I am hungry often and have cravings for junk

Dr.rohini

10 months ago

I am hungry often and have cravings for junk

Happy Tummy Expert

10 months ago

Dear Dr.rohini, Thank you for the question

Excessive hunger may also be a sign of eating less calories than recommended value, dehydration, other metabolic conditions such as thyroid or diabetes etc. For further diagnosis and management, please contact a health care professional

Being Mindful while eating is necessary to have a control over food habits. Mindfulness is an intentional focus on one’s thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in the present moment. Eating mindfully is when you are using all your physical and emotional senses to experience and enjoy the food choices you make. Mindful eating encourages one to make choices that will be satisfying and nourishing to the body.

For general wellbeing, you can begin by consuming a balanced diet is which provides all the nutrients in required amounts and proper proportions. It can easily be achieved through a blend of the four basic food groups. The quantities of foods needed to meet the nutrient requirements vary with age, gender, physiological status and physical activity. A balanced diet should provide around 50-60% of total calories from carbohydrates, preferably from complex carbohydrates, about 10-15% from proteins and 20-30% from both visible and invisible fat.

As a general dietary guideline, for an apparently healthy individual/ with no specific health or nutrition needs and/or metabolic condition it is recommended to consume 2000kcal/d and for women, the RDA for protein requirement is 46g/d and for fibre it is 25g/d.

Here are a few guidelines for general digestive health & healthy balanced diet

Have a Diversified Balanced Diet that includes all the food groups in the right quantity which thereby provides you with all the essential macro and micro nutrients that your body requires daily for proper functioning.
Try to incorporate the My plate Concept by dividing your plate into 4 quadrants, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, the other two quadrants with cereals and protein. A small quantity of dairy intake is recommended.
Begin your day with a well-balanced breakfast as it is an important meal of the day.
Do not skip your meals, have small frequent meals at regular intervals.
Eat a well-balanced diet including minimum 5 serving of vegetables and 1 serving of fruit in a day as they are good sources of fiber and essential nutrients such as vitamin A, Vitamin B, iron, zinc etc.
Consume fresh, seasonal fruits(low glycaemic index foods) and Whole grains, Millets and Multigrain foods as they are a good source of fiber.
Include prebiotics such as banana, soyabean, garlic etc., good sources of probiotics like yogurt, buttermilk etc., to maintain a healthy gut.
Try to include whole grains like wheat, millets and multigrain in your diet as they are a good source of fiber and other nutrients.
Limit the intake of dairy and fiber in case of loose stools/diarrhea
Avoid large, heavy meals, and practice portion guidance.
Deep fried foods to be restricted. Method of cooking like baking, grilling, boiling, steaming is preferable over deep frying with excess fat/ oil.
Try to limit the foods like caffeine, spices, raw onions etc.
Food should be eaten slowly and chewed well as fast eating provokes gastric feeding reflex.
Avoid lying down immediately after your meal consumption
Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water per day
Have a gap of minimum 2-3 hours between bedtime and your last meal
Engage in physical activity for a minimum of 30-45 minutes for at least 5 days a week.
Try to follow a good sleep regimen in terms of both quantity and quality.