Welcome back to another edition of 3 question Friday! Every week our head nutritionist Ben answers 3 of his favourite health questions that you’ve been sending in. We’ve got some cracking questions this week :)

Congratulations to Karl, Sylvia, and Sandra who all won a $20 gift vouchers just for asking Ben a question. You can always ask Ben a question at ben@13seeds.com.au!

This week’s questions are…

1. Karl “Why am I always hungry?”
2. Sylvia “What’s the difference between hemp seeds and hemp hearts?”
3. Sandra “Do you have any dietary recommendations for Parkinson’s Disease?

 

1. Why am I always hungry?

There are a lot of reasons why you may be hungry - let’s check em out! Here are what may be the top 12 reasons: 

1. Lack of Protein

• Protein is satiating (meaning it helps us feel fuller for longer), but if you work out a lot your body may be naturally craving protein to assist in growth and recovery. Aim to eat minimum 1g/kg of bodyweight a day (1)

2. Lack of Sleep:

• When you aren’t sleeping enough this can dysregulate two important hormones: ghrelin (our hunger hormone); and leptin (our feeling full hormone). Meaning that you may be hungry when you’re not and feeling not full when you are! Aim to get 7-9 hours a night (2).

3. Excessive Carbs

• When you eat too many carbohydrates, in particular refined carbs this can lead to insulin (hormone that regulates sugar in the blood) to not work properly in the body (aka insulin resistance) this can result in increased hunger (3).

4. Lack of dietary fats

• Fats can help to the slow digestion of other nutrients resulting in feeling fuller quicker. Fats also assist in producing hormones that can help us to feel full, so eat your healthy fats (eg. olive oil, hemp seed oil, fish oil) (4)

5. Lack of fibre

• Fibre (found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole-grains) can help to reduce appetite. That’s why eating vegetables can help to lose weight! (5)

6. Dehydration

• Drinking enough water can help to reduce appetite.

7. Comfort Eating (Low mood)

• When we eat food this can increase brain chemicals such as serotonin (happy chemical) Dopamine (reward chemical), so we may overeat in order to improve our mood! (6)

8. Exercise

• When we exercise, we burn fuel and need to replace that fuel with energy from foods. So, if you are exercising lots, you will need more food for energy! (7)

9. Excessive Stress

• If we are in a constant state of stress we release lots of our stress hormone called cortisol. This hormone breaks down a lot of stored energy in body and hunger may arise as a result! (8)

10. Eating too fast

• When we eat too fast this may not be able to send signals fast enough to the brain to signal that we are now full. Slow down when eating! (9)

11. Alcohol/drugs

• Both booze and some recreational drugs (eg. marijuana) can increase our appetite. Avoid where possible! (10)

12. Medical conditions & medications

• Certain medical conditions (eg. diabetes, thyroid conditions) and medications (eg. antidepressants) can affect our appetite. Have a chat to your GP if you have any concerns.

2. What’s the difference between hemp seeds and hemp hearts?

Awesome question! This can be confusing because they’re both hemp seeds right!?

Hemp seeds are the seed of the Cannabis Sativa plant. They have a hard, nut-like exterior and soft chewy inside (think of a hard-shelled sunflower seed).

Hemp hearts are de-hulled, meaning we remove the hard outer shell resulting in softer and easier to consume seed. 

Hemp seeds contain slightly more fibre, however, are less versatile. While hemp hearts are more versatile, as you can use them in cooking, on your salads or baking!

3. Do you have any dietary recommendations for Parkinson’s Disease?

Sandra is one of our lucky Idle to Vital  members and was curious about dietary recommendations for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Parkinson's Disease is a neurodegenerative disease that usually develops late in life and is characterized by the loss of dopamine neurons (nerves). There may be foods that are neuroprotective (protects nerves in the brain) and neurodegenerative (damages nerves in the brain). 

A poor diet may lead to increased oxidative stress that can impede the antioxidant defence system and cause damage to cells).

In contrast, a well-balanced diet rich in a variety of foods, including numerous servings of vegetables and fruits (especially those containing nicotine eg. nightshades) can provide beneficial phytochemicals (plant chemicals) and antioxidants.

Moderate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids (found in oily fish and hemp seed oil), tea, caffeine, and wine may provide neuroprotection (11).

If you have any questions or would like to are interested in a nutrition consultation, feel free to email our head nutritionist Ben at ben@13seeds.com.au

Disclaimer:

This article does not constitute medical advice and does not take into consideration your personal circumstances. Please see your medical professional before implementing the above. 

References: 

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20847729/
2. https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/abs/10.7326/0003-4819-141-11-200412070-00008
3. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1986-03193-001
4. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/61/4/960S/4651964
5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019566639790091X
6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666303001326
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3761859/
8. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2011/651936/
9. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/circ.136.suppl_1.20249
10. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938410000259
11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945400/#B115