. However, they offer no needed nourishment or satiety.

6. Juice/Smoothies

With all of the “juice cleanses” on the market today many people get tricked into thinking these are good. Unfortunately, like with refined grains, juices strip the filling fiber from the fruit and leave you with a sugary liquid. This spikes your blood sugar and leaves you hungrier.

Smoothies can be better for you because the fiber is not entirely removed. However, it is still far better to have solid fruits and vegetables.

Wrapping Up

The next time you’re searching your pantry for a filling snack, try to avoid these unsatisfying foods. This is of course not to say that you can never have a smoothie or a bag of chips or a piece of cake… just know they might not really be as satisfying as they seem.