Much of your hormonal signalling happens on a clock (your body clock). You are wired to feel hungry at the same times everyday! This makes perfect sense from an evolutionary standpoint as it also means your system can be optimised for digestion. If your body knows it has to digest foods at a certain time the mini systems within that will be primed to do so.
Ghrelin is the hormone that makes you feel hungry. It also also released in greater quantities due to a lack of sleep. So less than 8 hours can cause you to feel hungrier when you don’t actually need extra food. So be aware of that and understand snack attacks can come from not enough sleep.
Feelings of satiety come from comes from the release of a hormone called Cholecystokinin (CCK). It sends signals to your brain that you have had enough to eat. This signalling is disrupted by eating too fast, eating while distracted or over consumption of packaged or processed foods.
More of this hormone is released in response to protein and omega 3s
So what should you do with this information?
Key take aways are:
- Get 7-9 hours quality sleep a night
- Eat adequate amounts of protein in your meals
- Eat slowly and undistracted
- Avoid processed and packaged foods, opting for fresh and whole foods.
If you would like someone on your team to guide you through a better relationship with food and to understand your body better, then reach out!
I would love to hear from you!