The Atkins Diet and the Desire for Food

by Gail Jones

A very common, and unexpected results of 'doing' the Atkins diet is appetite suppression. Many advocates of the regimen state that the inter meal hunger pangs they used to experience just fade away and very rapidly too. This factor makes it a lot easier to stay on the diet and continue to lose 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 foods and ingredients, has powerful appetite suppressing effects.

The first key factor is the quantity of protein in the Atkins diet. Protein, much more so than carbohydrates, has the power to assuage hunger pangs. If you have ever eaten a carbohydrate heavy meal and then felt hungry again a few hours later, you already know that carbohydrates do not have much staying power as a hunger satisfier. Protein, on the other hand, when it is combined with a small amount of healthy fats, can keep you feeling satisfied for much longer periods of time. One of the most powerful appetite suppressing foods in the Atkins diet is the egg. Eggs are a great form of quick and easy protein. A recent report revealed that eating eggs for breakfast would actually stave off hunger pangs throughout the rest of the day. The research concerned two groups of women. One group ate eggs for breakfast and the other had a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese.

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

Eggs contain about 6 grams of protein each, which helps to even out blood sugar and produces a feeling of satisfaction. Both of these factors help to curb cravings. Egg yolks also contain lutein and xenazanthin. These nutrients have been shown to have amazing effects on eye health. So it's important to eat the whole egg, and not just the white. Eggs also contain choline which is important for maintaining brain function and memory. These nutrients are just an added benefit to the appetite suppressing qualities.

Broccoli and cauliflower, two of the most suitable vegetables on the Atkins programme, also have appetite-suppressing 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 response in your brain. Your body will reduce its 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 get 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 plan.

The Atkins diet recommends 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 great and full. Then after a few hours, you come crashing down and are hungrier than you were before eating the carbohydrates. This cycle continues ad infinitum and, over time, you will eat more and more and eventually gain weight.

The protein, fat and vegetable recipes of the Atkins diet put your blood sugar back in equilibrium. They give you 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 suppresses your appetite effectively throughout the day.

The Atkins diet is actually a craving control plan that suppresses your appetite. If you've had a problem with carbohydrate cravings before, this new way of eating will help control those cravings. 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.