We’ve all been there before: It’s late at night and you’ve stuck to your healthy meal plan all day but now the cravings are really starting to kick in. This is where natural appetite suppressants can come in handy.
To help you ease cravings and stick to your meal plan, try one of these top appetite suppressants. They’re all natural, good for your whole body, and keep your appetite at bay.
1. Green Tea Extract
Green tea is overall one of the healthiest drinks you could possibly have. It helps you both feel and look better from the inside out. Not only does it suppress appetite, but it also helps to:
- – Improve brain functioning
- – Prevent type 2 diabetes
- – Clear and protect your skin from premature aging
Green tea is high in caffeine and catechins. Both are well known appetite suppressors. In addition to suppressing your appetite, green tea also helps you lose weight by:
- – Increasing metabolism
- – Burning excess body fat
- – Giving you more energy to workout
Caffeine is a particularly powerful appetite suppressant. Studies show that consuming caffeine can directly cause you to eat fewer calories thanks to reduced cravings.
If you aren’t a fan of the taste of traditional green tea, then you can try one of the many different flavored green teas or take a green tea supplement. Or, you can drink coffee instead which is also high in caffeine and can help suppress appetite.
2. Fenugreek
Fenugreek is an herb that has been cultivated for thousands of years. Even the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s tomb was filled with fenugreek seeds. Back then, it was used for spicing-up traditional dishes. Today, you can use it as an appetite suppressor.
In one study, participants who ate more fenugreek seeds than others consumed significantly less fat than those who ate less of it. Fenugreek suppresses appetite so that you consume overall less food.
Part of the reason why fenugreek is such a great appetite suppressor is because it is very high in fiber. The more fiber you eat, the sooner you feel full after you start eating. And, the sooner you feel full, the less calories you consume and the more weight you lose.
3. Yerba Mate
Yerba mate, also known as maté, is a plant grown in South America. It is most commonly made into teas and it acts as a great appetite suppressor.
Like green tea extract, yerba mate also contains caffeine to help suppress appetite. And, yerba mate further helps to suppress appetite by:
- – Increasing levels of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1)
- – Increasing levels of leptin
GLP-1 is a hormone that helps regulate your appetite. When it is released, it promotes satiety. Yerba mate releases GLP-1 in your gut soon after you take it. Therefore, you don’t feel super hungry once you’ve had some yerba mate.
Additionally, leptin is a hormone that is released when your body feels full. The sooner that leptin is released, the sooner you will feel full. Leptin released from yerba mate does just that. If you take a yerba mate supplement around the time of eating, you’ll start to feel full and won’t have as much to eat.
While it’s most commonly drinken as a tea, you can also take a yerba mate supplement. Have either one around your usual meal time to suppress those hunger feelings.
4. Caralluma Fimbriata
Caralluma fimbriata is a type of cactus grown in India as well as other places in Asia and the Middle East. In India, people have been harvesting caralluma fimbriata for its appetite suppressing properties for centuries. During times of famine, people would eat the cactus in order to keep hunger at bay.
Not only does caralluma fimbriata suppress appetite, but it also helps to:
- – Suppress thirst
- – Increase physical endurance
- – Induce weight loss
The primary way that caralluma fimbriata suppresses appetite is by increasing the release of serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that has several different functions including stabilizing your mood as well as your hunger levels. In terms of your hunger levels, caralluma fimbriata increases serotonin in order to:
- 1. Activate neuron receptors that curb appetite
- 2. Block other neurons that would normally increase appetite
While you may not be able to find a caralluma fimbriata cactus growing anywhere near where you live, supplements of the cactus are widely available.
5. Griffonia Simplicifolia (5-HTP)
Griffonia simplicifolia is a plant grown in Africa. It’s seeds are a natural appetite suppressant. If you eat the seeds or take them in the form of a supplement, you should see a decrease in your hunger levels. Griffonia simplicifolia seeds are high in 5-HTP. 5-HTP is a chemical by-product of L-tryptophan, a protein building block.
Like in caralluma fimbriata, 5-HTP modulates serotonin levels to suppress appetite. 5-HTP is not found in almost any food source on the planet other than in the seeds of the griffonia simplicifolia plant. That makes griffonia simplicifolia one of the best sources of 5-HTP on the planet.
5-HTP works to release serotonin to suppress appetite. In several studies, 5-HTP has been used to help induce weight loss. In one study, people taking a 5-HTP supplement lost a significant amount of weight compared to a group that didn’t take the supplement.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that 5-HTP is a good appetite suppressor if your goal is to lose weight.
Extra: Help Suppress Appetite With These Common Foods
Not only are there many different natural appetite suppressants available in supplement form, but there are also different foods that can help suppress appetite.
If you want to suppress appetite with food, try going for:
- – Foods high in water content
- – High fiber fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
- – Beans and legumes
Each of these foods is both healthy and a natural appetite suppressant. Incorporate these foods into your diet, and you should feel fuller sooner after eating.
Final Thoughts on Natural Appetite Suppressants
If you’re looking for a holistic way to help suppress your appetite, then opt for one of these natural appetite suppressants. As always, I recommend taking an appetite suppressant as part of a healthy lifestyle that leads to overall greater wellness. That means also eating, exercising, and taking care of yourself in a way that leads to an overall healthier life.
