Leptin Foods: The Answer to “Why Am I Always Hungry?”

You eat a balanced lunch every day—but you find yourself starving by mid-afternoon. You go out for a healthy dinner with friends—but are tempted to stop for a burger on the way home. Why are you hungry all the time? If you have the desire to eat uncontrollably, it could be that you have a leptin disorder—something you can affect by getting more of what we’ll call “leptin foods” into your diet.

Keep in mind that feeling hungry all the time could also relate to a number of other factors: psychological or depression issues, stress, dehydration, or drug effects, for example. Or maybe you started off the day by skipping breakfast. Or perhaps you get hungry looking at photographs of delicious-looking food in photographs (some call it “food porn”) that we see at Pinterest, on Facebook, and in advertising.

But if you constantly find yourself saying, “I’m starving,” it could be that you have a leptin disorder—and can benefit from the types of leptin foods you’ll read about below.

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A Closer Look at Leptin Resistance

What is leptin? Sometimes called “the fullness hormone,” leptin is produced in your fat cells. It sends signals to your brain to tip you off that you can stop eating, that you’re full. At the same time, leptin sends signals to your brain to “turn on” your metabolism and thus start converting food to energy.

As leptin levels rise, you experience a diminished appetite; lower levels of leptin result in a feeling of hunger. Likewise, rising leptin levels will increase your rate of metabolism, and falling levels will slow your metabolism.

A report in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism explains it like this: “Leptin has a crucial role in regulating food intake and maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Although little is known about the process of leptin secretion, insulin—which has an important role in the metabolism of glucose and lipids—is believed to regulate leptin secretion through a posttranscriptional mechanism in the short term, and via glucose metabolism in the long term.”

In short, leptin regulates both your appetite and your metabolism. If your body experiences leptin resistance, it won’t get the message to begin metabolism.

There are a number of ways through which we build up leptin resistance. Besides those listed above—poor diet, depression, stress, or dehydration—other factors can come into play, including a lack of exercise; a sedentary lifestyle can affect leptin levels. A lack of sleep, too, can lower your leptin resistance. A study at Laval University in Quebec showed that seven to eight hours of sleep per night resulted in higher levels of leptin.

Seven Leptin Foods to Keep in Your Diet

So which foods increase our leptin sensitivity (or, put another way, decrease our leptin resistance), thus keeping our appetite more normal? You can’t go wrong keeping these seven choices in your diet:

• Apples. Research has shown pectin—as found in apples—may be effective in fighting back leptin resistance.
• Oatmeal. Rich in fiber and known for decreasing insulin levels, oatmeal can help prevent that “starving” feeling.
• Lean proteins. The protein you get in turkey, chicken, and other lean meats can help to raise your metabolism and reduce leptin resistance. The same with fish, a top choice for battling leptin resistance.
• Green tea. A European study involving mice shoed that green tea is effecting in decreasing leptin resistance.
• Almonds. Besides the essential “healthy” fats, fiber, and protein you get from almonds, you also get essential fatty acids that boost metabolism and leptin sensitivity.
• Broccoli. Also known to increase your leptin resistance is broccoli, a vegetable that’s also generous in calcium and vitamin C.
• Eggs. Known for their vitamin B12 and protein contributions, eggs can lift your metabolism and help keep you from becoming leptin-resistant.

Along with those choices, keep fruits and vegetables front and center at your meals. Top choices: grapefruit, watermelon, pears, and blueberries along with purple sweet potatoes, peppers, lettuce, carrots, and zucchini.

Whole-grain cereals, skim milk, and low-fat yogurt also qualify as “leptin foods.” As with the other choices above, they help you keep your body sensitive to leptins and, thus, avoid that “famished” sensation.

The post Leptin Foods: The Answer to “Why Am I Always Hungry?” appeared first on University Health News.

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