Our appetite hormones control our desire for food and have an impact on our metabolism, regulation of these hormones is vital for weight management. They can be divided into 2 categories.
- Orexigenic (bad appetite hormones) - Stimulate our appetite and suppress our metabolic rate. We want to decrease the levels of these hormones.
- Anorexigenic (good appetite hormones) - Suppress our appetite and maintain our metabolic rate. We want to increase the levels of these hormones.
Leptin is one of our good appetite hormones, it helps to boost carbohydrate and fat metabolism and controls our eating behaviour by reducing our appetite. We can improve our Leptin levels by:
- Reducing trans and hydrogenated fats in the diet found predominately in processed foods and bakery products.
- Practicing good stress management techniques by taking 30 minutes every day to do something relaxing.
- Exercising regularly.
- Ensuring omega 3, bioflavonoids and vitamin D levels are sufficient - a naturopathic health assessment is a good way to determine your needs of these and other nutrients.
- Drinking green tea - 4 or more cups a day.
Ghrelin is a bad appetite hormone, increasing our appetite and lowering our metabolism. Levels of Ghrelin are higher in yo-yo dieters. We can control levels by:
- Eating small amounts of nutritious foods every 3-4 hours.
- Never skipping meals.
Taking these simple steps will help regulate your appetite hormones, manage your weight more effectively and improve your general health and wellbeing.
Originally published on Jun 13, 2011
