What Makes You Hungrier After Eating?

If you pay a little attention to the nutritional value of foods and related aspects, you will not only learn to eat better, but to avoid things that do not benefit you at all. 

Sometimes you feel hungry after eating. Therefore, a portion is repeated or, it is sought to complement with any food to satisfy the appetite. The problem with this is that, in general, you tend to eat much more than you actually need, and in the rush, you turn to unhealthy options.

This can translate into a copious meal, with excess calories. Of course, you are not always aware of this and, until you notice the error, you have already gained several extra pounds.

If you are wondering what can cause you to feel hungry after eating, pay attention to what we are going to tell you next. You will be surprised to know how important it is to pay attention to what you decide to have with your meals or between meals.

Causes of hunger after eating

There are foods that cause hunger after eating. They seem irresistible from every point of view: smell, color, taste, texture … And they are! because they are made with various substances that promote the urge to eat more, thus creating a kind of ‘addiction’.

1. Fried foods

If you already suspected it, you were right. The oils, salts and other additives in fried foods, such as finger chips, make these types of foods very addictive. Therefore, although they are known to be full of fat and carbohydrates, it is almost impossible to resist eating them.

Fried foods have ingredients that make us not able to take just one, but handfuls and handfuls of them. In some cases, the mixture contains: hydrogenated oils, salt and preservatives and, in other cases, sugars and various additives. Hence the importance of checking the labels of the products well, before purchasing them and, of course, eating them.

If when trying them you cannot stop, and you are looking to lose weight, the best thing is that you do not open them and, if possible, do not have them in your pantry. Only then will you avoid falling into the temptation to eat them.

2. Artificial sweeteners

Although it may seem that they are, the truth is that sweeteners are not healthier than sugar.  They have been shown to not trigger satiety alerts in the brain (something natural sugar does) so you end up taking more and more.

A good solution for this is to avoid processed foods (which are rich in artificial sweeteners and other substances), enjoy natural foods (such as fruits, for example) and, if you cannot resist, you can take a teaspoon of agave honey. or stevia.

3. Refined flours

Processed flour is lacking in nutrients, so you have to eat more to feel satisfied. Also, white bread and pasta have a high glycemic index, which makes your insulin level rise. Thus, it makes you hungrier and makes you want to eat sweet foods.

Therefore, the best option is to eat foods that contain whole grains or combine pasta or whole wheat bread with proteins. Have them with cheese, chicken or beans to satisfy your hunger and not eat more.

4. Alcohol

Alcohol has been proven to be one of the substances that makes you feel hungry after eating. It activates the Agrp neurons in the brain, located in the hypothalamus, responsible for awakening the appetite.

Remember that the  alcohol has many empty calories, so it is essential to consume in moderation and always with the stomach full.

5. Monosodium glutamate

Believe it or not, you are ingesting more monosodium glutamate than you think. It is an additive to improve the taste of food, widely used in the processed food industry, internationally and, especially, in China.

Its objective? Create addiction to food. If you were wondering why there is so much obesity today, look at cans, hamburger restaurants and all the packaged food. To avoid ingesting this ingredient, it is best to check the labels of the processed foods you buy to see if they contain monosodium glutamate or not.

6. Additives (from processed foods)

In general, processed food (cupcakes, chips, frozen broccoli, among others)  is high in salts, artificial sugars, and other artificial additives. These are the culprits that, when you try them, you are hungry after eating and want more.

Therefore, it is recommended to buy foods that are as little processed as possible. It is proven that by consuming less processed food, the appetite is satisfied earlier and the craving for more and more decreases.

7. Refined sugars

Sugary cereals are full of refined flours, and they are not the best way to start the day, as they will cause high and low levels of insulin in the blood. And it is detrimental to the metabolism to eat foods so rich in carbohydrates just when we wake up, since cortisol levels are high.

With these high levels it is more difficult to metabolize ingested sugars, which will make us feel tired and hungry. Think very well before starting the day with cereals rich in refined sugars, because all they do is make you feel hungry after eating.

8. Hydrogenated oils and preservatives

Have you ever wondered why you would always eat one more slice of pizza? Pizza is a combination of dough made from refined flour, hydrogenated oils, processed ingredients, and preservatives.

This combination can have a very detrimental impact on your blood sugar levels, as well as the production of hormones that indicate satiety and the hunger-regulating regions in the brain. Thus, the only thing it achieves is to increase the feeling of hunger.

Start taking more care of yourself!

Now that you know what are the substances that make you feel hungry after eating, it is important that you start paying more attention to the foods you choose, before taking them. Remember that, although many foods may seem very appetizing, in reality, their nutritional contribution may be zero, so think: do you really want that for my health?