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Do you sometimes find yourself feeling hungry all the time? Are there days when you feel like all you do is eat?
Whether you’ve been a vegan for ten years or ten minutes, chances are you’ve experienced hunger bursts from time to time. These hunger bursts can last for a day, other times, they can last for weeks.
There are days when I get crazy hunger cravings. I sit down, have a huge meal to only find myself feeling hungry 30 minutes later. If this happens when I’m at work, then I go to our snack drawer and reach for some (gasp!) unhealthy mid-day snacks. Not ideal. But when you’re hungry, it’s hard to think straight.
Why do we feel hungry like that?
1. You could be thirsty. Do you know that when you don’t drink enough water, your body receives mixed signals on hunger? Dehydration causes you to believe you need to eat when you really need to drink some good ol’ H2O. 2. Lack of protein. I know, I know, bringing up protein is super annoying to us vegans as most of us get enough of it. However, if you’re feeling hungry all the time, this may be a good time to track to see how much protein you’re actually getting each day. Per World Health Organization’s recommendation, people should be consuming roughly 0.4g of protein per lb of body weight (or 0.8g/kg). So, let’s say if you weigh 120lbs you should consume 48g of protein every day. You can use several apps such as myFinessPal to track your meals for one week (annoying I know) to evaluate whether you’re getting enough protein. If you exercise daily, then you need to increase your protein intake by an additional 0.2g/lb of body weight (or 0.1g/kg). 3. Not enough calories. Veggies and fruits have fewer calories than meat and dairy. A cup of raw vegetables contains 25 calories on average, so a huge salad may only be 300 calories. Even though this meal may fill you up it won’t give you enough calories to sustain your energy levels throughout the day. 4. Not getting enough nutrients. If you live off pasta, mock meats, and granola bars chances are that you aren’t getting enough critical nutrients and vitamins. 5. Not getting adequate sleep. Studies have shown that lack of sleep disrupts hormone levels, making you feel hungry when your body doesn’t need food. Lack of sleep causes two hormones levels, leptin and ghrelin, go down which causes our bodies to have a stronger appetite than normal.
Let’s break it down.
Step
Step dos – eat more protein. Yes, I said it! If you aren’t getting enough from your regular meals, supplement by drinking vegan protein shakes. Step trois – up your calorie intake. Don’t worry, you won’t gain weight. If you’re feeling hungry all the time, that means you’re probably not eating enough. Add some healthy caloric snacks such as nuts and seeds or eat more healthy starches such as sweet potatoes and grains. Step quatro – eat the rainbow! Variety is so important in life. When it comes to vegan lifestyle, it’s even MORE important. If you can, see a doctor and get your bloodwork done. If you’re missing critical vitamins you may need to take vitamin supplements.
Step cinque – get some Zzz…Seriously. Start by going to bed 10 mins earlier every night. Baby steps. Netflix can wait. To summarize, if you
find yourself feeling hungry all the time, it could be due to several reason. It
could bet that you’re thirsty, in which case drink some water before reaching
out for a snack. Another reason could be that you aren’t getting enough protein
every day. Cook high protein meals or supplement with protein shakes. A third reason
could be that you simply aren’t getting enough calories and you need to add
more snacks or increase your portion size. You should also check your nutrient
intake. Get your bloodwork done and if you’re low on some vitamins take a
supplement for a while. And finally, you may not be getting enough sleep which
may cause an amplified sense of hunger. **Please note that I’m
not a medical professional and this should not be taken as medical advice.** Click Below to Pin My brand new cookbook is out on Amazon! It’s called “30-Minute Plant-Based Recipes” and it’s perfect for busy vegans. Grab it now! 
So, what can we do to stop feeling hungry all the time?
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