In Episode 31 of Donna’s Intermittent Fasting Journal, Donna Reish, author of 100 curriculum books (for kids!), blogger, and IF teacher, teaches about how to control appetite/hunger/cravings/ghrelin. She begins the episode by giving her and her husband’s update—down over 100 pounds between the two of them in ten months with just over and under 20 pounds each remaining! She describes how fasting brings out various food sensitivities that might have been dormant or unknown prior to fasting, and how she has been having sugar headaches despite loving sugar her entire life! This has caused her and her husband to reduce their sugar intake somewhat. Donna then reviews some info from Episode 30 about the hunger hormone ghrelin, including where and how it is released. Next, she describes the food control that IF provides in general, including regulating blood sugar and insulin, healing the gut, providing more pronounced leptin signals, and more.

Donna moves into some tips on controlling ghrelin next. She describes the following: how ghrelin comes in waves and how to overcome those waves; foods and drinks that ghrelin works well with and doesn’t work well with; the effect of water (including mineral water and sparkling water) on ghrelin; stomach distensibility, fiber, and fruit; clock hunger; sleep; mineral balance; and more! Finally, Donna touches on foods that have an effect on satiety/hunger/ cravings, including protein, fat, and fiber. This episode is sponsored by Plexus’ ProBio 5—a three in one product that aids in gut health, digestion, breaking down bad bacteria such as candida/yeast overgrowth, and much more.