Hunger vs appetite

Good morning cupcakes!

Here are the links to this morning's workout:
40 min full body
stretch & release

Today I will be informing you on the difference between hunger and appetite. I read a really cool article (link here:H VS. A).

Hunger: the biological need for food
Appetite:our desire for food

Appetite is where cravings come from. Most people crave things like chocolate, fast food, junk food, etc. Rarely do you hear someone say, "I have a craving for spinach" "I have a craving for green beans" and so on. Appetite is more of a learned and conditioned response to the food cues (sensory) around us daily. For example, if you just ate lunch an hour before walking past a bakery, but you cannot resist and go in and buy a cookie, this is your appetite talking not your hunger. In reality, your body does not need the extra cookie to function.

Think of food in terms of nutrient density as you are prepping, eating, or reflecting on what you ate. For example, eat an apple instead of applesauce or eat a fresh orange instead of canned oranges or eat an avocado instead of mayo.

Last interesting fact for the day:

consuming artificial sweeteners can cause distortions in your biochemistry that may actually make you gain weight. Studies looking at this issue show very clearly that artificial sweeteners may actually cause greater weight gain than sugar by stimulating your appetite, increasing carbohydrate cravings, and stimulating the secretion of hormones like insulin and leptin that signal the body to increase fat storage

This is why I am trying to cut back on my gum chewing habits :(

**New research indicates that artificial sweeteners can actually stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings and even stimulate fat storage, leading to weight gain. Fat and protein in food communicate relatively quickly between the mouth and the satiety centre in the brain while artificially sweetened foods don’t utilize this mechanism so too much total food can be easily eaten.

So in honor of grocery shopping this weekend, I have created my meal plan and added it here for you all to see!

I plan on shopping at Aldi

Breakfast: hot lemon water and green tea upon waking, supplements, and an Ultra Shake

Snack: 1 oz. almonds and 1/2 cup of fresh fruit

Lunch: steamed or oven baked veggie variety (possibly in a gluten free tortilla) with an egg

Snack 2: 1/2 c fresh fruit and 1/2 c of carrots with hummus

Dinner: 4 oz baked chicken breast or other lean protein, steamed or baked mixed vegetables, and 1/3 c. brown rice

Post dinner if still hungry: 1/2 banana with 1 tsp. almond butter

Before bed: hot lemon water and rest of supplements

Also, this weekend my workouts will mostly be cardio machines at the YMCA because I am trying to let my back/shoulder heal



Later Taters!