When I try to eat healthy I never feel like I’m getting enough (either protein or calories). It’s hard for me because I don’t digest fats well (especially healthy fats), so it’s hard for me to fill up on healthy foods. For example, I can eat lean chicken and veggies, but not to long after I still feel hungry.
After burning a lot of calories from working mentally or physically, I usually crave bad fatty food like burgers and fries, and I know it’s because I need/crave more calories.
Was hoping for other healthy calorie suggestions. My digestion is not great so it makes it difficult. I don’t do well with yogurt, eggs, butters, nuts, oils, and can only do small amounts of avocado.
Written by
KittenMittens22
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
"Craving more calories" used to be known as "being hungry". And back in the day, when we were hungry, we used to eat.
I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow the nutritionists have decreed that eating when we're hungry is bad for us, and we shouldn't do it.
Just eat more. Unless you have a known metabolic problem, it's unlikely that you "don't digest fats very well". You're probably just not used to them. What happens exactly when you eat fat? Are you sure you don't have allergies?
Try introducing fatty foods gradually, and make sure you have loads of vegetables included. If it's purely an issue of taste, you'll be able to quickly retrain yourself.
And if you still feel hungry, have a snack. Just make sure it's a good healthy food. A cheese omelette is my go-to snack post-workout; if you find that sort of thing a bit overwhelming, keep a bag of salad in the fridge and add a big handful on the side. The green stuff "dilutes" the fat content and make it far more palatable. Once your tastes have adjusted to a higher fat content, you'll find that you are less and less inclined to snack between meals.
It could possibly be due to some type of allergy. I have never been tested for food allergies.
When I eat certain fats (usually healthy fats) I get really bad indigestion and nausea, sometimes to the point where I feel like I’ll vomit. But interestingly enough pizza and burger/fries don’t really upset my stomach much if at all.
Yes I could eat more, but my point was that when I try to eat more healthy options like fruits and vegetables, I feel like I could eat and eat and not feel like I got enough. Like it’s not satisfying enough. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like I need more substance. Veggies, beans, fruits are not enough. I can do lean proteins which is usually satisfying enough. I do love the taste of healthy foods. It’s not that I’m not use to it. They just don’t seem to be enough sometimes.
Well ... most fats are healthy. The only ones that are a bit dubious are those that are produced by aggressive industrial processes (eg., "vegetable" oils, non-naturally-occurring trans- fatty acids, or transesterified fats). Even those, though, are probably harmless enough in moderation, in the context of an otherwise-healthy diet.
If you physically can't eat fats, that will be the root of your problem. You're literally trying to run your body on fresh air - vegetables have virtually no calories in them. We are not herbivores: the main role of vegetables in our diet is to feed our gut flora and provide micronutrients. Similar issue with lean protein - humans are not carnivores, and can't use protein effectively as an energy source. Unless you're getting several hundred kCal per day from fat, physics says you're going to feel unsatisfied.
If you can eat burgers and pizza then, clearly, fats per se are not the issue I think your best bet would be to experiment with as many fat-based meals as possible and see which ones "work" and which don't. One of my personal favourites is Melanzane alla Parmigiana - well worth trying as an alternative to (say) lasagne:
Although in my opinion the mozzarella in this recipe is mandatory, not optional!
How do you get along with cream and Greek yoghurt? Both of those are excellent sources of fat and can be easily worked into various things.
It might also be the case that you're stuck in that no-man's-land of medium carbs and medium fat. If your diet to date has been carb-heavy, your body will be heavily biased towards carb-based energy and will not have "switched on" the fat-burning pathways. The usual remedy for this is a two-week "keto" diet. Given no other option, your body will switch over entirely to fat as an energy source. Nobody has figured out why, but it seems to be an empirical fact that cutting down carbs doesn't work - all that happens is that your body tries to struggle along on the (limited) carb input that it's getting, and/or craves more of them.
Funnily enough, we had someone in the LCHF group who reported something similar. If you do manage to resolve this, please report back on how you did it - it may well help others.
Carbs raise blood sugar which triggers a release of insulin which tells all the cells in your body to consume the blood sugar because it's harmful in large quantities. When there's insulin in the blood, the cells will preferentially consume the blood sugar, so in order to trigger the cells to consume fat you need to lower carbs to such a level that there's virtually no insulin in the blood.
Insulin also triggers the release of the hunger hormone, so that you feel hunger pangs stronger.
Aww your kitty sounds sweet! Most of my cats are only a few years old. Yes the cat in my photo is mine. I have two tuxedo cats, 1 black tortie, 1 grey tortie, and one mutt dog. They are great and provide so much love, comfort, and entertainment!
I bet you have been driven crackers by a chorus of bad tempered meows off them due to the heat!
Hello KittenMittens22 you need to eat a balanced meal that satiates you and it sounds like dairy alternatives could be good for you I love some plant dairy alternatives.
We have many healthy food topics including vegan so some of these might interesting you as the good carbs will make you feel satiated.
So good luck and I hope that you find some healthy meal choices. 😊
if you are able to tolerate beans peas or lentils or nuts & seeds adding a sprinkle of those to other meals can be very satisfying. So if I make a salad, I might add a few chick peas or a few seeds, or quinoa.
Sometimes eating full meal of pulses can be a bit much at first for some people, but adding a scattering or a' side' can make a salad, soup or pretty much any dish more satisfying.
Also you could make your own healthy version of burger and wedges etc which might be a nice meal without being rubbish processed food
Good point! I need to find healthy alternatives to the junk I usually like. I just need to get creative. Beans and lentils I do fine with but nuts and seeds are iffy. Only a few agree with me in small amounts. I will usually eat some pistachios or sunflower seeds as a snack.
Me too, I’ll make a pot of vegetable/Chicken soup for the week hoping that I won’t eat the Bad stuff cause there’s food already made. I’ll even make brown rice. Nope, last night I had a turkey sandwich and a apple with
My grandson. We ended up eat a whole bag of Doritos. I try to eat slow even my doctor said...Nope I’m at a loss at what to do? Maybe somebody on this site will have an Idea?
I read recently that foods containing lots of water can help there. Watermelon, cucumber etc - try double or triple portioning up. Also, remember it's just eating, not committing an awful crime!! Get your vitamins on board and maybe try something like Noom
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
I think your best bet would be to experiment with as many fat-based meals as possible and see which ones "work" and which don't. One of my personal favourites is Melanzane alla Parmigiana - well worth trying as an alternative to (say) lasagne:
Unhealthy to healthy 😁
Interesting article on healthy snacks
Healthy and quick recipes.
Looking for healthy snacks
Mark Hyman: The Problems with Nutrition Science
