> Controlling appetite isn’t about starving yourself, but about learning to communicate with your body, providing it with the nutrients it needs without overindulging in the temptations of food.
Uncontrolled appetite has become a major health problem plaguing modern people. Faced with the temptation of delicious food, we often succumb, leading to excessive calorie intake, weight gain, and health problems.
Susan Roberts, a nutrition expert at Tufts University, and her research team found that **people who reduced their food intake by 25%** had significantly higher levels of good cholesterol, a 25% reduction in tumor necrosis factor, a 40% reduction in insulin resistance, and lower overall blood pressure.
**Eating just a little less can not only potentially extend lifespan by 20 years but also delay the signs of aging.** So, how can we scientifically control our appetite?
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## 01 The Science Behind Appetite
Appetite is not just a feeling of emptiness in the stomach, but a complex regulatory process involving the brain, hormones, and the nervous system. When we start controlling our food intake, our bodies may initially experience discomfort, but we quickly enter a **virtuous cycle**.
Scientists Julie Mattison and her colleagues at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) in the United States, after a meta-analysis of multiple studies, believe that **simply reducing food intake can extend lifespan**.
Controlling appetite is not simply about starving yourself, but about regulating the body’s hunger signals through scientific methods, allowing us to obtain satisfaction and necessary nutrients while reducing food intake.
## 02 Advice from International Experts
### Regular Eating Schedule
Professor Li Jingnan, Deputy Director of the Department of Gastroenterology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, recommends **establishing a fixed meal schedule**, eating at regular times, and avoiding prolonged periods of fasting to prevent overeating at one time.
Regular eating helps maintain a stable digestive system and avoids overeating caused by excessive hunger.
### Increase Dietary Fiber Intake
Professor Li Jingnan points out that eating more foods rich in dietary fiber, such as spinach, celery, corn, oats, apples, pears, walnuts, and hazelnuts, can **increase satiety**, thereby reducing cravings for high-calorie foods.
Dietary fiber not only increases satiety but also promotes gut health and regulates blood sugar levels.
### Use Fat to Control Hunger
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, have found that after eating high-fat foods such as nuts, avocados, and extra virgin olive oil, the brain quickly receives the “no longer hungry” signal, thus controlling appetite.
Cynthia Sass, a renowned registered dietitian in the United States, also affirms this point in her bestselling book, *The Weight Loss Guide: Controlling Food Cravings*.
### Chew Slowly and Extend Meal Time
**Eating slowly is essential.** It takes 20-30 minutes for the stomach to send satiety signals to the brain. Therefore, eating slowly means that when the brain realizes you are full, you will consume less food than usual.
Research from the University of Rhode Island in the United States shows that **people who eat slowly consume one-quarter fewer calories per minute than those who eat at a normal speed**, and they feel full more easily.
### Moderate Exercise Regulates Appetite Hormones
A Brazilian study found that physical exercise makes nerve cells that control satiety more sensitive, thus reducing food cravings. Regular exercise not only helps burn calories but also **regulates hormones related to appetite**, thereby helping to control appetite.
Another study from the University of Exeter in the UK found that **a 15-minute walk can reduce snacking intake by 50%**.
### Ensure Sufficient Sleep
Professor Li Jingnan recommends **ensuring 7-8 hours of sleep each night** and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule to regulate metabolism and hormone levels, thereby helping to control appetite.
Insufficient sleep interferes with leptin secretion, leading to increased appetite during the day, especially cravings for fatty foods.
### Drink soup before meals to create a feeling of fullness earlier
**Drinking soup before meals helps reduce appetite** because once the soup enters the stomach, the excitability of the appetite center decreases, automatically reducing food intake by one-third and bringing a feeling of fullness earlier.
Change the order of eating: eat vegetables first, then staple foods and meat. Before eating main dishes, drink a large bowl of light soup; if there’s no soup, drink water.
### Change the eating environment
Cornell University research found that **soft lighting and gentle music** can control appetite. Under these conditions, diners find the meal more enjoyable and eat 18% less food.
