Nutrition Know-How
First for Women
By: Ann Louise Gittleman
January 17, 2005

Quieting tummy grumbles

I'm on Weight Watchers, and while I eat roughly the same number of calories every day, my hunger level seems to vary a lot. Some days I feel like there's no way I can eat everything I'm supposed to, and on others my stomach is growling from morning to night. What gives?

When it comes to controlling hunger, it's not just the number of calories you eat but also when you eat them and where they come from that count. For instance, if you have a big lunch and then can't eat anything again until dinnertime, your stomach will digest everything long before your next meal and then trigger the production of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite. The simple solution: Make sure you have something in your tummy at all times to stop ghrelin before it's released. Try making your main meals a little lighter and then dedicating those leftover calories to a few between-meal snacks throughout the day. I recommend noshing on foods that are high in water content, such as Granny Smith apples, red peppers and cucumbers, since they take up more volume in the stomach and will keep you feeling satisfied longer on minimal calories.

Low-carb/ belly-bloat link

I've been following a low-carb diet for three weeks now, and for the last week I've been really constipated and super-bloated. I've tried downing tons of water, but it doesn't seem to help. Laxatives make me nervous-is there anything natural I can do?

Low-carb diets are notorious for causing constipation and bloat, especially during the first few weeks, when carb intake is extremely low. And while drinking water should help flush your system, it won't do the trick if you're not getting enough fiber, a common consequence of low-carb diets. The good news: You can shrink belly bloat and nix constipation fast-without derailing your weight-loss goals-by consuming more high-fiber, low-carb foods such as raspberries, artichokes, celery and almonds. And consider taking a fiber supplement like Super GI Cleanse ($31 for 180 capsules, at Unikeyhealth.com).

The midday snack that shrinks P.M. appetite

Evenings are the hardest for me when it comes to sticking to my diet. I can go all day feeling satisfied, but when dinnertime rolls around I'm starving. I thought maybe I wasn't eating enough during the day, so I started having bigger lunches. But it didn't help at all-not only am I still hungry at night, but I've put on five pounds! Why didn't it work?

While your plan to eat more during the day to curb nighttime overeating makes sense, studies suggest these extra calories don't make us feel any less hungry come dinnertime. Researchers at Penn State recently found that women who were served a large lunch ate 221 calories more than those served a smaller meal, but both groups consumed the same amount of calories during dinner. Make that a daily habit and it translates into a gain of 23 pounds a year! I suggest trimming your lunch to its original size and having a high-protein, moderate-fat snack (such as string cheese, hard-boiled eggs or sliced turkey) two hours before dinner. Protein and fat digest slowly for longer satiation, so you won't feel famished and tempted to overeat once dinner is on the table.

Mother Nature's heart-healthy remedy

My blood pressure has always bordered on high, so my doctor recommended taking a baby aspirin daily since it's proven to help lower blood pressure. I added it to my regimen, but sometimes it upsets my stomach, plus I really hate taking pills. Isn't there something I can eat instead?