fbpx

One Nutritious Trick Can Reduce Sugar Cravings and Support Weight Loss

Your most unrelenting cravings for sugar may come first thing in the morning. This is because your brain burns glucose — or sugar — for energy. And if you eat three square meals a day, nighttime is your longest fast.

Researchers found that overweight women who ate protein for breakfast five times a week for eight weeks saw 65 percent more weight loss compared to those who ate bagels for breakfast.

But fight the urge to binge on sugar first thing in the morning and instead eat protein, and you will be more likely to feel full and energized throughout the day. This means less grazing between meals on sugar-filled drinks and snacks.

protein-coconut

Researchers have discovered that eating more protein can help to increase satiety, with the potential to curb sugar cravings and support weight loss. Body Ecology’s new Immune Power Protein Shake offers a quick and tasty protein source at any meal, with 15 grams of vegan protein per serving.

Protein-Filled Meals Can Reduce Sugar Cravings and Help You Lose Weight

If you follow the principles of the Body Ecology Diet while choosing protein-rich breakfast foods and snacks, you’ll find that excess weight quickly drops away.

For example, breakfast. The old adage is true: Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.1

Eating breakfast is linked to:

  • Improved micronutrient levels, such as vitamins and minerals
  • Improved performance at school or work
  • Less risk of weight gain or obesity
  • Lower levels of “bad” cholesterol

This helps to explain why a balanced, protein-filled breakfast can stave off sugar cravings and support weight loss.

Indeed, scientists have found that eating more protein than you might get in a cereal-based breakfast increases satiety through a constellation of hormones, such as:

  • Ghrelin
  • Insulin
  • Glucagon-like peptide2,3

Put simply, eating protein instead of sweet carbs improves blood sugar and helps you feel satisfied. If you eat a protein-rich breakfast (roughly 30 grams of protein), you will feel less hungry throughout the day and eat less at lunchtime.4

In one study published in the International Journal of Obesity, researchers found that overweight women who ate protein for breakfast five times a week for eight weeks saw 65 percent more weight loss compared to those who ate bagels for breakfast.5 They were also 34 percent more likely to trim down their waistline.

But breakfast isn’t the only meal of the day that can benefit from more protein. In the United States, almost one third of food and drinks consumed are snack foods — such as desserts, salty and fatty snacks, flavored coffee drinks, and candy.6,7 These foods fill you up, but they’re a poor source of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. In 2014, University of Missouri researchers found that when young women ate a protein-rich snack, they felt less hungry during the day and ate less at dinner.8

Protein, The Body Ecology Way

At Body Ecology, we suggest that you fill 80 percent of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, cultured vegetables, and alkalizing sea vegetables. You can fill the remaining 20 percent of your plate with animal foods or grain-like seeds, both of which are high in protein.

Remember, a high-protein meal can mean up to 30 grams of protein on your plate.

This is the equivalent of five eggs. Or nearly four cups of cooked quinoa. If you want to lose weight, eat the Body Ecology way and limit cravings with protein-filled foods — the easiest way to do this is by adding an Immune Power Protein Shake to your meal.

Getting enough protein is clearly important for a healthy adult, but it can be especially beneficial to certain age groups. Bournemouth University learned in 2016 that many older people aren’t eating enough protein, possibly because of the difficulties with eating and digesting that can come with age.9 Protein’s essential to the body for building and repair — making a deficiency particularly dangerous among the elderly, pregnant women, those with illnesses, and children. Compared to other protein sources, fermented plant protein has already been “predigested” and broken down, so it’s even easier for people with weak digestion and growing kids to digest to support their development. To make matters worse, most people who are eating protein aren’t digesting it well — or at all. Finding a bioavailable protein that the body can use can be a game-changer for these vulnerable groups.

Body Ecology’s tasty new Immune Power Protein Shake, available in Chocolate, contains 15 grams of easy-to-digest protein per serving! It also boasts a selection of superfoods that help to control blood sugar and increase weight loss — such as medicinal mushrooms and Hebridean sea kelp.