Japanese color research expert Masami Ohira’s color-based weight loss method suggests that **blue is the most appetite-suppressing color**. It has a calming effect, inhibiting brain excitation and promoting the secretion of appetite-suppressing hormones in the body.
## 03 The Multiple Benefits of Reducing Appetite
### Slowing Down Aging and Increasing Lifespan
Research from Tufts University in the United States shows that **reducing food intake can extend lifespan**. Overeating can lead to premature aging because while food is digested, metabolized, and oxidized to produce energy, this oxidation process also produces harmful compounds—free radicals. These free radicals can cause cell damage, arteriosclerosis, and consequently, disease, aging, and even death.
The more energy the body ingests, the more free radicals are produced, and the faster the body ages. Conversely, **eating less can reduce the production of free radicals, thereby slowing down aging**.
### Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease
Eating too much causes the brain to produce large amounts of a growth factor called “fibroblasts,” which can promote arteriosclerosis, insufficient blood supply to the cerebral cortex, slow brain atrophy, and cognitive decline, ultimately leading to dementia and shortening lifespan.
Japanese experts have also found that **approximately 30% to 40% of Alzheimer’s patients** had a long-term habit of overeating during their youth and middle age.
### Reducing Cancer Risk
When the body ingests excessive protein or fat, it burdens the digestive system. Undigested food remains in the intestines for extended periods, easily producing toxins and even carcinogens.
Furthermore, **overeating reduces the activity of factors that inhibit cell carcinogenesis**, increasing the probability of cancer.
### Protecting the Digestive System
If the stomach is constantly full, the gastric mucosa has little opportunity to repair itself. Excessive gastric acid secretion damages the gastric mucosal barrier, leading to inflammation and indigestion. Over time, this can result in gastric erosion, gastric ulcers, and other diseases.
### Preventing Obesity and Related Diseases
Modern diets often include high-fat, high-protein foods, which are more difficult to digest. Excess nutrients accumulate in the body, resulting in obesity and a range of lifestyle-related diseases.
**Obesity can lead to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, fatty liver, arteriosclerosis, cholecystitis, and other complications, potentially reaching hundreds of types.** ## 04 Practical Tips for Easily Controlling Appetite
### Increase the Number of Chews
**Chewing slowly and thoroughly is a key factor in controlling appetite.** Chewing helps with digestion and increases feelings of fullness.
Increasing the number of chews stimulates the stomach and intestines to secrete hormones related to appetite. The longer you eat, the more food moves from the stomach to the small intestine, where absorption raises blood sugar, sending a signal of satiety to the brain.
Generally, **each bite should be chewed at least 20 times, ideally 30 times.** This helps control food intake more effectively and aids in weight loss.
### Divide Food into Smaller Portions
Research from Arizona State University found that **eating food in smaller portions enhances satiety more effectively than eating whole portions.** This method is particularly suitable for certain foods, such as tomatoes, berries, grapes, popcorn, nuts, and seeds.
### Remember What You Ate
A study from the University of Birmingham in the UK found that **if people can remember what they ate for lunch that day**, they can eat less in the afternoon and evening, especially controlling their cravings for snacks.
### Leave the Table Immediately After Eating
Some people, even when they’ve almost finished eating, stay sitting there, unable to resist the temptation of more food on the table, which inevitably leads to overeating. Developing the habit of **leaving the table immediately after eating** can prevent unintentional overeating.
### Don’t Be Afraid of Wasting Leftovers
Some people are already 70-80% full, but seeing so much good food left over seems wasteful, so they pick up their chopsticks to finish it all. Little do they know, **this act of finishing overeats**.
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Starting today, try slowing down your eating speed, drinking soup before eating, and increasing your dietary fiber intake. You’ll find that **controlling your appetite isn’t as difficult as you imagined**. As your body gradually adapts to eating until you’re 70% full, you’ll feel unprecedented ease and energy.
A healthy life doesn’t require extreme dieting, but rather learning to listen to your body and give it what it truly needs, not what it temporarily craves.