On average, people eating reasonable portions of balanced meals get
hungry about every three to five hours. Check the balance of foods you
eat. Refined carbohydrates like white rice, baked goods and most
crackers or pretzels are processed by the body fairly quickly. That
means that blood sugars go up and back down rapidly, tending to leave
you hungry again within two hours. Whole-grain breads and cereals are
processed more slowly and may leave you satisfied longer.
Studies show that hunger is satisfied longer when a meal or snack
includes a small amount of protein. That doesn't have to mean meat.
Protein is also found in milk, cheese, yogurt, tofu and other soy
products, eggs, nuts, seeds and dried beans.
Also, vegetables and fruits are missing from many Americans' meals,
yet they provide bulk that can help satisfy hunger.
Have you let a low fat diet get too low in fat? Fat leaves the stomach
very slowly, so a small amount of fat in a meal keeps hunger
satisfied. If your goal is weight loss, excess hunger could be a sign
that you've cut your calories too low or that you are pushing to reach
a weight that is too low for you.
Finally, consider this: Are you actually physically hungry all the
time, or do you simply feel like eating? Eating when you're not hungry
can mean that eating has become a habit for coping with boredom,
procrastination or stress. If this is the case for you, the key is to
develop ways to handle these situations without food.
If you address all these possibilities and still feel hungry all the
time, talk with your physician. Constant hunger not related to any of
these factors could be due to medication or a medical problem that
needs attention.