So, we’re not saying animal protein is off the table, but in our meat-focused culture, it’s easy to forget how beneficial plant protein can be — like when it comes to supporting weight loss and reducing cravings. And when eating animal proteins, available at every supermarket and restaurant on every corner, it’s easy to overdo it. Massachusetts General Hospital researchers discovered in 2016, in the largest study to date examining the effects of different sources of dietary protein, that high animal protein intake has been associated with a higher mortality rate. This is especially true coming from processed and unprocessed red meats. In the study, plant protein was associated with a lower risk of death, and we already know that a diet high in plant proteins may also promote weight loss.10,11,12

What To Remember Most About This Article:

What’s the one thing missing from your diet that could be sabotaging your weight loss efforts and increasing your cravings for sugar? If you guessed “more protein,” you would be right.

Research supports the fact that breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day — and a balanced, protein-rich breakfast can help to reduce sugar cravings and support weight loss. Eating more protein at breakfast and throughout the day can help you to feel more satisfied and less hungry so that you automatically eat less at your next meal.

To increase protein healthfully and in a way that supports natural weight loss, Body Ecology recommends following the 80/20 rule: Fill up 80 percent of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, cultured vegetables, and alkalizing sea vegetables and the remaining 20 percent with a protein source, like animal foods or grain-like seeds. You can easily boost protein and nutrition at any meal with Body Ecology’s delicious new Immune Power Protein Shake, a complete vegan protein source and probiotic shake that comes in Chocolate and Coconut flavors.

REFERENCES:

  1. Crowder, C. M. (2015). The effect of breakfast protein source on postprandial hunger and glucose response in normal weight and overweight young women (Doctoral dissertation).
  2. Blom, W. A., Lluch, A., Stafleu, A., Vinoy, S., Holst, J. J., Schaafsma, G., & Hendriks, H. F. (2006). Effect of a high-protein breakfast on the postprandial ghrelin response. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(2), 211-220.
  3. Veldhorst, M. A., Nieuwenhuizen, A. G., Hochstenbach-Waelen, A., Westerterp, K. R., Engelen, M. P., Brummer, R. J. M., … & Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S. (2009). Effects of high and normal soyprotein breakfasts on satiety and subsequent energy intake, including amino acid and ‘satiety’hormone responses. European Journal of Nutrition, 48(2), 92-100.
  4. Ratliff, J., Leite, J. O., de Ogburn, R., Puglisi, M. J., VanHeest, J., & Fernandez, M. L. (2010). Consuming eggs for breakfast influences plasma glucose and ghrelin, while reducing energy intake during the next 24 hours in adult men. Nutrition Research, 30(2), 96-103.
  5. Vander Wal, J. S., Gupta, A., Khosla, P., & Dhurandhar, N. V. (2008). Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. International Journal of Obesity, 32(10), 1545-1551.
  6. Piernas, C., & Popkin, B. M. (2010). Snacking increased among US adults between 1977 and 2006. The Journal of Nutrition, 140(2), 325-332.
  7. Duffey, K. J., & Popkin, B. M. (2011). Energy density, portion size, and eating occasions: contributions to increased energy intake in the United States, 1977-2006. PLoS Medicine, 8(6), 790.
  8. Ortinau, L. C., Hoertel, H. A., Douglas, S. M., & Leidy, H. J. (2014). Effects of high-protein vs. high-fat snacks on appetite control, satiety, and eating initiation in healthy women. Nutrition Journal, 13(1), 97.
  9. Appleton. Barriers to and Facilitators of the Consumption of Animal-Based Protein-Rich Foods in Older Adults. Nutrients, 2016; 8 (4): 187 DOI: 10.3390/nu8040187.
  10. Edward Giovannucci et al. Association of Animal and Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2016 DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.4182.
  11. David J. A. Jenkins; Julia M. W. Wong; Cyril W. C. Kendall; Amin Esfahani; Vivian W. Y. Ng; Tracy C. K. Leong; Dorothea A. Faulkner; Ed Vidgen; Kathryn A. Greaves; Gregory Paul; William Singer. The Effect of a Plant-Based Low-Carbohydrate (‘Eco-Atkins’) Diet on Body Weight and Blood Lipid Concentrations in Hyperlipidemic Subjects. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2009; 169 (11): 1046 DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.115.
  12. Katherine R. Tuttle; Joan E. Milton. The ‘Eco-Atkins’ Diet: New Twist on an Old Tale. Arch Intern Med., 2009; 169 (11): 1027.
POPULAR PRODUCTS
GET 15% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER!
Free Shipping On Orders Over $99
Family Owned
30+ Years of Experience in the Field
Subscribe and Save