Traditional Welsh Recipes

Wanting to Eat Less on the Atkins Diet

by Gail Jones

One of the most common, but nevertheless astonishing results of 'doing' the Atkins diet is its appetite suppression capability.

Many followers of the regimen report that the inter-meal hunger pangs they used to get just fade away and quite quickly too. This factor makes it a lot easier to remain on the diet and keep losing weight. While other diets leave their followers peckish between meals, the Atkins dieters get relief from continuous hunger.

The Atkins diet, with its specific recommendation of recipes, foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing effects. The main factor is the amount of protein in the Atkins diet.

Protein, more so than carbohydrates, has the capability to satiate hunger. If you've ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry a few hours later, you know that carbohydrates don't have much staying power as a hunger satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling satisfied for much longer periods of time.

One of the most sustained appetite suppressant foods on the Atkins diet is the simple egg. Eggs are a marvellous form of quick and easy protein. A recent study showed that having eggs for breakfast would actually keep hunger pangs at bay throughout the rest of the day. The research concerned two groups of women. One group ate only eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese.

The calorie count for both types of breakfasts was precisely the same. The subjects noted down what they ate for the rest of the day and answered questions about their hunger and satisfaction levels throughout the day. The results of the study revealed that the women who ate the eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied throughout the entire day and that they ate less at each meal than those women who were in the bagels group.

Eggs contain about 6 grammes of protein each, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels and produces a feeling of well-being. Both of these factors help to control cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been shown to have amazing effects on eye health. Therefore, it is important to consume the whole egg, and not just the white.

Eggs contain choline which is important for maintaining brain function and  memory. These nutrients are just an additional benefit to the appetite suppressing qualities of the Atkins diet. Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most recommended vegetables on the Atkins diet, also have appetite-suppressant effects. These vegetables are very bulky and they help make your stomach feel full. When your stomach feels full, it will actually create a chemical signal in your brain/body. Your body will reduce its call for food {appetite} because it assumes that your stomach is full of high calorie foods.

This occurs regardless of what is actually in your stomach. You can achieve the same results with water and psyllium husk fibre. Both broccoli and cauliflower provide bulk in your diet and are essential vegetables for the Atkins diet.

The Atkins diet focuses on eating small, protein balanced meals a few times per day. This will help maintain your blood sugar level in a stabilized state and avoid carbohydrate-induced cravings. With high carbohydrate diets, you are riding a roller-coaster of carbohydrate highs. After you have eaten, you feel fantastic and full. Then, after a few hours, you come swooping down and are hungrier than you were prior to eating the carbohydrates in the first place. This cycle continues ad infinitum and, over time, you will eat more and more and eventually put on weight.

The protein, fat and vegetable meals of the Atkins plan put your blood sugar levels back in balance. They provide just enough of each type of food, with a proper amount of carbohydrates (from the vegetables). The vegetables provide quick carbohydrate energy, and the protein gives the meal its staying power. This combination helps suppress your appetite throughout the day. The Atkins diet is really a craving control plan that helps suppress your appetite - your desire for food or calories.

If you've had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating (ie dieting) will help control those desires. The more you eat on the plan, the better your cravings will be controlled and the easier it will be to follow the diet - the more you practice the diet the easier it gets, because you won't want to eat carbohydrates all the time.

PS: Dear Reader, don't forget that I have offered you a free copy of "Cooking With Eggs" and now you know why.

If you want to read loads more about the The Atkins Diet, click the blue link.