Brain cells that control appetite and how to hack them with avocados, steak and apricots

I guess you have already heard that protein makes you fill full way better and longer than carbs or fat do. But why is that? In this article, I'm going to explain one of the scientific reasons for it.

Let's start at the beginning ;)

A reason why we eat is to provide building blocks for our body. It changes and grows every day and for this, it needs stuff.

Proteins/aminos make up quite a lot of the important structures in our body, like enzymes, muscles, neurotransmitters, immune parts, collagen that glues us together, you name it. They are very important. Therefore, we eat to get our protein! Once the body has its requirements covered, he is happy.

When the body does not get what it needs, he tells you: Hey bro, I need my aminos! Gimme my building blocks!

You experience this as hunger.

When you are nutrient deficient, be it protein, minerals, vitamins, or essential fatty acids, your body lets you know. And he only shuts up when he has what he wants. Hunger all the time, cravings? Maybe your body is missing something.

But I digress. As protein is so important, the body has a set of specific cells in the part of the brain that controls energy levels and body weight. These cells have just recently been discovered, and they have been named by the beautiful name tanycytes :)

They are very special cells: They detect nutrients from the food just consumed and tell the brain directly about it. (These McDonald fries ain't going to make them happy though!)

The tanycytes don't just respond to everything showing up in your food, that would be a bit too much for these small cells ;)

They respond to amino acids in your food! Isn't that cool? Yes, of course it is! ;P

And I will tell you why right now. These scientific findings let you hack your appetite/hunger/fullness like a pro.

The body literally knows when he received the essential building blocks, i. e. aminos. And that makes him happy :) And it makes you happy too ;P Because the body signals you: Hey, I'm ok now, you don't need to eat more! No more cravings or unnecessary hunger.

What the scientists have discovered as well is that the tanycytes especially like the aminos arginine and lysin.

This means that foods high in arginine and/or lysine will excite the cells more and will therefore make you feel fuller! And less hungry for a longer period of time.

Now you certainly wanna know which foods are rich in these aminos. 

Overall, foods that have a high protein content of course. And foods that are specifically high in arginine and lysin are pork shoulder, beef sirloin steak, chicken, mackerel, plums, apricots, avocados, lentils, and almonds.

Be sure you include some of these on a daily basis to help controlling weight, appetite and cravings :)

Bon appétit!

If you want to read more about this topic, click here.