This ONE ingredient could be the reason you feel hungry all the time!

THE REASON WHY YOU FEEL HUNGRY ALL THE TIME: Curbing hunger is not easy for quite a few people. And if you are among those who miraculously feel hungry just after 30 minutes of your meal, you must read this.

THE RESEARCH: According to a new research, when people eat more sodium for a long period of time, they drink less water. And that’s not all, high sodium intake also increases the feeling of hunger which ultimately may contribute to increased weight. The findings of the research were published as a set of two papers in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

THE FIRST GROUP: In the first paper, the researchers studied 10 astronauts who participated in a flight simulation programme from 2009 to 2011. These men were living in a tightly controlled environment, hence making them ideal for metabolic and nutritional research.

The dietary salt intake of these astronauts was decreased to 6 grams per day from 12 grams per day. According to science, these men should feel less thirsty as their sodium levels decreased.

RESULTS: However, the results were opposite. The men drank less water when they were on a high-salt diet – suggesting their bodies were either producing more water, conserving it or not flushing it out.

These men said that they felt hungrier when their salt levels were higher. This may be because the body takes extra energy to conserve water, say researchers.

On a high-salt diet, the body needs to prevent water loss and thus kidneys find a way to increase water content in the body. The more water content in your body, the less you feel thirsty.

THE SECOND GROUP: In the second paper, the researchers got the same findings in mice. They found that mice on a low-salt diet ate less food than mice on a high-salt diet. High-salt diet was also associated with the breakdown of muscle protein. This protein was converted into urea which enables your kidney to prevent water loss by reabsorbing fluid.

OTHER PROBLEMS: This breakdown process becomes faster with an increase in glucocorticoids compounds, which have been linked with heart disease, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis. A high salt diet can trigger the glucocorticoids compounds. So, this tells high-salt intake is not only related to high blood pressure alone but to many more ailments.

CONSERVE MORE CONSUME LESS: If you give someone salted peanuts, he/she will consume more drinks initially. Once followed for an extended period of time, the person will start conserving more and consume less water.

FOODS TO AVOID: More salt in a regular diet doesn’t come from table salt, it comes from processed foods, restaurant meals, colas and other beverages. These things do not only have high salt content but are also high in sugar, saturated fats and simple carbs.

IDEAL SALT INTAKE: According to the World Health Organisation, an adult should consume less than five grams of salt in a day.

VERDICT: Reducing sodium intake would be easy if one stops having packaged and processed foods. This will not only keep one healthy but will also increase their metabolic rate and reduce weight.